Brain Teasers
A Suspension Bridge
Before airplanes were invented, a suspension bridge was being planned to span a violent river. There was no way a boat could carry the suspension cables across the violent water, and the bridge could not be built until the cables were in place. The builders decided to hold a contest to solve the problem. The contest was won by a young boy. Shortly thereafter the cables spanned the water.
What contest could have been used to solve this problem?
What contest could have been used to solve this problem?
Answer
The builders offered a prize to the first person to fly a kite from one side to the other. Once the kite string made the crossing, a heavier cord was tied to the string and it was pulled across. This process was repeated until the first cable crossed the river.Hide Answer Show Answer
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Comments
Jan 10, 2003
Who was on the other side of the river to catch the presumably fallen kite, how did they get there, are they friendly, and why can the same method of crossing that they used (if they had crossed) not also be used to take across a different piece of string?
Presumably the person on the other side
was able to cross at some point miles upstream
or downstream of the intended bridge.
Trying to walk a string many miles down
the river while coordinating with someone
on the opposite bank holding the other end of the
string sounds a lot more challenging than just
catching a kite.
was able to cross at some point miles upstream
or downstream of the intended bridge.
Trying to walk a string many miles down
the river while coordinating with someone
on the opposite bank holding the other end of the
string sounds a lot more challenging than just
catching a kite.
you could also catapult, cannon, throw, lasso, etc. the cables across the river.
"The builders offered a prize to the first person to fly a kite from one side to the other. "
This contest is way too limiting, and therefore sub-optimal. The contest should have been to find the most novel way to run the cables to the other side. Let the contesants think of the ways to do this. Management 101.
This contest is way too limiting, and therefore sub-optimal. The contest should have been to find the most novel way to run the cables to the other side. Let the contesants think of the ways to do this. Management 101.
I think this has been done in the past. Not sure where though...
Well I think we all can agree that this wasn't a great teaser, time managment to cost and liability to workers would be too high Man. 102, find an easier place to cross. And to point out another flaw in the poor sods question historcally speacking, were there any bridges that spanned violent rivers prior to airplanes?
Either the cable line wasn't very heavy, and therefore wouldn't have held the bridge, or the kite string wouldn't have held the cable. So either way, logically, this teaser wouldn't work. The concept was stil good though!
This teaser is fun, its meant to be fun. Geez you guys need to lighten up. And to the comment above, have you ever seen proper nylon kite string?. Its very tough.
Actually, it would work. The kite string would be able to support a significantly heavier rope. This rope could then be used to support an even heavier cable as it is dragged across. This could be repeated until the cable spanning the river is heavy enough to support the bridge.
Actually, it DID work!! Take a look at Wikipedia. It was a $5 prize, won by a 16 year old boy.
My problem, however, is this is yet another directly copied teaser. It appears, almost word for word in a popular board game. It could have appeared in the Trivia section, and been educational.
Let's maintain the standards of this site by at least adding something creative, adapting rather than copying!
My problem, however, is this is yet another directly copied teaser. It appears, almost word for word in a popular board game. It could have appeared in the Trivia section, and been educational.
Let's maintain the standards of this site by at least adding something creative, adapting rather than copying!
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