Only Works For Squares

Puzzler time.

Here it is.

Everyone remembers from their school days, the Pythagorean Theorem.

A squared + B squared = C squared.

And there are numbers which satisfy that little equation, of course.

Many hundreds of years ago, a French mathematician by the name of Fermat said that this only works for squares. There is no A cubed + B cubed = C cubed. There is no A to the fourth + B to the fourth = C to the fourth... You get it.

As luck would have it, a young mathematician issues a statement that he has three numbers which prove Fermat's theorem is incorrect. He calls a press conference. Of cours he doesn't want to divulge everything right away. He wants to dramatize, build a little bit, right?

So he gives them all three numbers. But he doesn't tell the power. So this is what he gives them.

A equals 91.

B equals 56.

C equals 121.

So, it just so happens that at this little impromptu press conference, there are all these science reporters from all the newspapers that are around this town. And one of the guys, one of the reporters has his 10-year-old kid with him, because this happens to be a holiday. He's off from school.

So the kid very sheepishly stands up and raises his hand, and he says, "I hate to disagree with you, sir, but you're wrong."

The puzzler question is, how does he know that this is wrong?

Goood luck.

Answer the Puzzler »

Remember last week's puzzler?

The Hijacker

Puzzler time. Here we go.

You gotta pay attention here.

A lone hijacker commandeers a jetliner that's on its way from Boston to Los Angeles.

At gunpoint, he instructs the pilot to land the plane at O'Hare in Chicago, halfway through the flight. When they land, he further instructs the pilot to call the authorities and tell them that this hijacker wants a million dollars in cash and three parachutes. If they give in to this demand, he will release half the hostages on the plane.

So the authorities show up at O'Hare and they have all the stuff he demanded. The hijacker lets half the hostages off the plane, as promised. Then they load the plane with the three parachutes and the one million dollars and they take off again.

He tells them to head towards Los Angeles.

After they get going, he then tells the pilot to lower the altitude. He opens the door with the million dollars in the suitcase attached to one parachute, and himself attached to the other parachute.

When the time is right, he gets all set and jumps out over Montana somewhere, with one parachute strapped to his back, and one strapped to the money. He lands somewhere in the wilderness and runs toward his freedom.

And the puzzler question is simple, what did he do with the third parachute?