Question:
If you have a 7-minute hourglass and an 11-minute hourglass, how can you boil an egg in exactly 15 minutes?
Answer:
Let’s find out together below
Explanation
Alright, my fellow timekeepers, get ready for a puzzle that will put your hourglass skills to the test! Imagine this: You have a 7-minute hourglass and an 11-minute hourglass, and your task is to boil an egg in exactly 15 minutes. Can you crack this time-based challenge? Let’s find out!
To achieve the precise 15-minute boiling time for your egg, you’ll need to carefully follow these four steps:
Step 1: Start both hourglasses at the same time as you start boiling the egg. This ensures that the countdown begins simultaneously.
Step 2: When the 7-minute hourglass runs out of sand, quickly flip it over to start it again. This will restart the 7-minute countdown. At this time, the egg has been boiling for 7 minutes!
Step 3: Four minutes later, the 11-minute hourglass will run out of sand. Now, the egg has been boiling for 11 minutes! At this point, it’s time to take action – you have to flip the 7-minute hourglass for the second time. Note that at this point, 4 minutes have passed, and it only remains 3 minutes for the 7-minutes hourglass to become empty. So, when you flip it, it will instead take 4 minutes for it to get empty.
Step 4: Now, all that’s left to do is wait for the 7-minute hourglass to run out for the second time. This will take exactly four minutes. When the 7-minute hourglass is empty for the second time, your egg will have been boiling for a total of 15 minutes!
Voila! By skillfully utilizing the properties of the 7-minute and 11-minute hourglasses and following these four steps, you have successfully boiled your egg to perfection in exactly 15 minutes. It’s a testament to your precise timing and mastery of the hourglass puzzle.
So, my fellow time wizards, keep those hourglasses flowing, embrace the beauty of time measurement, and let your timing skills shine through. Remember, even in the realm of time-based challenges, there’s always a clever solution waiting to be discovered. Keep exploring, keep puzzling, and let the sands of time guide you to new adventures!
