Quote:
Originally posted by dimbulb
I think you are the one who is confused. The wordings of both arael and saltfish's puzzles describe the same puzzle.
in saltfish's puzzle the rope most certainly does NOT burn symmetrically or at a constant rate.
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I assure you that none of this is confusing.
Both wordings attempt to describe the same puzzle but I contend that one is much more articulate than the other...
In
saltfish's puzzle, the rope most certainly
does burn symmetrically. You just haven't read what is meant by "symmetric," in this case.
Finally, the rope needn't burn at a constant rate in order for the solution to work. This is where I think
you're confused. It was
saltfish who thought that the solution would only work with a constant burn rate, not me. Read this thread again...
Quote:
Don't think of the rope in terms of length. Think of it in terms of (burn time)/flame and all will be fine.
I think all this confusing wording about thickness/length/burn rate is an attempt to prevent people from coming up with trivial answers.
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Who thinks of the rope in terms of length? What are you on about?
It's not just an attempt to prevent trivial answers, it's an attempt to keep the question interesting. Otherwise, you'd simply answer "cut the rope in half," and people would wonder why you'd even ask the question...