Funny math question... Dare to try?

[Daniela]

7 girls on a bus being driven to school

each girl has 7 bags

for each bag there are 7 big cats

for every big cat there are 7 little cats

how many legs are on the bus?

[trottigy]

OK assuming no amputees ;)

7girls = 14 legs

343 (7*7*7)big cats = 1,372 legs

2,401 (7*7*7*7) little cats = 9,604 legs

total legs = 10,990 (14+1,372+9,604) - not counting driver of bus (as one of the girls could be the driver) or legs of bench seats or anyone not mentioned as being on the bus.

[Brother_Bliss]

7 girls on a bus being driven to school

each girl has 7 bags

for each bag there are 7 big cats

for every big cat there are 7 little cats

how many legs are on the bus?

1 adult cat + 7 little cats = 8 cats or 32 legs in each bag.

Each girl has 7 bags, so there are 224 legs in all of her bags combined.

Plus, the girl herself has 2 legs, which makes 226 legs per girl.

There are 7 girls, so thus 1582 legs among them all.

They are being driven to school, which implies someone with 2 legs must be doing the driving.

There are then 1584 legs on the bus belonging to living creatures.

[Micah]

7 girls on a bus being driven to school

each girl has 7 bags

for each bag there are 7 big cats

for every big cat there are 7 little cats

how many legs are on the bus?

LOL...

7 girls ON the bus... 7 X 2 = 14. The rest are in a bag. Therefore, they are not ON the bus.

Otherwise,

7 x 2 = 14 (girls)

7 x 4 = 28 (big cats)

49 x 4 = 196 (little cats)

14 + 28 + 196 = 238 Legs.

[trottigy]

7 girls on a bus being driven to school

each girl has 7 bags

for each bag there are 7 big cats

for every big cat there are 7 little cats

how many legs are on the bus?

1 adult cat + 7 little cats = 8 cats and 7 sets of these in every bag = 56cats per bag * 4 legs = 224 legs per bag.

Each girl has 7 bags, so there are 7 bags * 7 girls = 49 bags. 49 * 224 legs = 10,976 legs for cats.

Plus, the 7 girls each with 2 legs, which makes 14+ 10,976 = 10,990

They are being driven to school, which implies someone with 2 legs must be doing the driving. But she didn't mention one so one of the girls must be driving.

There are then 10,990 legs on the bus belonging to living creatures.

[trottigy]

7 girls on a bus being driven to school

each girl has 7 bags

for each bag there are 7 big cats

for every big cat there are 7 little cats

how many legs are on the bus?

LOL...

7 girls ON the bus... 7 X 2 = 14. The rest are in a bag. Therefore, they are not ON the bus.

Ah, but all the bags are on the bus - so everything in the bag is "on" the bus. Unless they are in some form of temporal flux and in another location at the same time that the bus is being driven to school.

side note: using the above analogy of "on the bus" how do we know whether the girls legs are long enough to go to the floor - or be "on the bus". Maybe no legs are "on the bus"?

WOW! this really is tricky

[Micah]

7 girls on a bus being driven to school

each girl has 7 bags

for each bag there are 7 big cats

for every big cat there are 7 little cats

how many legs are on the bus?

1 adult cat + 7 little cats = 8 cats and 7 sets of these in every bag = 56cats per bag * 4 legs = 224 legs per bag.

Each girl has 7 bags, so there are 7 bags * 7 girls = 49 bags. 49 * 224 legs = 10,976 legs for cats.

Plus, the 7 girls each with 2 legs, which makes 14+ 10,976 = 10,990

They are being driven to school, which implies someone with 2 legs must be doing the driving. But she didn't mention one so one of the girls must be driving.

There are then 10,990 legs on the bus belonging to living creatures.

HUH???? That don't make sense. LOL Since when do bags have legs? Unless you're calling their mom a bag. LOL Even so, how did you get 49 bags? Did I misread something???

Nevermind.... Just reread it.

[trottigy]

7 girls on a bus being driven to school

each girl has 7 bags

for each bag there are 7 big cats

for every big cat there are 7 little cats

how many legs are on the bus?

HUH???? That don't make sense. LOL Since when do bags have legs? Unless you're calling their mom a bag. LOL Even so, how did you get 49 bags? Did I misread something???

Nevermind.... Just reread it.

Of course one could make the statement - saying "has" bags doesn't mean what you think it means. IT means they "own" not "has" - as in in have on the bus with them.

Also - it doesn't state the cats are in the bags that are on the bus, but they could be - the sentence structure doesn't say one way or the other.

[trottigy]

7 girls on a bus being driven to school

each girl has 7 bags

for each bag there are 7 big cats

for every big cat there are 7 little cats

how many legs are on the bus?

Or, we could say - "THE" bus is not the same bus the girls are on, as they are on "a" bus! Again we can't be too sure

[retroHelen]

There's no legs on a bus it's all wheels!!

[Micah]

There's no legs on a bus it's all wheels!!

HAHAHA!!!!! I never thought about that!!!

[trottigy]

There's no legs on a bus it's all wheels!!

I like this one the best +1

[niceguy1956]

As far as I can see, Jerry's initial arithmetic is correct and gets the 'Silver Star'! Only silver tho, because all 7 girls are being 'driven to school' and not 6 being driven and one driving - so the driver must be added, surely? therefore 10,992

Bob, re-read the directions because you have calculated your answer counting only 1 large cat and 7 small cats in each bag, but there are 7 big cats per bag with 7 small cats each = 56 cats per bag

While I like RetroHelen's answer very much, my favourite one to this puzzle is 2 Ti 2:23 lol

[niceguy1956]

This reminds me of the old riddle poem that says:

As I was goiung to St Ives

I met a man with 7 wives

The 7 wives had 7 sacks

The 7 sacks had 7 cats

How many were going to St Ives?

[bohemian]

Yes, it has to be 0.

No legs on a bus, just wheels.

[retroHelen]

This reminds me of the old riddle poem that says:

As I was goiung to St Ives

I met a man with 7 wives

The 7 wives had 7 sacks

The 7 sacks had 7 cats

How many were going to St Ives?

Yes that's what this puzzle reminded me of. So personally I saw it not as maths, but realising the real question.

With the traditional riddle, there's only one going to St Ive's and that person was meeting all the others coming towards him in the opposite direction so they don't count.

[Daniela]

As far as I can see, Jerry's initial arithmetic is correct and gets the 'Silver Star'! Only silver tho, because all 7 girls are being 'driven to school' and not 6 being driven and one driving - so the driver must be added, surely? therefore 10,992

Bob, re-read the directions because you have calculated your answer counting only 1 large cat and 7 small cats in each bag, but there are 7 big cats per bag with 7 small cats each = 56 cats per bag

While I like RetroHelen's answer very much, my favourite one to this puzzle is 2 Ti 2:23 lol

And the best answer ... GRAHAM!!!!!!!!!)'>

But Jerry was soooooo close!

So, let`s see:

7 girls x 7 bags x 7 big x 7 little x 4 legs = 9604 legs

7 girls x 7 bags x 7 big x 4 legs = 1372 legs

7 girls x 2 legs = 14 legs

2 legs for the driver (the driver was hinted on the first line of the question:raspberry:)

Total: 9604+1372+14+2=10992

[Daniela]

Ah' date=' but all the bags are on the bus - so everything in the bag is "on" the bus. Unless they are in some form of temporal flux and in another location at the same time that the bus is being driven to school. side note: using the above analogy of "on the bus" how do we know whether the girls legs are long enough to go to the floor - or be "on the bus". Maybe no legs are "on the bus"? WOW! this really is tricky

You mean....something like this?? )'>

[Daniela]

There's no legs on a bus it's all wheels!!

HAHAHA!!!!! I never thought about that!!!

Agree! This was good!

[Brother_Bliss]

Bob, re-read the directions because you have calculated your answer counting only 1 large cat and 7 small cats in each bag, but there are 7 big cats per bag with 7 small cats each = 56 cats per bag

Ahhhh yes, I did not read that close enough....

1 adult cat + 7 little cats = 8 cats or 32 legs per set of cats.

There are 7 sets of cats in each bag 7 x 32 = 224.

Each girl has 7 bags, so there are 1568 legs in all of her bags combined.

Plus, the girl herself has 2 legs, which makes 1570 legs per girl.

There are 7 girls, so thus 10990 legs among them all.

They are being driven to school, which implies someone with 2 legs must be doing the driving.

There are then 10992 legs on the bus belonging to living creatures.

[Daniela]

Bob, re-read the directions because you have calculated your answer counting only 1 large cat and 7 small cats in each bag, but there are 7 big cats per bag with 7 small cats each = 56 cats per bag

Ahhhh yes, I did not read that close enough....

1 adult cat + 7 little cats = 8 cats or 32 legs per set of cats.

There are 7 sets of cats in each bag 7 x 32 = 224.

Each girl has 7 bags, so there are 1568 legs in all of her bags combined.

Plus, the girl herself has 2 legs, which makes 1570 legs per girl.

There are 7 girls, so thus 10990 legs among them all.

They are being driven to school, which implies someone with 2 legs must be doing the driving.

There are then 10992 legs on the bus belonging to living creatures.

Now your calculation is correct, Bob! Bravo!

[bohemian]

1. I don't see what is funny about it, unless Romanians have a different sense of humour to me. It seems just like a mathematics question in the end.

2. School buses must be strange in Romania.

[Daniela]

1. I don't see what is funny about it, unless Romanians have a different sense of humour to me. It seems just like a mathematics question in the end.

2. School buses must be strange in Romania.

... or ... both???

1. of course Romanians have a different sense of humour to you, just like the British have a different sense of humour to me.

But this is not a problem for me...Humor can be a universal language anyway.

2. yes, sometimes...school buses are strange in Romania

Would this sound more like a British funny math question to you? (I hope I didn't mixed up the words... You know... English is not my native language )

There are 5 birds in a tree.

A hunter shoots 2 of them dead.

How many birds are left?

2 birds. The other 3 fly away!

Have a nice day, my Brother!

[niceguy1956]

None - because the others all fly away at the sound of the gunshot! You've got to get up pretty early in the morning to catch me out! lol

[bohemian]

Multcumesc, Daniela! That is better for me! >