A tailor can make a pair of pants from the scraps left over from sewing up five pairs of pants. If he has twenty-five scraps, how many pairs of pants can he make?
Six pairs of pants. He can make five initially, but once he’s done making five pairs of pants, he’ll have five remaining sets of scraps, meaning he can make an additional pair of pants, totaling six.
The given answer does not follow logically. We do not know how large the scraps are after the pants are made, so we cannot assume that there is enough material to make another pair if pants.
It’s true, you don’t know how large the scraps are, but that doesn’t mean you can assume there isn’t enough material either. Using only logic and the information given, the tailor can use the scraps from making five pairs of pants to make another pair.
I agree that this puzzle is not well formed; one does not know the number of “scraps” left over from sewing one pair of pants. I think perhaps the missing information is that after making one pair of pants, there is one scrap of material left over. If this is the case, then five scraps are need to make a pair of pants and thus 5 pairs could be made from 25 scraps with 5 more scraps left over which would be enough to make a sixth pair (with one scrap left over).
7 Comments on "From Scraps to Pants"
Jude Gagner says
February 24, 2014 @ 23:19
The given answer does not follow logically. We do not know how large the scraps are after the pants are made, so we cannot assume that there is enough material to make another pair if pants.
Dan says
February 25, 2014 @ 15:11
It’s true, you don’t know how large the scraps are, but that doesn’t mean you can assume there isn’t enough material either. Using only logic and the information given, the tailor can use the scraps from making five pairs of pants to make another pair.
Scott says
April 9, 2015 @ 08:01
I agree that this puzzle is not well formed; one does not know the number of “scraps” left over from sewing one pair of pants. I think perhaps the missing information is that after making one pair of pants, there is one scrap of material left over. If this is the case, then five scraps are need to make a pair of pants and thus 5 pairs could be made from 25 scraps with 5 more scraps left over which would be enough to make a sixth pair (with one scrap left over).
Doyle says
December 11, 2015 @ 16:00
all are missing its a riddle..not real..enjoy the joke
fivebee says
December 14, 2015 @ 18:07
125
Frisbee says
April 15, 2016 @ 06:02
:)good one
Robin Clark says
January 22, 2017 @ 12:59
I guess the 6th guy wearing those pants likes quilt work
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