please let me tease your mind. ?

Question

A census taker goes to a house
for some information. The lady says she has 3 kids, and the product of their
ages is 36. The sum of their ages is equal to the address next door. He goes
and comes back for more information and she says the oldest one is asleep
upstairs. What are their ages?

Answer 1

The woman tells him the product of their ages equals 36 and the sum is the address next door. Since he cannot figure it out after going next door, we know that at least two possibilities have the same sum (the address next door)..

We only have two possibilites that multiply to get 36 and have the same sum:
1) 2*2*9 = 36 ; 2+2+9 = 13
2) 1*6*6 = 36 ;1+6+6 = 13

Since she says the oldest is asleep, we know she has an oldest child, which eliminates choice 2.

Therefore, her children's ages are 2, 2, and 9.

Answer 2

The lady says she had 3 kids, and that the product of their ages is 36. We can form 36 in these ways:

1 x 1 x 36
1 x 2 x 18
1 x 3 x 12
1 x 4 x 9
1 x 6 x 6
2 x 2 x 9
2 x 3 x 6
3 x 3 x 4

The sum of these ages are as follows:

1 + 1 + 36 = 38
1 + 2 + 18 = 21
1 + 3 + 12 = 16
1 + 4 + 9 = 14
1 + 6 + 6 = 13
2 + 2 + 9 = 13
2 + 3 + 6 = 11
3 + 3 + 4 = 10

The census taker NEEDED to go back for more information.
There's the hint right there, as I've heard this one before.

Answer 3

The possible factorisations of 36 yield ages and corresponding sums as

1+1+36=38
1+4+9=14
1+2+18=21
1+3+12=16
1+6+6=13
2+3+6=11
2+2+9=13
3+3+4=10

So to not know the ages after the sum is given means it must be one of the two cases summing to 13....."
f for example next door's house was 16 then the census taker would know the only possibility for the ages would be (1,3,12) because that's the *only* triplet which sums to 16.

This is not the case, so next door's house cannot be 16 and the ages cannot be (1,3,12).

We similarly rule out the other cases, except (1,6,6) and (2,2,9).

Because if its 16, that means the census taker doesn't need any more information. But as per the problem, he does in fact need more information. The only way he could need more information is if the house next door was 13 because then there would be two possible and viable scenarios: (1,6,6) and (2,2,9).The question then becomes, what did he see on the door such that he is still unable to answer? The answer is that he saw 13 on the house. Now the census taker can't narrow his choice to just one solution since both (2,2,9) and (1,6,6) both satisfy the original conditions. Mother says I can't tell you anything else but my eldest is sleeping. This is actually a clue in disguise! Since the eldest is not a twin, that means (2,2,9) is the answer.

Because we know there's an eldest child the only possibility is that the children are aged: 2,2 and,9.

Answer 4

The children are 2, 2, and 9.

Answer 5

2,3,6

neighbor's address is 11

(2 times 3)6=36

Answer 6

Ok first of all you dont fool arround with the sessus officers, ok. Just tell him the real ages. I mean come on.
by the way i thing its 2 2 9 as Laura Joy have pointed out

Answer 7

i think u left some info out? it could be 6,2,and 3. 4, 3, and 3. Or 12, 1, 3. Or 9, 2 and 2.

Answer 8

They have to be 2,3 and 6 because 36 factorialized is 2,2,3,3 but since their all different ages, you multiply two of the numbers so you have 2,3,6. Boom. Answered.

Answer 9

1,6,and 6
next door # =166

Answer 10

No enough information