The Math Department Annual Dinner
Logic puzzles require you to think. You will have to be logical in your reasoning.
My department needs a new Social Coordinator! You see, we were going to have a Chinese New Year dinner but the seating plan proved to be too much for the organizer, who has now resigned. Math teachers can be hard to please!
The restaurant had big round tables for 10 people, (perfect for our department size), with chairs placed evenly around. Everyone was going to attend, and a fun evening seemed assured ... until the problems began.
[A] Ding wanted to sit as far as possible away from Dong.
[B] Walter wanted to sit opposite Wira, who insisted on sitting closer to Dong than to Ding.
[C] Wynn, Dan and Walter always sit together, in that order, anticlockwise (something about feng shui, they claimed.)
[D] Wira only wanted to sit between Liza and Fozz, who always sits with Rita!
Work out the seating plan and discover which teachers I sat between so everyone's preferences could be satisfied.
HintIt's probably easiest to start with Wynn-Dan-Walter - the feng shui trio!
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Answer
Starting with me and going clockwise, there was Walter on my left, Dan, Wynn, Dong, Liza, Wira, Fozz, Rita, and then Ding on my Right.
SOLUTION:
If we number all the seats clockwise starting with Walter = 1, then Dan = 2 and Wynn = 3 [C]. From [B], Wira is at 6.
That leaves only 4 and 9 or 5 and 10 for Dong and Ding [A], and from [B] we find that Dong must be at 4 or 5. Dong can not be at 5 [D] so Dong = 4 and Ding = 9.
That leaves only 7 and 8 for Fozz and Rita respectively [D] so Liza = 5 [D] and I come in at 10.
It's not an easy life teaching, is it? Maybe that's why we decided on an Indian restaurant for next year! I'll report on that later.
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Comments
pistons_32_rip    
Oct 21, 2009
| first time being first comment yay!
ok there must me another way to do this because i got 1 ding 2 rita 3 fozz 4 wira 5 liza 6 dong 7 you 8 walter 9 dan and 10 wynn
that works out with everybody right? |
dalfamnest   
Oct 21, 2009
| Hmmm ... with your solution I wouldn't call Wira and Walter 'opposite' in the normal or strict sense at a circular table. However, if people think it should be 'directly opposite' or 'diametrically opposite' we could change it. 
I'm glad people seem to be enjoying this - I spend lots of time with logic puzzles and this is the first I have tried writing. (I wrote it last year for my Maths Report in our school magazine!)  |
KiraKaty 
Nov 14, 2009
| I had no idea, I thought that these teachers need to be more flexable on where they sit.  |
DarkMessiah
Nov 26, 2009
| That was quite easy... and piston, I think your answers the same as the answer given, you just started counting from a different point :p ...
and liza and fozz's seats are interchangeable, if liza sits on fozz's seat and vice versa, it doesn't create any probs..
A good puzzle nevertheless |
DarkMessiah
Nov 26, 2009
| oh sorry, no piston I just rechecked your answer.. wira and walter isn't opposite.. |
(user deleted)
Dec 14, 2009
| I did it. |
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