Brainteaser: The man on the paddle boat

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A man, an environmental activist, wants to hang a banner to
send a message to stop the over-fishing of tuna fish. He thinks
that hanging the banner on a fishing boat anchored near a
fisherman's village is the perfect spot to send his message.

The man uses his small paddle boat to approach the larger
fishing boat unnoticed. He plans on climbing up the fishing boat
using a rope ladder that hangs on its side.

To his dismay, the bottom of the ladder is three feet above his
extended arms. There is nothing on the paddle boat he can
stand on to extend his reach. He cannot jump up to grab the
ladder because his boat is small and light, and will become
unsteady in the water.

Then, he figures that the tide is rising at the rate of one foot per
hour. His paddle boat will rise with the tide, and if he waited long
enough he should be able to reach the bottom of the ladder.


How many hours would he have to wait at sea for the tide
(water) to rise high enough so that he could grab the ladder?:lol:
  • Profile picture of the author Rick McCombs
    Seeing that both boats would rise with the tide,
    he would never reach the ladder.
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    \"Person who say something cannot be done, should not interrupt person doing it.\"

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  • Profile picture of the author HeySal
    He shoulda just brought some super glue and glued the banner on the side of the darned thing and been done with it.
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    Sal
    When the Roads and Paths end, learn to guide yourself through the wilderness
    Beyond the Path

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  • Profile picture of the author John Rowe
    Now that that's been answered...

    If it takes 4 men, 2 hours to dig a whole, how
    long would it take 2 men to dig half a whole?
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  • Profile picture of the author PaulLivingston
    It's not possible to dig a whole, is it?

    And super glue has never worked for me :/

    And the guy in the paddle boat should just go get a taller boat.
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    • Profile picture of the author John Rowe
      Originally Posted by PaulLivingston View Post

      It's not possible to dig a whole, is it?
      Of course it is... unless you meant to something else.
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      • Profile picture of the author PaulLivingston
        Originally Posted by John Rowe View Post

        Of course it is... unless you meant to something else.
        I don't see how. Unless you mean digging a whole hole. And, in that case, there is no such thing as a half a hole. You either have a whole hole or you have no hole. I think.
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        • Profile picture of the author John Rowe
          Originally Posted by PaulLivingston View Post

          I don't see how. Unless you mean digging a whole hole. And, in that case, there is no such thing as a half a hole. You either have a whole hole or you have no hole. I think.
          Yeah, you're right of course. But now go back and reread your post to me where you left out the 'half' part of the whole.
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  • Profile picture of the author Rick McCombs
    Twelve pears were hanging high,
    Twelve riders came riding by,
    Each took a pear,
    And left eleven hanging there.

    How did they do it?
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    \"Person who say something cannot be done, should not interrupt person doing it.\"

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    • Profile picture of the author Killer Joe
      I bought my first boat, a cabin cruiser, in 1978. My wife at the time looked at the mooring lines and asked me "Are those ropes going to be long enough once the tide goes down?"

      It's no wonder I traded her in on a newer model...:p

      KJ
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