NationStates Jolt Archive


A riddle!

John Paul III
16-05-2005, 20:22
I have a riidle for you all. Tell me the number and how you got it. Trust me, it is not 7, or is it. Here it is:

Each child in a family has at least 2 brothers and 4 sisters. What is the smallest number of children the family might have?
Brigate
16-05-2005, 20:25
1,000,000,000
Yupaenu
16-05-2005, 20:25
I have a riidle for you all. Tell me the number and how you got it. Trust me, it is not 7, or is it. Here it is:

Each child in a family has at least 2 brothers and 4 sisters. What is the smallest number of children the family might have?

44?

EDIT: wait, i think i know, 56
QuentinTarantino
16-05-2005, 20:25
44?

Its 42... fool!
Yupaenu
16-05-2005, 20:27
Its 42... fool!

i almost thought that, but then i realised that the parents of those children are children to their parents.
Mennon
16-05-2005, 20:28
21?
Tiauha
16-05-2005, 20:32
8 children

5 females, 3 males. If the child is female she has 4 sisters as well as her which makes 5 females. If the child is male, he has 2 brothers as well as him so 3 males.

Then because we are getting the smallest number, if it's male, the sisters have to have another sister so that if you are looking it from the point of view of a sister they still have 4 sisters and vice versa if the child is female.
Czardas
16-05-2005, 20:35
9
5 females, 3 males. If the child is female she has 4 sisters as well as her which makes 5 females. If the child is male, he has 2 brothers as well as him so 3 males.

Then because we are getting the smallest number, if it's male, the sisters have to have another sister so that if you are looking it from the point of view of a sister they still have 4 sisters and vice versa if the child is female.What s/he said.

~Czardas, Supreme Ruler of the Universe
Sonho Real
16-05-2005, 20:35
8.
Ancient Valyria
16-05-2005, 20:36
5+3=8 :confused:
Tiauha
16-05-2005, 20:42
5+3=8 :confused:

*blushes* he he I knew that reallly *goes to edit post for the 2nd time* at least I got the logic bit..

Oh and I'm a she :p
Kamsaki
16-05-2005, 20:42
It is either Eight or an infinately recursive loop.

Eight arises assuming firstly that "Children" refers only to the most recent generation. It can be created if each generation is created solely by two individuals who are siblings. IE, inbreeding. Grandparents have Eight Children; 3 boys and 5 girls (that way, every one can say to have at least 2 brothers and four sisters). One boy and girl are the only ones to reproduce, and do so together. This produces another generation of 8 children and the cycle continues.

Hyuck.

If "Children" however refers to any individual who is the offspring of another, then with no definate origin to be possibly found (given that all members of the family, no matter how old, were part of a family of eight), it is safe to say that the family's history continued infinately back in time (with no single entity or pair of parents to originate from), and has therefore resulted in the production of an infinate number of "Children".
Bunnyducks
16-05-2005, 20:44
2. The others are in foster care... ...or summink...
Bodies Without Organs
16-05-2005, 21:04
Each child in a family has at least 2 brothers and 4 sisters. What is the smallest number of children the family might have?

One. They may have four half-brothers and eight half-sisters.
Upper Dobbs Town
16-05-2005, 21:06
Tricksy Pontiff. What's it got in it's pocketses? Under it's mitre? Ehhh?
Ancient Valyria
16-05-2005, 21:09
ssstring, or nothing!
Kamsaki
16-05-2005, 21:09
One. They may have four half-brothers and eight half-sisters.

Nice bit of abstract throught! ^^

I think the terms Brother and Sister are taken intrinsically to mean biological siblings though. If they weren't, you could very easily have said something about Brothers and Sisters in Spirit or some sort of metaphysical garbage like that.
San haiti
16-05-2005, 21:18
One. They may have four half-brothers and eight half-sisters.

The riddle said borthers and sisters though, not half-brothers and half-sisters, they arent the same thing so that answer doesnt really work.

I go with 8.
Seosavists
16-05-2005, 21:22
I have a riidle for you all. Tell me the number and how you got it. Trust me, it is not 7, or is it. Here it is:

Each child in a family has at least 2 brothers and 4 sisters. What is the smallest number of children the family might have?
7 I don't trust you! 2 males 4 females if he's male 3+4=7 if female 5+2=7
Upper Dobbs Town
16-05-2005, 21:26
Of course, we're all failing to take into consideration...


TIME CUBE!

Remember to multiply whatever answer you arrive at by four, or you'll fall into the trap laid by one-cornered, linear FOOLS!
Zion Five
16-05-2005, 21:29
LMAO Time Cube! I can't remember the last time I dipped into that crazy website to make myself laugh.

I'm gonna say 8, but I'm rather poor at these riddles, so.
Tiauha
16-05-2005, 21:30
7 I don't trust you! 2 males 4 females if he's male 3+4=7 if female 5+2=7

but then the females would only have 3 sisters or in the other case the males would only have 1 other brother.
Phylum Chordata
17-05-2005, 01:05
Five, but at least four of these must reject the body facism of genderism.