Riddler
I recently came across a riddle that really had a very interesting solution to it. It amused me a lot and kind of proved a few things that I always had a feeling about. I have seen this in life and in my work. Sometimes, infact many times I draw parallels between software and life..aspects about software packages and life. Infact, my friend Suneetha and I conversed a lot in J2EE aspect about and in life and were even driven to a point where we thought we would write a book called "Jeevitamlo J2EE" meaning "Life with J2EE n J2EE in life"!!
This riddle kind of tells you that most complex problems have very simple solutions to them. Problems can be approached in many a way, but sometimes a little more thought, some analytical thinking, questioning makes you approach it the right way :). Before you get bored, here's the problem!!
A person starts at sunrise one particular day and climbs up a hill(only one path up and down the hill) and reaches the peak when the sun sets after having stopped many times for water, rest etc. He rests on the peak for a couple of days and starts back at sunrise the next day and reaches the bottom of the hill when the sun sets on that day. The riddle is to prove that the man was the same spot of the hill atleast once at the same time of the day on both his trips. Atleast once at the same time of the day..
With no speeds for the man provided and without the number of breaks he's probably taken, this problem almost seemed impossible to solve. BUT !!!!!!
Solution :-
Think about two men, one man going up the hill and another coming down the hill starting at the same time of the day and reaching the destinations at the same time. Wouldn't they meet at some point on the hill? Would the time be the same? Ofcourse, it would. Get the point? Excellent solution, isn't it!!! After hearing it, it sounds very simple! Well, so much for thinking well :D
