Workers with the surnames Baker, Teacher, Carpenter, and Plumber are currently attending an annual convention.
No-one is currently, nor has ever been, in the same occupation as their name, and no-one has had the same occupation twice. Charlie has never been a carpenter, and Mr Teacher is now a plumber. Davie used to be a teacher, but Mr Billie Baker never has. Mr Plumber is not called Eddie, and Mr Carpenter wasn't previously a teacher. The previous occupations were all different, and the current occupations are all different.
Can you determine the full names of each of the attendees, along with their current and previous occupation?
The previous occupation is followed by the current.
Reasoning
The four forenames are: Billie, Charlie, Davie, Eddie.
The four surnames are: Baker, Teacher, Carpenter, Plumber
The four occupations are: baker, teacher, carpenter, plumber.
By (3), we have Billie Baker:
Billie Baker – ? + ?
Teacher – ? + ?
Carpenter – ? + ?
Plumber – ? + ?
By (2), Mr Teacher is currently a plumber:
Billie Baker – ? + ?
Teacher – ? + plumber
Carpenter – ? + ?
Plumber – ? + ?
By (3) Mr Baker was not previously a teacher. By (4), neither was Mr Carpenter. And by (1) Mr Teacher can't have been either. Therefore, Mr Plumber used to be a teacher, and is called Davie:
Billie Baker – ? + ?
Teacher – ? + plumber
Carpenter – ? + ?
Davie Plumber – teacher + ?
By (3), Mr Baker has never been a teacher, and by (1), Mr Plumber can't currently be a teacher either. Also, by (1), neither can Mr Teacher. Therefore, Mr Carpenter must currently be a teacher:
Billie Baker – ? + ?
Teacher – ? + plumber
Carpenter – ? + teacher
Davie Plumber – teacher + ?
By (1), Mr Baker can't be a baker, so only Mr Plumber can currently be a baker. Leaving Mr Baker as a carpenter currently:
Billie Baker – ? + carpenter
Teacher – ? + plumber
Carpenter – ? + teacher
Davie Plumber – teacher + baker
By (1), only Mr Teacher could have previously been a carpenter:
Billie Baker – ? + carpenter
Teacher – carpenter + plumber
Carpenter – ? + teacher
Davie Plumber – teacher + baker
By (2), Charlie has never been a carpenter, and since Mr Teacher has, Charlie must be Mr Carpenter.
Billie Baker – ? + carpenter
Teacher – carpenter + plumber
Charlie Carpenter – ? + teacher
Davie Plumber – teacher + baker
By (1), we now know all of the occupations, and Eddie must be Mr Teacher:
Billie Baker – plumber + carpenter
Eddie Teacher – carpenter + plumber
Charlie Carpenter – baker + teacher
Davie Plumber – teacher + baker
??
Puzzle 46
I recently asked my friend Alex to buy me some ribbon for my child's bonnet.
Alex went to the haberdashery shop for the required length, but accidentally swapped the feet and inches.
When I measured the resulting ribbon, I only had 5/8 of the length I required.
Answer
I asked for 7 feet, 4 inches and Alex brought me 4 feet, 7 inches.
Reasoning
If we label what I asked for as A feet and B inches, which is (12 x A + B) inches, then I actually received B feet and A inches, which is (12 x B + A) inches. Which means that:
5/8 x (12 x A + B) = (12 x B + A)
Simplifying gives:
A = 91/52 x B
As B is the number of inches, it can only be between 1 and 12 and must give A as a whole number of feet.
B = 4 is the only possible value, which means that A = 7.
So I originally asked for 7 feet, 4 inches.
Double-Checking
I received 4 feet, 7 inches = 55 inches.
I asked for 7 feet, 4 inches = 88 inches, and 88 x 5/8 = 55.
At the local model boat club, four friends were talking about their boats.
There were a total of eight boats, two in each colour: red, green, blue, and yellow.
Each friend owned two boats, and no friend had two boats of the same colour.
Alex didn't have a yellow boat. Billie didn't have a red boat, but did have a green one. One of the friends had a yellow boat and a blue boat. Another friend had a green boat and a blue boat. Charlie had a yellow boat. Drew had a blue boat, but didn't have a green one.
Can you work out which friends had which coloured boats?
Answer
Alex Red + Green
Billie Green + Blue
Charlie Yellow + Red
Drew Blue + Yellow
Reasoning
By (3), Yellow and Blue went together (Combination1: Yellow + Blue).
By (4), Green and Blue went together (Combination2: Green + Blue).
By (2), Billie had Green. By (5), Charlie had Yellow. By (6), Drew had Blue. Giving:
Alex
Billie Green
Charlie Yellow
Drew Blue
By (6), Drew had Blue, but not Green. This can't have been (Combination2: Green + Blue), so must have been (Combination1: Yellow + Blue):
Alex
Billie Green
Charlie Yellow
Drew Blue + Yellow
By (2), Billie didn't have Red, so Alex and Charlie must have had Red:
Alex Red
Billie Green
Charlie Yellow + Red
Drew Blue + Yellow
Which means that Billie had (Combination2: Green + Blue), and Alex had Green:
Alex Red + Green
Billie Green + Blue
Charlie Yellow + Red
Drew Blue + Yellow
?
Puzzle 48
After a recent marathon, the following was noted.
Alex finished after Frankie.Drew finished after Hayden.Frankie finished after Billie.Hayden finished before Alex.Billie finished after Hayden.Billie finished before Alex.Frankie finished before Drew.Alex finished before Drew.
Who finished where?