A Warden Killing The Boredom

A warden oversees an empty prison with 100 cells, all closed. Bored one day, he walks through the prison and opens every cell. Then he walks through it again and closes the even-numbered cells. On the third trip he stops at every third cell and closes the door if it’s open or opens it if it’s closed. And so on: On the nth trip he stops at every nth cell, closing an open door or opening a closed one. At the end of the 100th trip, which doors are open?

'These' special cells will have doors open!

Similar Puzzle! 

Open Doors in an Empty Prison!

Read the story behind the title!

Let's take few cells into consideration as representatives.

The warden visits cell no. 5 twice - 1st & 5th trip.1 & 5 are only divisors of 5.

He visits cell no. 10, on 1st, 2nd, 5th, 10th trips i.e. 4 times. Here, divisors of 10 are 1,2,5,10.

He stops cell no. 31 only twice i.e. on 1st and 31st trip.

He visits cell no.25 on 1st, 5th, 25th trips that is thrice.

In short, number of divisors that cell number has, decides the number of visits by warden.

For example, above, cell no.5 has 2 divisors hence warden visits it 2 times while 10 has 4 divisors which is why warden visits it 4 times.

But when cell number is perfect square like 16 (1,2,4,8,16) or 25 (1,5,25) he visits respective cells odd number of times. Otherwise for all other integers like 10 (1,2,5,10) or like 18 (1,2,3,6,9,18)  or like 27 (1,3,9,27) he visits even number of time.

For prime numbers, like 1,3,5,....31,...97 he visits only twice as each of them have only 2 divisors. Again, number of visits is even.

Obviously, the doors of cells to which he visits even number of times will remain closed while those cells to which he visits odd number of time will remain open.

So the cells having numbers that are perfect square would have doors open. That means cells 1, 4, 9, 16, 25, 36, 49, 64, 81, and 100 would be having their doors open.

Need of Speed For Average Speed

A man drives 1 mile to the top of a hill at 15 mph. How fast must he drive 1 mile down the other side to average 30 mph for the 2-mile trip?

Here is calculation of that speed needed!

Impossible Average Speed Challenge

What was average speed challenge?

A man drives 1 mile to the top of a hill at 15 mph. That means he took, 1/15 hours i.e.4 minutes to reach at the top of a hill.

To achieve average speed of 30 mph, the man has to complete 2 miles trip in 1/15 hours i.e. 4 minutes. But he has already taken 4 minutes to reach at the top of a hill, hence he can't achieve average speed of 30 mph over entire trip. 

MATHEMATICAL PROOF:

Let 'x' be the speed needed in the journey down the hill.

Average Speed = Total Distance/Total time

Average Speed = (1 + 1)/(1/15 + 1/x)

30 = 2/(1/15 + 1/x)

(1/15 + 1/x) = 2 / 30 = 1/15

1/x = 0

x = Infinity/Not defined.

To conclude, it's impossible to achieve average speed of 30mph in trip.

    
 

Sara's Desert Trek

Sara needs to trek from an oasis to a destination 10 miles away across a barren desert. 

The facts:

• Crossing one mile of desert requires using 1 gallon of water.
• Sara can only carry 6 gallons of water at a time.
• Sara can drop a water cache (of any amount of water from the supply she is carrying at that moment) at any of the nine stops along the route, and then pick up any part of the cache on a later trip.

What's the minimum number of times Sara must leave the oasis in order to cross the entire 10 mile span of desert?

This is how she optimizes her journey! 

Sara's Planning in Desert Trek

What was the challenge in journey?

1. First Sara collects 12 gallons of water at milepost 1 after having 3 trips from source. She uses 2 gallons (out of 6) for forward & backward journey from source to milepost & dropping 4 gallons in cache at milepost 1.

2.She collect 6 gallons more water at the start of 4th trip from source & drops 5 gallons at milepost 1. Now, she doesn't need to return back to source and 17 gallons of water available at milepost 1.

3.In next 2 rounds, she moves 8 gallons of water from milepost 1 to milepost 2 (1 for forward + 4 for drop + 1 for backward journey in each round). 

4.Now only 5 gallons left at milepost 2. She uses 1 gallon for journey from milepost 1 to milepost 2 and drop remaining 4 gallons at milepost 2. Now, 12 gallons of water is available at milepost 2.

3.Next, using 2 gallons (out of 6 which is maximum she can carry) she moves from milepost 2 to milepost 4 and drop 2 gallons at milepost 4 & comes back at milepost 2 using remaining 2. 

4. Again, on arriving back at milepost 2, she has left with 6 gallons of water at milepost 2 out of which she uses 2 to reach milepost 4 where 2 gallons of water still available there already collected in previous round. Now, she doesn't need to return back from
milepost 4.

5. She uses the remaining 6 gallons of water to reach at the milepost 10.

To conclude, Sara has to leave Oasis only 4 times as describe in steps 1 and 2 if she want to cross the entire 10 mile span of desert.  

Trip Around The Earth

Professor Fukano plans to circumnavigate the world in his new airplane. But the plane's fuel tank doesn't hold enough for the trip—in fact, it holds only enough for half the trip. But with the help of two identical support planes (which can refuel him in mid-air) piloted by his assistants Fugari and Orokana, the professor thinks he can make it in one trip. But since all three planes have the same problem of limited fuel, how can they work together to achieve the professor's goal without anyone running out of fuel?

1. The professor's plane must make a single continuous trip around the world without landing or turning around.

2. Each plane can travel exactly 1 degree of longitude in 1 minute for every kiloliter of fuel. Each can hold a maximum of 180 kiloliters of fuel.

3. Any plane can refuel any of the others in mid-air by meeting at the same point and instantly transferring any amount of fuel.

4. Fugari and Orokana's planes can turn around instantaneously without burning fuel.

5. Only one airport is available for any of the planes to land, take off, or refuel.

6. All three planes must survive the experiment, and none may run of fuel in mid-air.

'This' is how mission is completed!
  

For The Journey Around The Earth

First read T&Cs of the journey! 

Let's assume that the only airport mentioned is located at the top of the earth. 

Recollect all the data given.
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1. The professor's plane must make a single continuous trip around the world without landing or turning around.

2. Each plane can travel exactly 1 degree of longitude in 1 minute for every kiloliter of fuel. Each can hold a maximum of 180 kiloliters of fuel.

3. Any plane can refuel any of the others in mid-air by meeting at the same point and instantly transferring any amount of fuel.

4. Fugari and Orokana's planes can turn around instantaneously without burning fuel.

5. Only one airport is available for any of the planes to land, take off, or refuel.

6. All three planes must survive the experiment, and none may run of fuel in mid-air.

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As per (2), since each plane travel 1 degree of longitude in 1 minute for every kiloliter of fuel, means that plane need 360 minutes (6 hours) and 360 kiloliters of fuel. But remember plane can hold only 180 kiloliters of fuel.

Let's suppose that, all three planes takes off from airport exactly at 12:00 PM towards the WEST.

We will break this 6 hours journey into 8 parts where each plane travels 45 degree of longitude east or west using 45 kiloliters of fuel.  

START :

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PART 1 :

 Exactly at 12:45 PM, all will be at 45 degree angle with reference to the center of the earth.
At this point, each of them will use 45 kiloliters of fuel. Hence, each will have 135 kiloliters of fuel. Here, Orokana gives away 45 kiloliters to each of Fukano & Fugari. So she is left with the 45 kiloliters which she uses to go back to the starting point.

 
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PART 2 : 

In next 45 minutes, both Fukano and Fugari moves to 90 degree of longitude spending 45 kiloliters of fuel. Now,here both will have 135 kiloliters each in their fuel tank. Here, Fugari refuels Fukano's fuel tank with 45 kiloliters of fuel; leaving 90 kiloliters in own tank for the backward journey towards the starting point.

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PART 3 : 

Fukano travels further, while Fugari is in midway of the backward journey. Again, both spend 45 kiloliters of fuel.

 
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PART 4 :

Exactly at 3:00 PM, Fukano reaches at 180 degree while Fugari reaches back to the starting point. Till then, Orokana refuels her plane & takes off towards EAST. She has to take off as Fukano is left with only 90 kiloliters of fuel by which he could travel half of the rest of journey.

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PART 5 :

In next 45 minutes, Fukano's plane uses 45 kiloliters further while Orokana travels 1/3rd of Fukano's remaining journey in reverse direction so as to meet Fukano in midway. In process, her plane again uses 45 kiloliters of fuel with 135 kiloliters left.

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PART 6 :

At 04:30 PM, Orokana meets Fukano whose plane had no fuel left at the point & refuels his plane with 45 kiloliters of fuel. Remember Orokana's plane consumed 45 kiloliters more till she meets Fukano. Now, since both of them have left only 45 kiloliters in fuel tank, Fugari whose plane standing at airport is refueled at full 180 kiloliters takes of in the direction of EAST.

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PART 7 : 

At 05:15 PM, when fuel tank indicators of both Fukano & Orokana are pointing to 0, Fugari meets them & gives 45 (to Fukano) + 45 (to Orokana)  = 90 out of 135 (180 - 45 used since take off) . Now all are left with 45 kiloliters of fuel & 45 degrees of journey is left.

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PART 8 : 

And this is how, exactly at 06:00 PM all of them reaches back to the starting point safely.

But is this the most efficient way to make trip around the Earth? Certainly not! 

If plane was built with fuel tank of 360 + then the mission wouldn't have required any assistance. Just because of limited fuel tank, 45 + 45 + 90 + 90 + 90 + 90 + 45 + 45 = 270 Kiloliters of fuel burnt to assist Fukano's plane.