I can only try

Dr. Pepper-

I was able to solve the first three questions thru two similar brute-force methods.

Each box represents a game (best-of-seven), each marble represents a Philly win (four wins).

Each box must be empty or contain one marble.

We need to figure out all possible combinations of empty boxes and boxes with a marble in them.

The first method is to start with the seven boxes lined up from left to right, and the four marbles in the leftmost boxes.

Each turn will move the rightmost marble one box to its right.

XXXX---

XXX-X--

XXX--X-

XXX---X

XX-XX--

XX-X-X-

XX-X--X

XX--XX-

XX--X-X

XX---XX

X-XXX--

.

The second method is to count using binary numbers with seven on-off switches like so:

X

X-

XX

----X--

----X-X

----XX-

----XXX

---X---

---X--X

---X-X-

---X-XX

---XX--

---XX-X

---XXX-

---XXXX

We will be able to count to 127 using this method.

At this point, the results of the first and second methods will be the same.

It will now be quite clear if one bettor or the other has better odds.

[if either] actually has better odds, just in case anyone else wants to work it out.)

a) Is there a more elegant way of solving this?

b) Is there an equation that will do so?

This thread is quite similar:

http://www.theyeshivaworld.com/coffeeroom/topic/if-you-could-have-anything

“I can only try”

What a long-winded screen name!

Why not just “icot”?

What can be more trivial than a Yankee thread?

This can:

The word is “postseason”, not “post season”.

My favorite pizza is now unfortunately just pie in the sky.

Natanya Pizza on Avenue J in Midwood no longer exists.

Its pizza had a very distinctive taste that was by far my favorite.

I was a long-time customer, going back a few decades to when their store was on Coney Island Avenue.

mbachur-

[Palestinian] people have been submitted to the daily and intensive use of poisonous gas by the Israeli forces, which has led to an increase in cancer cases among women and children.”

================================

charliehall-

================================

Neither the Democrats nor the Republicans have a monopoly of vice or virtue.

There are scoundrels, incompetents, racists, thieves and liars aplenty on both sides.

Some samples:

Evan Meacham (Scoundrel, GOP)

Dan Rostenkowski (Thief – Dem)

================================

In 1976, both Ford and Carter were anti-Israel.

In 2000, both Gore and Bush were pro-Israel.

================================

A request:

Please refrain from this and other personal insults.

================================

A correction:

Alan Dershowitz’s first name is spelled with one “L”.

I don’t understand the issue.

When “Mrs. Try” and I go out she brings her purse (sometimes a tiny one), containing her cell phone and usually some cash, keys, etc.

Why should a guy be insulted if his date (who doesn’t know him well) brings along her phone? If anything, it’s nice to have the insurance of a second phone (just in case his phone runs out of juice) and cash. I think it’s highly advisable that parents tell their daughters to bring a phone when going out.

growinggirl-

Rav Belsky’s number is 718-941-5832 (it’s listed)

I would call him and give a brief overview of your questions, then ask if he had time available so you could discuss them.

I’ve spoken with him on occasions that required more than quick questions-and-answers – for a serious discussion about your questions I can’t imagine any rov would cut you short. I don’t know of the extent of his dealings with situations like yours, but he is a very well-known posek in all areas of halocha.

growinggirl-

Your questions about your situation are light-years beyond what can be answered in this forum.

I wish you much hatzlocha.

goldielox-

I was afraid somebody would ask that.

Many people, especially larger people, find them more comfortable.

.

(000000000000000000000000)

(00000000000000000000000000)

000000 00000000000000 000000

00000   000000000000   00000

0000(o)  0000000000(o)  0000

00000   000000000000   00000??????????????????

000000 00000000000000 000000    ?     I      ?

0000000000000000000000000000    ? Surrender! ?

0000000000000000000000000000    ?            ?

0000000000000000000000000000    ??????????????

0000000000000000000000000000

0000000000000000000000000000

0000000000000000000000000000

0000000000000000000000000000

0000000000000000000000000000

\/  \/ \/ \/ \/ \/ \/

V    V   V   V   V   V   V

tanta bubby-

A couple of other things I though of:

3) Get a full bathtub (assuming you have room for one).

4) Get an oval (long) toilet bowl, not a round one.

squeak–

Thank you for your usual forbearance to my reflexive cheppeh / siliness.

blinky–

-Perhaps the first-place runner was lapping the second-place runner on a circular track, and therefore remains in first place.

-Maybe the 101th-place runner, who had been lapped multiple times passed the second-place runner with a brief bust of energy.

Feivel would probably enjoy these amazing pics:

http://www.nydailynews.com/lifestyle/pets/galleries/animal_kingdom_oddities/animal_kingdom_oddities.html

(If the URL to the NY Daily News site is a no-no, please delete this post)

DayQuil has always done a great job of symptom relief for us.

Who was the last man to be pictured on the front of circulating U.S. coins who was never a president of the U.S.?

Which coin?

It’s Elementary – Answer

Go from ONE to TWO in nine easy steps.

Start with O-N-E, finish with T-W-O and insert eight three-letter words between them

Each three letter word must be valid (in the Scrabble dictionary).

Each three-letter word can only have one letter different from the preceding word.

ONE

owe

ewe

eye

bye

bee

tee

toe

too

TWO

The year was 1985.

On Friday, September 27, 1985 New York City was hit by Hurricane Gloria.

The Twin Towers were closed due to wind in their elevator shafts. Roads, highways, and several portions of the public transportation system were shut as well.

Many sukkas that were already put up were blown over, damaged or destroyed.

Sukkos began just two days later, on the night of Sunday, September 29.

That motzei Shabbos and Sunday my phone rang many times with people frantically looking for someone to reassemble, repair, or rebuild their sukkah before Yom Tov.

Yes, I remember it quite well.

It’s Elementary

(for all the math mavinim – and others, too)

Go from ONE to TWO in nine easy steps.

Start with O-N-E, finish with T-W-O and insert eight three-letter words between them.

Each three letter word must be valid (in the Scrabble dictionary).

Each three-letter word can only have one letter different from the preceding word.

ONE

_ _ _

_ _ _

_ _ _

_ _ _

_ _ _

_ _ _

_ _ _

_ _ _

TWO

Moderator-80–

“icot does not make mistakes“

1) Wow – how can I meet that guy? I never met anyone like that before.

2) There’s a poster with a SN like that, but you’re clearly not referring to him, since on the following post he starts with all of the characters on the west bank of the river, then provides a solution which begins with all characters on the east side of the river

http://www.theyeshivaworld.com/coffeeroom/topic/the-riddle-thread/page/30#post-148357

3) Did I ever tell you about the time I tested a copper tubing gas line splice with a cigarette lighter? (true story)

blinky–

How about this?

Offer the canibals some of the fine aged hard cheese that you always carry with you. Once they have eaten, point out that they must now wait six hours until they eat meat. You now have a six-hour window in which to cross safely.

Ok, Ok…

we have three canibals and three tourists on the east side of the river, needing to cross to the west bank in a two-person canoe.

There can never be tourists on the same side of the river as a larger number of canibals.

Key:

C = canibal

T = tourist

W = west side of river

E = east side of river

1) 2 canibals cross together

result – e=3t,1c w=0t,2c

2) 1 canibal comes back alone.

result – e=3t,2c w=0t,1c

3) two canibals cross together

result – e=3t,0c w=0t,3c

4) 1 canibal comes back alone.

result – e=3t,1c w=0t,2c

5) two tourists cross together

result – e=1t,1c w=2t,2c

6) 1 tourist and 1 canibal come back together.

result – e=2t,2c w=1t,1c

7) two tourists cross together

result – e=0t,2c w=3t,1c

8) 1 canibal comes back alone.

result – e=0t,3c w=3t,0c

9) two canibals cross together

result – e=0t,1c w=3t,2c

10) 1 canibal comes back alone.

result – e=0t,2c w=3t,1c

11) two canibals cross together

result – e=0t,0c w=3t,3c