Monday, September 27, 2004
Church Bell
The time taken by a church bell to strike 4'o clock is 9 seconds. How long will it take for the same church bell to strike 8'o clock?
Answer:
Pity those people who thinks that the answer is 18 seconds. Proportionality does not work. Nor is the normal multiplication. The key fact lies in our common-sense. To strike 4'o clock, three intervals are needed (from first chime to 4th chime), which take 9 seconds. Therefore each interval takes 3 seconds. So in order to strike 8'o clock, seven intervals are needed, which must take 7x3=21 seconds. The time elapsed should be measured by means of such intervals and not by the numbers themselves. Got it?
Answer:
Pity those people who thinks that the answer is 18 seconds. Proportionality does not work. Nor is the normal multiplication. The key fact lies in our common-sense. To strike 4'o clock, three intervals are needed (from first chime to 4th chime), which take 9 seconds. Therefore each interval takes 3 seconds. So in order to strike 8'o clock, seven intervals are needed, which must take 7x3=21 seconds. The time elapsed should be measured by means of such intervals and not by the numbers themselves. Got it?
