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BY K.H. “WICKS” WICKREMASINGHE
Think Tank Celebrates 10 Years!
K.H. “Wicks” Wickremasinghe has been writing Think Tank challenges for AP for 10 years now, and we'd like to commemorate the anniversary by telling you about the man behind the puzzles. Wicks was born in Sri Lanka, educated in Sri Lanka, Britain, The Netherlands and Canada, and is a retired university instructor in industrial engineering. He was the president of Mensa Canada from 1990 to 1992, has contributed puzzles to Mensa Canada Communications and the Journal of Recreation Mathematics, and was a puzzles editor of Isolated M. Wicks has published a book of mathematical puzzles and spends much of his time traveling. He now resides in Vancouver, Canada, enjoying the company of his wife, two daughters, son-in-law and two grandchildren.
Way to the Slumber Party
“Do you know Alice's address?” Tom, the engineer, asked his daughter, Judy, whom he was driving to Alice's house for a slumber party.
“It's on Gardenia Crescent and is a four-digit number. Cathy's house number is twice Alice's number, and Dotty's number is 5 more than Cathy's and is the reverse digits of Alice's number. Both of them will be at the party,” answered Judy, who never made things easy for her dad.
What is Alice's address?
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CrossNumber 69
Across
1. 4 Down + 4
3. 3 Down – 10 x 3 Across – √(15 Across)
6. 1 Across x cube root (1 Across)
7. [10 Across ÷ √(6 Across)] – 10
8. (2 x 1 Across)2
10. 7 Across x 10 – 12 Down + [7 Across – √(15 Across)]/10
13. 11 x (13 Down) – 10
15. 17 Across – √(17 Across – 15 Across)
16. 4 x (5 Down + 2 x 17 Across)
17. 2 x 13 Down
Down
1. 10 x 1 Across + 12
2. 10 x (6 Across – 10) + √(6 Across)
3. 11 x 3 Across + √(15 Across)
4. 1 Across – 4
5. (7 Across – [5 Down – √(15 Across)]/11
9. [(1 Across – 3)/2]3 – 10 x 1 Across
11. 5 x [2 x (13 Down) – 1]
12. 10 x (14 Down – 13 Down)
13. (15 Across + 1)/2
14. [√(15 Across) – 3)3
Contest Rules: All entries must be received by January 28, 2002. The winners of the word puzzle and CrossNumber (can be the same person) will be drawn from all correct entries. Fax all entries to 847-634-4240. All entries must include name, complete address, company affiliation and daytime phone number to be considered.
Grand Prize Winners
Congratulations to Paul Clawser of Paul Clawser, PE (Nashville, Tenn.) for solving the Couples Cruise challenge, and to Marko Zupan of MTEC (Franklin Park, Ill.) for solving CrossNumber 68!
Solutions to November's Puzzles:
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CrossNumber 68
Couples Cruise
Answer: 660
Solution: Let X = number of husbands taller than their wives.
Let Y = number of husbands older than their wives and let Z = number of husbands taller and older than their wives.
Z = 4X/5, Z = 5Y/6 and 1,100 – (X + Y – Z) = 143
Substituting X = 5Z/4 and Y = 6Z/5 in X + Y – Z = 1,100 – 143, then
5Z/4 + 6Z/5 – Z = 957
25Z + 24Z – 20Z = 957 x 20
29Z = 957 x 20
Z = 33 x 20 = 660.