Math Is Fun Forum

auyeungyat

Member

Registered: 2013-09-23

Posts: 22

The Burning Island

http://www.mathsisfun.com/puzzles/burning-island-solution.html

Can't the man do this?

S=Settles,X=Existing Fire,-=Trail,T=Tree,N=New Fire
N
|

XXXXTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT
XXXXTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT
XXXXTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT
XXXXTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT
XXXXTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTNTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTSTTTTTTTTTTTTT
XXXX-------------------------------------------TTTTTTTTTTTTT
XXXXTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT
XXXXTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT
XXXXTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT
XXXXTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT

So the man will survive the fire as
S=Settles,X=Existing Fire,-=Trail,T=Tree,N=New Fire,W=Wasteland
N
|
(Assuming it is blowing a east wind)
WWWWXXXXXXXXWWWWWWWTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT
WWWWXXXXXXXXWWWWWWWTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT
WWWWXXXXXXXXWWWWWWWTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT
WWWWXXXXXXXXWWWWWWWTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT
WWWWXXXXXXXXWWWWWWWNTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTSTTTTTTTT
WWWWXXXXXXXXWWWWWWW---------------------TTTTTTTTT
WWWWXXXXXXXXWWWWWWWTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT
WWWWXXXXXXXXWWWWWWWTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT
WWWWXXXXXXXXWWWWWWWTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT
WWWWXXXXXXXXWWWWWWWTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT

And it will go out.
S=Settles,X=Existing Fire,-=Trail,T=Tree,N=New Fire,W=Wasteland
N
|
WWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT
WWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT
WWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT
WWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT
WWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWNTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTSTTTTTTTT
WWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW---------------------TTTTTTTTT
WWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT
WWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT
WWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT
WWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT

Bob

Administrator

Registered: 2010-06-20

Posts: 10,619

Re: The Burning Island

hi auyeungyat

When you start the fire in the middle why does it spread westward against the wind direction?  This puzzle has come up before and I gave an alternative solution in post 6 of

http://www.mathisfunforum.com/viewtopic.php?id=20864

Bob

---

Children are not defined by school ...........The Fonz
You cannot teach a man anything;  you can only help him find it within himself..........Galileo Galilei
Sometimes I deliberately make mistakes, just to test you!  …………….Bob

brimw

Member

Registered: 2015-04-30

Posts: 1

Re: The Burning Island

If you read it twice you should pick up on that the fire killed the man in the process. HE IS DEAD. He cannot do anything to survive, because he didn't survive in the first place.

-Bri