[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Worlds hardest easy geometry problem (Page 1 of 3)
Posted: 3/31/2008 11:03:20 AM EDT
|
can you do it? check it out thinkzone.wlonk.com/./MathFun/Triangle.htm TXL |
|
That's more of a confidence problem than a math problem. If you think you can do it and keep at it, then it's easy. I've interviewed several hundred programmers for jobs, and too many of them would have looked at this problem and quickly given-up. The ones that make a good programmer divide things into steps to start solving problems step by step. I think I'll start using this in job interviews.z |
|
i got it. it was pretty easy, though i have to admit i only got it because i'm a big freaking nerd, and a few weeks ago i was having a hard time remembering some basic geometry i needed at work, so i spent a few days re-learning geometry...  you don't even need any "tricks" to do it... |
do a search for "triangle geometry" or "euclidean geometry". you'll find tons of sites that have information, sample problems, proofs, etc. the information age is awesome! it made me feel stupid though, re-learning things i've forgotten that are so simple.  because of that, i've actually gone back and started re-teaching myself calculus. i've forgotten much less of that. ETA: i should add that nearly all of that stuff is not needed to solve that problem... |
|
SPOILER: blogs.sun.com/simford/entry/solved_the_world_s_hardest Don't click if you want to figure it out. It is much more difficult than you think, so I wouldn't call it "easy" other than knowing sum of angles in triangle is 180 and when two lines intersect, the angle created is the same on both sides aka X all opposing angles are the same, no matter what direction the lines cross. (This is also a hint to solve it another way, with a couple less steps than the link above) |
|
Lots of fail going on here... The sketch isn't to scale. At all. Angles are also not to scale. Using the basis that the sum of the interior angles of a triangle is 180 degrees and the sum of the interior angles of a parallelpiped (includes a rectangle, square, rhombus, trapezoid and parallelogram) is 360, you can figure it out to be less than 90 degrees and more than 10. |
those are just raw numbers--you need to state the proof. you can't calculate angle CDE from the diagram as shown, so you need a reasoning chain. we can all work a protractor or software--the challenge is in the proof. that said, i'm moving everything over to MS paint so that i can get a bigger workspace--there are so many triangles in that damn thing it's crazy. and that's before really working the problem. i'm embarrased to admit that i needed the hint. 
|
There's a link to a scaled image. I printed it, and held a protractor to it. 20 degrees. 
|
Funny, the only thing I remember about geometry is how awesome my teachers tits were. |
Yeah, bullshit on easy. Elementary geometry, yes. Simple, no. |
|
My solution with eraser marks and everything, direct scan. Started off by printing out the drawn to scale image. Then used a ruler and pencil. I think it is simpler than the solution posted earlier. The way I simplified it was to make some right triangles. media.ar15.com/media/viewFile.html?i=1376 First time with media server, dunno if it works for everybody or not. |