Puzzler of the week

[Scott MacLean]

This week's puzzler:

Last month, Tommy and I decided that we were going to take a trip north to see the foliage.  Tommy drove the first 40 miles.  I drove the rest of the way. We looked at the foliage for three or four minutes, then decided to head home.

We took the same route home.

On the way back, Tommy drove the first leg of the trip and I drove the last 50 miles.

I got home and my wife said, "Who did the driving?"

I explained that Tommy drove the first 40 miles, then I drove the rest of the way. On the way back, Tommy drove the first leg of the trip, and I drove the last 50 miles.

She said, "But who did most of the driving?"

I told her, "You can figure it out. In fact, you can even figure out how much more of the driving was done by that person."

And that�s the question. Who drove the most -- and how many more miles did that person drive?

Last week's puzzler:

The seven employees of the Coney Island Crab Cake Company are sitting in the lunchroom having lunch, when they
decide that they would like to know the average salary at the company.

Obviously, each person could write down his salary, they could add the salaries and divide by seven. But, they don't want to do that because nobody wants to divulge his salary.

As luck would have it, the boss enters the lunchroom. The employees ask if he can tell them the average salary. He says, "No, but I can tell you the highest salary and the lowest. And I can tell you that none of you earn the same amount. But I can't tell you what the average salary is -- you'll have to figure that out for yourselves."

Here�s my question. Is there a way for these seven people in the lunchroom to figure out what the average salary is, without divulging anyone�s salary AND without discovering the highest and lowest salaries?

Last week's puzzler answer:

Here's how you do it. The first guy takes his salary and to it adds some number that he plucks out of the air. Let's say his salary is 500 bucks a week, he adds 8000 to it. He turns to the guy next to him and whispers, "8500," in his ear. Now that guy doesn't know anything. He doesn't know what part of that is his salary and what part of that is the made up number. He then adds his salary to that 8500 and whispers it to the guy next to him.

Down the line. Finally the seventh guy has this huge number and he's obviously adds his salary to it, and he gives it back to guy number one. Guy number one subtracts the 8000 or whatever it is he added, divides by seven, and hence the average salary, and nobody knows nothing, and nobody gets hurt.

_______________________
Scott MacLean
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http://www.nerosoft.com