Riddles

[Eric James Stone]

Hint: The solution is not complicated, once you recognize it.

[Legion]

This sounds pretty easy...here I go

1)  OK you take the 27 foot rope and cut it in half (fold it and cut it to make sure it is 1/2 the lenth)

2) Then take the 6 foot rope and measure it up against the 13.5 foot rope and cut off 6 feet of rope from the 13.5 foot rope.  This give you a piece of rope that is 7.5 feet.

3) once again cut off 6 feet of rope the same way to give you 1.5 foot rope.

4) Now do the same think with the other 27 foot rope to get 2 pieces of 1.5 foot rope

5) Have you Privates place the pole in the hole while you have your sargent measure to the middle of the 3 foot wide hole using the 1.5 foor rope (1.5 is half of 3 foot so it is just enough to make it to the center of the hole.

6) OK now pour in the cement and you are all set.

[The Holy Saint, Grand High Poobah, Master of Monkeys, Ehlers]

seems like you would want 1' ropes to find the edge of where the pole should be, rather than 1.5' ropes to find the exact center of the whole.

Also, why don't you have measuring tape if you have a knife to cut the rope with?

[Legion]

oh....forgot about the base being 1 foot in diameter..ok then in that case do the same thing with the 38 foot rope.

38/2 = 19
19-6-6-6= 1 foot
19-6-6-6= 1 foot

So do the same think only with using the 38 foot rope not the 27 foot rope.

Like some one in the military would be that smart.....j/k

[Eric James Stone]

In order to solve the puzzle, you do not need to use anything not specifically mentioned. (i.e., a knife)

[The Holy Saint, Grand High Poobah, Master of Monkeys, Ehlers]

I'm gonna stack the grunts on top of each other then to tie the flag to the top once the pole is in place.

[Eric James Stone]

The solution can be explained in one rather simple sentence.

[Legion]

OK take the 38 foot rope tie it to the top low enough that the footage lost at the top is that far from the top of the pole, and run it down side of the pole.  Place the pole in the hole and wrap the rope around the base where it meets the group, should be 6 feet up the pole.  The left over rope that you have is equal to about 1 foot.  You can use that to measure to the one side.  

I do not think this is the way you were thinking but it should work.

[Firemeboy]

Explain what you would do to get the flagpole into position.

Put it in the hole.

[Firemeboy]

Do you need to know the basics of geometry to solve the problem?

[Firemeboy]

I can think of several 'complex' ways to do this, but not sure about the simple one...

[Firemeboy]

This is pretty simple.  You take the 6 foot long rope and bend it in half.  You lay that 3 foot piece in the bottom of the pit and mark it in the dirt.  You then change the angle and do it again so you have a cross or a + sign.  That is the exact center.  

You then tip the flag pole upside down and place the top of the flag pole (that is 6 inches) right next to the center.  You mark where the pole is and do that again on the other side.  You now have the center of the pole, as well as two marks exactly 1 foot across.  You the the pole rightside up and place the bottom of the pole against those marks.  

Not one scentence, but I would wager you would be very close to the exact center.

[Eric James Stone]

The keys to this puzzle are the first and last sentences.

[Firemeboy]

Tell the sergeant to do it.

[Eric James Stone]

That is correct.