A milepost on the towpath read 21 on the side facing the

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A milepost on the towpath read 21 on the side facing the [#permalink]

12 Sep 2009, 22:21

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A milepost on the towpath read＂21＂on the side facing the hiker as she approached it and＂23＂on its back．She reasoned that the next milepost forward on the path would indicate that she was halfway between one end of the path and the other. However, the milepost one mile further on read＂20＂facing her and＂24＂behind．

Which of the following，if true，would explain the discrepancy described above?

(A) The numbers on the next milepost had been reversed．
(B) The numbers on the mileposts indicate kilometers，not miles．
(C) The facing numbers indicate miles to the end of the path．not miles from the beginning．
(D) A milepost was missing between the two the hiker encountered．
(E) The mileposts had originally been put in place for the use of mountain bikers，not for hikers．
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Re: Good Question [#permalink]

12 Sep 2009, 22:40

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pual wrote:

I'm not sure I understand this problem, specially the hiker's reasoning part. So I will go by POE.

A: Maybe. Let's keep it for now.
B: Irrelevant, unit won't make a difference in this case.
C: This sounds reasonable, because from the problem description it vaguely seems that the hiker was expecting the numbers to be in a certain order, but in fact it's reversed. Strong candidate, let's keep this for now.
D: Maybe, maybe not. But it doesn't change the dist, or direction.
E: Irrelevant.

Between, A & C, C looks the best. So C for me.

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Re: Good Question [#permalink]

13 Sep 2009, 02:10

good explanation buddy...thanks...!!!
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Re: Good Question [#permalink]

29 Apr 2011, 10:20

C clearly explains the so called paradox
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Re: A milepost on the towpath read 21 on the side facing the [#permalink]

24 Mar 2012, 15:06

I have chosen the answer C for this question:

You can almost think of this question like a basic math problem. You know that the total distance of the hike is 44 miles. If this individual hikes and sees 21 on the front of the milepost and 23 on the back, you probably won't be sure what those numbers mean. However, after you hike some more and see 20 on the front and 24 on the back, it should tell you that you have just walked 1 mile and that the number on the front tells you remaining distance, not distance traveled.

A. This answer choice would be incorrect because the next sign should only be a 1 mile difference, yet we would have 21 and 24 as the milepost readings.

B. The unit of measurement is not important

C. This is the correct answer and it definitely resolves the paradox.

D. This doesn't make much sense because what milepost would be in between 21 and 20?

E. Who the milepost was put in for is irrelevant.

Re: A milepost on the towpath read 21 on the side facing the [#permalink] 24 Mar 2012, 15:06

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A milepost on the towpath read 21 on the side facing the

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