Hey guys! I have a math riddle/puzzle/problem that I don't understand. Any help would be awesome!?

Question

Here it goes....:-)

Eustace has four friends whose occupations are butcher, baker, tailor, carpenter, and whose names are Mr. Butcher, Mr. Baker, Mr. Tailor, and Mr. Carpenter, though the names do not correspond to the occupations. Each man has a son and a daughter, but no son practices the same trade as his father, nor does any practice a trade corresponding to his own name.
Each son marries a daugther whose maiden name does not suggest her husband's or his father's trade. Each girl changes her last initial when she marries.
The baker's son married Miss Butcher. Mr. Butcher, Sr. is not a baker. The trade of Mr. Carpenter, Sr. is the same as young Mrs. Butcher's maiden name.
Eustace managed to figure out the trade of each of the 8 males and the maiden names of the sons' wives. Can you?


THANKS!

Answer 1

(1)Sr. Mr. BUTCHER is carpenter by trade.
[ He cannot be a butcher as his name is butcher. He is not a baker is given. He or his son are not a tailors. Jr. BUTCHER marries Ms. TAILOR. He cannot marry Ms. CARPENTER as Mrs. BUTCHER maiden name(which could be carpenter if he married Ms.CARPENTER) is Sr. Mr. CARPENTER's trade. Sr. Mr. CARPENTER cannot have trade by his name. Also given that Ms. TAILOR's(any girl's) maiden name doesn't suggest her husband's or her father-in-law's trade. That leaves only carpenter as an option for Sr. Mr. BUTCHER and option of a baker for Jr. BUTCHER (as he cannot be a carpenter, knowing his father is already a carpenter) Over to Sr. Mr. CARPENTER now]

Jr. BUTCHER is a baker by trade.

Jr. BUTCHER marries Ms. TAILOR(only option)



(2)Sr. Mr. CARPENTER is a tailor by trade.
[Ms. TAILOR's name is Sr. CARPENTER's trade]

Jr. CARPENTER is a butcher by trade.
[Cannot be a tailor as his father is already a tailor. He cannot be a baker as Jr. BUTCHER is already a baker. He cannot have trade by his name i.e. carpenter. So he can only be a butcher]

Jr. CARPENTER marries Ms. BAKER.
[He cannot marry Ms.TAILOR(married already), Ms. BUTCHER(he is butcher by trade), Ms. CARPENTER(his own sister). Only option is Ms. BAKER]



(3)Sr. Mr. BAKER is a butcher by trade.
[He cannot be a tailor as Sr. Mr.CARPENTER is already a tailor. He cannot be a carpenter as Sr. Mr. BUTCHER is already a carpenter. He is obviously not a baker(his own name). He is a butcher. Over to Sr. Mr. TAILOR]

Jr.BAKER is a tailor by trade.
[He cannot be a carpenter as Jr. TAILOR is already a carpenter. He cannot be a butcher as his father is already a butcher. He is not a baker as his own name is baker. He is a tailor]

Jr. BAKER marries Ms. CARPENTER
[He cannot marry Ms. TAILOR(married already). He cannot marry Ms. BUTCHER(married already). He cannot marry Ms. BAKER(own sister. He marries Ms. CARPENTER]



(4)Sr. Mr. TAILOR is a baker by trade.
[He cannot be a butcher as Sr.Mr. BAKER already is. He cannot be a carpenter as Sr. Mr. BUTCHER already is. He is not tailor as that's his own name. He is a baker]

Jr. TAILOR is a carpenter by trade.
[Given Ms. BUTCHER marries baker's son. So Jr. TAILOR's trade isn't that of a butcher. He cant be a baker that his father already is. He not being a tailor (which is his own name) could only be a carpenter]

Jr. TAILOR marries Ms.BUTCHER [Given. Over to Jr. Mr. BAKER]

Answer 2

"The trade of Mr. Carpenter, Sr. is the same as young Mrs. Butcher's maiden name."
This can't be Butcher, or Baker (since she had to change her last initial), or Carpenter, so must be Tailor.
So Mr Butcher, Sr. is not a tailor; we know he is not a baker or a butcher, so he must be a carpenter. Then Mr Baker, Sr. must be a butcher and Mr Tailor, Sr. must be a baker.

Mr. Butcher, Jr. can't be a butcher, or a carpenter (his father's trade), or a tailor (his wife's maiden name), so he is a baker. Then Mr Carpenter, Jr. can't be a baker, or a carpenter, or a tailor (his father's trade), so he is a butcher. So Mr Tailor, Jr. must be a carpenter and Mr Baker, Jr. must be a tailor.

We know Mr Butcher, Jr. married Miss Tailor (see first paragraph), and Mr Tailor, Jr. (the baker's son) married Miss Butcher. So Mr Baker, Jr. must have married Miss Carpenter and Mr Carpenter, Jr. must have married Miss Baker.

In summary:
Surname / Occupation / Son's occupation / DIL's maiden name
Baker / butcher / tailor / Carpenter
Butcher / carpenter / baker / Tailor
Carpenter / tailor / butcher / Baker
Tailor / baker / carpenter / Butcher

Answer 3

Here's a tip
Make a chart with each the four friends at the top, then on the sides have rows for occupation, son and daughter. Fill in what you know about each peroswn and you should be able to figure out the rest.

Answer 4

omg, I hate these! okay, you have to set up a table. each friend in a different row. then you have two different sections for columns. one for the occupation. one for their wives. then you check off the boxes that are impossible and use the process of elimination. start with what you know for sure.