This Week's Puzzle

You can E-mail your answer to Mr. Roberts (kroberts@madisonprep.org) or give it to him in person (in writing). 

Beefeaters

One hundred men attended the annual Beefeater’s Convention.  Of these seventy-three lived in Texas, seventy-eight lived in cities, sixty-eight lived in brick houses and ninety-five drove their own cars.

We don’t know how many of these men possessed all four characteristics, but we know that at least x and not more than y lived in brick houses in Texas cities and drove their own cars.

What are the values of x and y?

Last Week's Puzzle

One Seat Left 

You are the last of 100 people standing in line to board an airplane with 100 seats.  Each of you has an assigned seat.

The first passenger in line accidentally drops his boarding pass and, rather than try to find it, takes a seat at random.

Each subsequent passenger in line takes his or her assigned seat unless it is already occupied, in which case he or she finds an open seat at random.

As the last passenger to board, what is the probability that you get to sit in your assigned seat?

50%.  At any given time there is only one occupied seat that might belong to one of the passengers still boarding.  A passenger whose seat is occupied has and equal chance of selecting the seat belonging to you or to the first passenger.  If that happens all remaining passengers, except possibly you, will get their assigned seats.