Re: general gre math problem


David T. Ashley wrote:
"Ted Hwa" <hwatheod@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:en7pbn$8ac$1@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Suppose instead the lane were 30 feet long. Then how many saplings are
needed? That should help you see the reasoning.

Additional hint: This type of problem comes up SO often in integer
arithmetic.

One might say, if L is the length of the lane, that the number of saplings
required is:

floor(L/30) + 1

And of the two terms above ... guess which one you're not seeing?

Additional hint #2: If all else fails, get a roll of quarters and 9 decks
of playing cards. Each card can be one foot of length, and each quarter can
be a sapling. For approximately $35 or less, you can figure out what you're
not seeing ... And of the $35, you can get $10 back (the roll of quarters
can still be used as money).

Thanks everyone.

Yeah I've sen this type of problem so often. I didn't even know there
was a name for it. As usually i'm off by 1. I guess there is many
different ways to word the problem to either indlude or exclude the
initial sapling...

IF they ask for all the numbers that can be included then I guess I
woudl use the floor... What type of scenarios will you exclude that 1
in Floor(L/30)+1 ?

It seems like there should be a particular way of wording that..
..

I'll also start a new thread on a few problems I got wrong tonight.

thanks again

.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: general gre math problem
    ... Suppose instead the lane were 30 feet long. ... Additional hint: This type of problem comes up SO often in integer ... One might say, if L is the length of the lane, that the number of saplings ... of playing cards. ...
    (sci.math)
  • Re: general gre math problem
    ... straight lane 455 feet long. ... If the first sapling is to be planted at ... one end of the lane, how many saplings are needed? ...
    (sci.math)