How many passengers?

How many passengers?

Posers and Puzzles

Cookies help us deliver our Services. By using our Services or clicking I agree, you agree to our use of cookies. Learn More.

Secret RHP coder

on the payroll

Joined
26 Nov 04
Moves
155080
10 Mar 22

There is an 11-car train. The sum of passengers for any 3 consecutive cars is 99. There are 381 total passengers.

How many passengers are in car #9?

Joined
18 Jan 07
Moves
12469
10 Mar 22
1 edit

@bigdogg said
There is an 11-car train. The sum of passengers for any 3 consecutive cars is 99. There are 381 total passengers.

How many passengers are in car #9?
I'm going to spoiler this whole answer, except for a few hints.

The first three carriages together must have 99 passengers total. Let's call them A, B and C, so A+B+C=99.
Now
the second, third and fourth carriages must also have 99 passengers. Call the fourth carriage D, we get B+C+D=99=A+B+C, therefore D=A. Continuing this way, the fifth carriage must have B passengers, and so on.
The whole train is
ABCABCABCAB
, and carriage 9 is
C.
The train as a whole has 4A+4B+3C=381 passengers, but we also know that 3A+3B+3C=3×99=297. Subtracting these, we get A+B=381-297=84.
Subtracting that again from A+B+C=99, we get C
, the 9th carriage,
=15, as are the 3rd and 6th carriages.
We cannot determine the numbers for the
eight
other carriages, except that
they must add up, for each adjoining pair, to 84
, and each
pair in the same way
.

Secret RHP coder

on the payroll

Joined
26 Nov 04
Moves
155080
10 Mar 22

@shallow-blue said
I'm going to spoiler this whole answer, except for a few hints.

The first three carriages together must have 99 passengers total. Let's call them A, B and C, so A+B+C=99.
Now Hidden content removed The whole train is Hidden content removed, and carriage 9 is Hidden content removed, the 9th carriage, Hidden content remov ...[text shortened]... es, except that [i][b]Hidden content removed, and each Hidden content removed.
SOLV'D

Joined
18 Jan 07
Moves
12469
10 Mar 22

@bigdogg said
SOLV'D
It was a nice one.

Secret RHP coder

on the payroll

Joined
26 Nov 04
Moves
155080
10 Mar 22

@shallow-blue said
It was a nice one.
I enjoyed it as well. Takes some thought, but not overly difficult.

Fighting for men’s

right to have babies

Joined
16 Feb 08
Moves
117045
10 Mar 22

@shallow-blue said
I'm going to spoiler this whole answer, except for a few hints.

The first three carriages together must have 99 passengers total. Let's call them A, B and C, so A+B+C=99.
Now Hidden content removed The whole train is Hidden content removed, and carriage 9 is Hidden content removed, the 9th carriage, Hidden content remov ...[text shortened]... es, except that [i][b]Hidden content removed, and each Hidden content removed.
I’m impressed and I didn’t even reveal the hidden content!