Anyone good with number patterns? This ones driving me crazy!

[UncleRemus]

I'm not 100% sure this is solvable, and that's what's making me even crazier. My girlfriend is a third grade teacher, and her student has some video game that requires he solve this pattern to advance to the next level. Since I'm hearing it from her, and she's hearing it from some third grade kid, it's most likely not verbatim, but here goes anyway...


1,2 = 9
3,4 = 20
5,6 = 12
7,8 = ???

Anyone have any clue? I hope so, becuase I'm going to up all night, and it's cutting into poker time now...

[ACPlayer]

If you are a winning player and play against me, I have the solution but will keep it to myself and drive you even crazier.

If you are a losing player the answer is 42, now dont think about it anymore and come back to my game please.
/images/graemlins/grin.gif /images/graemlins/grin.gif

[UncleRemus]

haha, but what if I'm a winning player that's running bad?

Also, ACPlayer = Asheron's Call by any chance?

[Duke]

25

~D

[RocketManJames]

Duke's answer is correct...

But, if this question was asked in Paris, then the pattern is completely different and Duke's answer would be obviously wrong.

Could I interest you in a pattern map?

-RMJ

[Ryner]

See, he doesn't just want the answer, he wants to know how to get the answer. The answer itself is worthless.

[dmk]

i think its 24, i'll post reason if anyone strongly disagrees

[Duke]

If we give him that it's pointless.

And yes, I know how to get it. And yes, RocketMan's hint is more than enough.

~D

[dmk]

i see how you got it. looks like there's 2 viable answers.

[Duke]

You must spell seven and eight funny.

Enough of a hint now, Ryner?

~D

[dmk]

i did vowels * cons, which works for the 3 control cases as well.

[Duke]

Possibly. That one jumped out at me first.

~D

[Duke]

Actually, I'm sorry about my first dick response to this post. I see it differently though.

Ulysses' ATM question was absolutely unsolvable without the actual answer, then you could reverse engineer possibilities for MC. Some series are also more easily seen when you add that notorious 4th or 5th element.

I saw 25 as that sort of an answer. I figure most of the fun of these things is actually making the final logical leap for yourself, and not just reading the solution and saying: oh ok.

~D

[baggins]

i still don't see 25. i see 24. but not 25.

[Stu Pidasso]

1+3+5 = 9
2+4+6+8 = 20
2+4+6 = 12
1+3+5+7 = 16

The answer is 16

Stu

p.s. I see dead people

[Leo99]

25

[ZeeJustin]

EDITED. Ulysses got mad that I'm giving the answer away.

[ QUOTE ]
ulydiablo (2:49:14 AM): YO
ZeeJustin (2:49:19 AM): HI
ulydiablo (2:49:24 AM): go edit your post in OT
ZeeJustin (2:49:36 AM): omg
ZeeJustin (2:49:38 AM): did i typo?!
ulydiablo (2:49:52 AM): nah, you wrote the answer
ulydiablo (2:49:57 AM): let these morons figure it out
ulydiablo (2:50:01 AM): the hints are too obvious already
ZeeJustin (2:50:10 AM): can i quote you on that?
ulydiablo (2:50:17 AM): yes

[/ QUOTE ]

[Ulysses]

25.

9,10 = 12

I'm not sure I would have gotten this without RMJ's hint. That made it trivially easy.

[Ulysses]

That's kind of gay, Zee, spelling out the answer like that. It has been made obvious enough. You should edit your post.

[ThinkQuick]

Any pattern you can actually explain is possible, so there are many possible numbers that fit into the sequence.

For example, given the sequence 1, 2, 4, _ ; the next number could be 7 or 8 with equal logical support.

However, when given a problem, the direction that our science tends to take us is to search for simplicity.
Given equal explanatory powers, the simplest theory is the best - and according to Occam's Razor, it's probably true.

It may be difficult to determine in my example, but in the stated problem it follows easily that 25 is the best answer, and probably correct.

I'm not gonna be the one to break the unspoken 'don't give the answer' code here, but I think that anyone who can solve this problem the 25 way can see that it employs some common sequence techniques.

The method of solving the problem to get 25 as the answer is the simplest for experienced sequence solvers. Other answers are reaching for patterns that are way less common than the 25 way. I'm suggesting that the fact that they are less easily comprehended or less readily recognized by problem solvers makes those patters inherently less likely to be correct, less likely to be the one the problem-makers chose.

My theoretical physics teacher would have a field day with this. He believes that the universe was created by God in a way that is simple for God, and that if we can understand the universe by its simplest laws, then we can better understand Him.

[Eihli]

probably Atlantic City player, but i played darktide /images/graemlins/smile.gif

btw, I couldn't get it after 3 minutes so I gave up.

[OrangeHeat]

I got 24 to using the same method. I wonder what the other
is and why it is simpler.

Orange

[OrangeHeat]

I got 24 and 9,10 = 12 holds true for my method too.

WTF is 6 x 4 is still 24 right?

Orange

[nicky g]

Where do you get 6x4? It's 5x5.

[The once and future king]

[ QUOTE ]
Where do you get 6x4? It's 5x5.

[/ QUOTE ]

The answer must be 25.

This is from a kids video game.

[OrangeHeat]

I see I was using a different method that is a second solution that happens to work the same for all the other situations except for 7,8. I see how to get 25 now.

Alon the same lines but a slightly more complicated - do you see how to get 24?

Orange

[James Boston]

OK, I figured this out, but your Paris clue didn't help a damn bit. It only threw me off track for a while. Admittedly, I know nothing about the French language. Could you at least explain how that clue was supposed to help?

[namknils]

Well...I got 25 before all the clues, which are painfully obvious.

[Duke]

It's because 3 and 4 aren't spelled three and four.

~D

[Duke]

[ QUOTE ]
Alon the same lines but a slightly more complicated - do you see how to get 24?

[/ QUOTE ]

The reason 24 doesn't work is because there's a comma between the 2 numbers, therefore separating them, therefore making it highly unlikely that you're supposed to do the vowel/consonant thing.

~D

[James Boston]

Yes, but that would apply to all foreign languages. Specifying "Paris" caused me to concentrate way too much on France, rather than the foreign language aspect, but that's really my own fault I guess.

[LargeCents]

So, someone who doesn't speak English is basically screwed with this puzzle, eh? lmao. More American-centrism, please!

[Duke]

[ QUOTE ]
So, someone who doesn't speak English is basically screwed with this puzzle, eh? lmao. More American-centrism, please!

[/ QUOTE ]

The site is in English. I believe that every 2+2 book is in English. The posts are all in English. Your post was in English.

And he didn't even know that that had any bearing on the puzzle.

Yes; we're all insensitive clods.

~D

[nicky g]

From now on all puzzles should be posted in esperanto.