sorry, I have to do this..

FIRST

3 quarters plus 25 pennies equals 1 dollar...

i'm not anxiously awaiting a decision, i'm totally supposed to be doing a pset...i guess i'll leave the rest to everyone else though

1 is 3 quarters + 25 pennies =1$

darn, beat to it

6.
1 gallon - 4 pints = 2 quarts?

144 squared inches + 8 squared feet = 1 square yard

um...can't think of the next ones. I'm actually waiting for financial aid decisions.

5290ft - 1mi = 120in

5 fingers + 5 fingers = 2 hands

86,400 seconds = 1/7 of a week

86,400 seconds = 1/7 week

My problems:

14 - 1 = 1

2 x 250 = 1

Answers:

4. 5 fingers plus 5 fingers = 2 hands (also works with toes and feet).

7. 1 - 1 = 90

1 dollar minus 1 dime equals 90 pennies

1 meter minus 1 decimeter is 90 centimeters

ok...
6. 1-4 = 2
1 (30 day) month - 4 weeks = 2 days
ook that was kind of a stretch but at least i tried...

8.
4 weeks / 7 days = 1 week

I don't know if you can do that, but it works!

last one 4 weeks divided by 7 days gives a month?

I think 1-1 = 90 is: 1 square or rectangle - 1 right triangle = 90 degrees.

lol you beat me to it..

Hah, sorry anonymous.

How about:
1 = 17 = 493
(Hint: Think Fiction).

Ok i have one..
it's kinda easy...
or maybe not..
ok
1999 + 16 = 1

here's my puzzle: 1-12=0

from derek:
14 - 1 = 1
14 days - one week = one week?
are we allowed to reuse units technically?

^that was me. i forgot to put my name..
and
1-12=0
1 year - 12 months = zero years?

Here's another one. I think it's easy though. here goes: 6+6=1

i bet you'll get that one too kayla. lol.

here's another one. let's see who will get it. lol. here goes: 1-(3.26)=0.

naw i don't know it yet norman..i'm not really good with units... anyway i thought of one. it's cute but easy..
180 + 2(pi) = 1

Try this one:
1 + 2 = 4
HINT: Geeky snack.

oh crap i meant 180 + pi = 1.... dummmmb

6+6=1
6 months + 6 months = one year
or inches and feet..
but that seems too easy
but i just spent a long time trying to think of something clever and it didn't work..

Official answers (from the book).

1. 3 quarters plus 25 pennies equals one dollar.

2. 144 square inches plus 8 square feet equal one square yard

3. 5,290 feet minus 1 mile equals 120 inches.

4. 5 toes plus 5 toes equals 2 feet

5. 86,400 seconds equals 1/7 of a week.

6. 1 gallon minus 4 pints equals 2 quarts.

7. 1 century minues 1 decade euqals 90 years.

and the one no one guessed:

8. 4 games out of 7 equal one World Series Championship!

Come on all you wanna-be and current MIT students. If you want to be a true Boston resident you have to know your baseball! (of course, I'm no one to judge by, but that's another story).

Keep up with your puzzles! Love to see your creative minds at play!

if no one has thought of the answer to the last one i gave, here is a clue, cuz i don't think it is that easy. neways the hint is: it would be like the units on a cosmic ruler.

@kayla

180(degrees)+pi(radians)=1(full circle)

aah. 180 degrees + pi = 1 revolution.

@norman

6(light months)+6(light months)=1(light year)

I'm awesome.

i realized it was an error kayla. by the way it was me who just gave the 1 revolution for the answer.

i'm not talking that one kayla. the one with the cosmic units is: 1-(3.26)=0. but the answer u gave for the 6+6=1 in terms of astronomy was great too.

This maybe a bit random but the decision date has not be released yet right?

i'll give u a chance again to solve: 1-(3.26)=0

Here's one:

11=1

(Hint: it involves an MIT alumnus)

Unrelated but really cool sequence my Calculus teacher showed us:

1, 11, 21, 1211, 111221, 312211, ...

HINT: try reading it out loud.

i am unaware of a release of the decision date, so i guess it hasn't been released.

@norman

It has to do with the fact that you expression is equated to an "O" and not 0. I am sure of it.

@myself

Never mind, this site just uses a weird font for it's comments.

1, 11, 21, 1211, 111221, 312211, ...

1, 11 (there one 1 in the first term), 21 (there are two 1s in the second term), 1211 (there are one 2 and two 1s in the third term), 111221 (there are one 1, one two, and two 1s in the forth term).....

1 parsec -3.26 LY= 0 AU

Here's one we'll all get:

15-8=too long

hey, figure out the next number. lol. here goes: 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13. here's a clue: they are fish bone,apple, coconut and cinnamon numbers.

what a dish! lol. by the way the clue is in the letter of those words, but not all the letters are in the name of the special name given to these numbers. i think i have given away enough info. lol. you don't really even need to know all i just said to figure what's next. just extra info with extra distraction. lol.

@norman

You lol'd four times. What's so funny?

the answer won't be in AU, cuz 1AU is about 8 light minutes. but 1pc is about 3.26 light years. guess i need not say more.

THAT'S CHEATING!! You are all distracting us from knowing the decision date!! How tricky!

i just like laughing. nothing rlly funny.

are there any international applicants blogging right now?

Nice way to drift...these puzzles really do the trick; but I hope you guys are going to actually admit us...

1=3=12

I am international...

hi beneah

apparently Fibonacci isn't spelled with an "h" in it

learn something new everyday!

hope they really do admit us. but they can't admit all of us. such is life.

hi anonymous...ha

yey. somebody got it. it is fibonacci. then you should have realised that the next number is 21.
oh, i am international too beneah.

Hi anonymous2...
Seems like its all internationals blogging here; is it that we are the sharpest or what?

hope we both get through to go to mit beneah. oh, i was anonymous.

@beneah

what do you plan to study?

Yeah, seems like the international flock is colonizing this space, I think ben might just be right.....we are the brightest! Hope i make it!

I couldn't help but see the answers...I spoiled it. I cant wait for decisions and for the movie 21. Luckily, I have State Honor Band and coursework keeping me busy.

hi wahinya

@jesse

i bet you aren't intl. are you?

Yeah Norman, scary times...these are scary times

here's one. Depending on your viewpoints, the problem can have many variations. I am only posting two

1 + 1 = 1
1 + 1 + 1 = 1

have fun guessing. Think outside the box.

@ Anon Ymous

What of 1 semester + 1 semester = 1 academic year?

Too simplistic.

It's not a distraction...see....everyone has just done it!

It's not a distraction...see....everyone has just done it!

It's not a distraction...see....everyone has just done it!

$75k income family + ($36k + 25%*36k) (tax free paid MIT tuition by new mit FA) = $120k (equivalant to family income $120k)

While a $75k family may get some extra FA cover room, boarding, books, etc. from MIT; the $120k family got nothing? Any one did math?

From Anonymous: (14 - 1 = 1)

14 days - 1 week = 1 week

It technically works, but that's not what I was thinking. In fact, the units are completely different than those used in the original ones. Props for anyone who gets this. Either that or you're very hungry.

Here's another one (that I happen to find incredibly amusing):

30 + 30 = 1

1-12=0
1 foot minus 12 inches = 0

here's one:
2(1) + 8 = 18.0158
hint: periodic table

2(1) + 8 = 18.0158

2 hydrogen + oxygen = water (the numbers are atomic weights)

This totally counts as studying for my chem test :)

@beneah

I was going for the more complex.
1 heart + 1 mind = 1 soul
1 body + 1 soul = 1 human
1 body + 1 soul + 1 mind = 1 person

as I had said before, it could be interpreted into many many different things

"Decision Diversion" is a very misleading title. In fact, I think I'm even more anxious now.

The only thing that can cool my jets is the date of the date the decisions are released...

here come another international kid from Asia. ya. I can't wait until the decision date too! How about this one:
f(x) = x^2 = o+; m(y) = xy = o->, x is a constant

Hint: think of your body

Anyway, I think this is a good idea to kill time and relieve anxienty. Say hello from Vietnam ^^

haha these.. are cool.

try

1+1=200

1 century+another century=200 years

An MIT themed puzzle (the three are related):

a) 2 + 2 + 1 + 1 + 1 + 2 + 8 = 17
b) 17 + 180 = 1
c) 17 + 180 + 90 = 2

Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?

Laser,
1 Galleon = 17 Sickles = 493 Knuts
H.P. FOR LIFE!!!

1-4=2

its probably 1 month(30 days)- 4 weeks = 2 days

1-1=90

Its probably 1 century - 1 decade = 90 years

86400=1/7

its 86400 seconds = 1/7 week

can u guess the next term in the series.....
2, 3, 5, 7, 11, 13 .............

can u give a relation for the nth term....

These are a great reminder of why units are important!

hmmm Paul, your puzzle is interesting! (though right now don't know if I am thinking in the right direction. Just started...)

hey guys can u guess whats the opposite of:

was it a car or a cat I saw???

take your time....

That's a palindrome, so ???was it a car or a cat i saw.

I agree with Jay on Saroj's puzzle. By the way, Saroj, are you a MIT class of '04 graduate from T&T? If you are then you'd more than know me, lols...nice to see you blogging if it is you...

Saroj -
a sub n = a sub n-1 + a sub n-2
(the fibonacci sequence)

@ Paula)
a) I added all numbers... :S

@ Saroj

Priiimes!

Ah HUGE H.P. FAN, Thank you for solving. I was waiting for ever for some one to do it.

Yeah, Harry Potter is awesome.

Here's another one for all you HP fans out there (well I guess that kind of gives it away).

1+1+2+3 = 1

@Anon Ymous
I guess I like beneah's answer better, it's somewhat less debatable. I would argue, for example, that 1 body + 1 soul + 1 mind = 1 1/2 humans + much imagination (because the mind is physically part of the body, therefore the "1/2", although saying 1/35 would be somewhat more accurate in terms of mass, but then again, defining relative values of what composes a human being seems to be quite arbitrary. The part about the imagination is because I do not belive in souls, but that's just my personal opinion)

Can I just say you all make me so happy? I love reading this thread!!

How about this sequence (in honor of a recent dearly departed person)?

4,6,8,10,12,20

They all pertain to the same subject. Any clue as to what I am referring?

Its ALMOST the number of sides a regular polyhedron can have (all but 10).

I'll have to research further to find the real answer!

Sorry for the double post, but:
OH! It's the number of sided die in Dungeons and Dragons! Gary Gygax just recently died, one of the co-creators.

BAM.

Nice Laser! You got it!

And yes I still play...

Although these days it's with my kids... (7 and 11 years old).

W00T. My friends and I tried to get a group of us together to start a side project, but it never really came to fruition. Maybe this summer we can try it out.

1 century minus 1 decade equals 90 years

5 fingers plus 5 fingers equals 2 hands

@Lexa-

7 horcruxes= 1 Voldemort

Oh, and am I the only one who looked at the original number 1 and thought

3 + 25= 28 days= 1 non leap-year February

Are you ready for the answer to mine?

a) 2 semesters of physics + 2 semesters of calculus + 1 semester of chemistry + 1 semester of biology + 1 Institute Lab + 2 restricted electives + 8 humanities classes = 17 General Institute Requirements (GIRs)
b) 17 GIRs + 180 units = 1 degree
c) 17 GIRs + 180 units + 90 extra units = 2 degrees!

what do all of these have in common

ne sw se nw

Jacob, are they just directions (northeast, etc.)?

And Paul, I probably would NOT have known that unless I actually go to MIT. >.> It'd be a weird thing for me to know otherwise! (Now I do know it, so I'm weird now) (I just lost the game) (So did you) (Hahaha)