Current Events > Can you solve this Advanced 4th Grade math problem?

(+) Yeah! (+)

Drew owns 53 socks in their personal nightstand drawer: 21 of these socks just so happen to be identical blue, and then there are 15 identical black, as well as finally, 17 identical red socks in this drawer. However, they forgot to pay their gas & electric bill, and then all of the sudden, Drew's overhead lights suddenly cut and they are now completely in pitch black darkness in the apartment. Now, given that information, how many of their socks do they need take out, in order to make absolute 100% certain that they have at least one singular pair of black socks to wear?

It's dark. The sock colors won't matter.

Or rather, two. It's dark, so they're all black.

The real solution is for Drew to stop being a dumbass and put his bills on autopay, and use his phone flashlight to figure it out

I pressed 34 but I meant 40

Questionmarktarius posted...

It's dark. The sock colors won't matter.

Or rather, two. It's dark, so they're all black.

MarthGoomba posted...

The real solution is for Drew to stop being a dumbass and put his bills on autopay, and use his phone flashlight to figure it out

If you guys need help, just ask.

If you want the right answer, 40.
It's impossible to not have at least two black socks then.

What kind of monster only owns odd numbers of each color of socks?

2. Take the drawer out of the nightstand, or just pick up the nightstand, and then take it outside. Afterwards it is trivial to just take the two needed socks out.

Background_Guy posted...

What kind of monster only owns odd numbers of each color of socks?

The kind of monster with no windows.

ellis123 posted...

2. Take the drawer out of the nightstand, or just pick up the nightstand, and then take it outside. Afterwards it is trivial to just take the two needed socks out.

https://i.imgur.com/Io0LPgh.gif

He don't pair his socks up when doing the laundry?

This is a great example of a "math problem" scenario that's so contrived and forced that it ultimately pushed me away from math. Like, if you're trying to convince the kids about how math could be useful to them in their futures, this is so not the way to go about it.

Anyway, the answer's 40. Theoretically you could pull all 38 of the non-black socks first, and then you need 2 more to have a black pair.

Option 2, 4, and 6 tied.

Ok I've got 40 socks on the floor but I still can't tell which ones are black

Trickfinger posted...

https://i.imgur.com/Io0LPgh.gif

Mike Ross will turn into Shelton Benjamin eventually

https://gfycat.com/demandinghandmadelemur

13! Take out 13 socks from the drawer, leaving 40 socks inside the drawer. Then take out the full drawer that will have at least two pair of black socks.

If you're Yugi switch to the pharoah, just do heart of the socks and the first two socks you draw will always be the same color.

So it's 2 confirmed.

The socks are a planet and the darkness is the room outside

53

Can you even achieve 100% certainty while pulling blindly?

I feel like there's no statistical way to ensure that you didn't pull all your black socks unless you only pull 13 socks, which guarantees that you will have 2 left at minimum. But if you only pull 13, that leaves other colors, which means there's no guarantee. And if you pull more than 13, it's still statistically possible to pull all your black ones, which, again, means there's no guarantee.

They're just socks, grab the drawer and take it to the poor house where you belong

Three, if you light the first one on fire (to use as a light source while locating two black ones).

Trick question, socks can't pay gas and electric bills.