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8 Clue
THE ADDRESS IS 1460 SUNSET BOULEVARD. YOU KNOW THAT THE HOUSE NUMBERS ARE EVEN AND CONSECUTIVE, SO THEY MUST BE APPROXIMATELY 1/6TH THE VALUE OF THE SUM 8790. IN FACT, THE NUMBER THAT IS 1/6TH THE TOTAL IS THE MEAN (AVERAGE) FOR ALL 6 HOUSES. THE AVERAGE NUMBER IS 1465 (8790 / 6). THERE MUST BE 3 HOUSE NUMBERS GREATER THAN THAT NUMBER, AND 3 HOUSE NUMBERS LESS THAN THAT NUMBER, ALL BEING EVEN AND CONSECUTIVE. THEREFORE, THE 6 HOUSE NUMBERS ARE 1460, 1462, 1464, 1466, 1468, 1470. THE LOWEST HOUSE NUMBER, AS PER THE QUESTION, IS THE ANSWER: 1460 THE ELDEST IS 8 YEARS OLD AND THE 2 YOUNGER ONES ARE 3 YEARS OLD. LET'S BREAK IT DOWN. THE PRODUCT OF THEIR AGES IS 72. SO THE POSSIBLE CHOICES ARE: 2, 2, 18 - SUM(2, 2, 18) = 22 2, 4, 9 - SUM(2, 4, 9) = 15 2, 6, 6 - SUM(2, 6, 6) = 14 2, 3, 12 - SUM(2, 3, 12) = 17 3, 4, 6 - SUM(3, 4, 6) = 13 3, 3, 8 - SUM(3, 3, 8 ) = 14 1, 8, 9 - SUM(1,8,9) = 18 1, 3, 24 - SUM(1, 3, 24) = 28 1, 4, 18 - SUM(1, 4, 18) = 23 1, 2, 36 - SUM(1, 2, 36) = 39 1, 6, 12 - SUM(1, 6, 12) = 19 THE SUM OF THEIR AGES IS THE SAME AS YOUR BIRTH DATE. THAT COULD BE ANYTHING FROM 1 TO 31 BUT THE FACT THAT JACK WAS UNABLE TO FIND OUT THE AGES, IT MEANS THERE ARE TWO OR MORE COMBINATIONS WITH THE SAME SUM. FROM THE CHOICES ABOVE, ONLY TWO OF THEM ARE POSSIBLE NOW. 2, 6, 6 - SUM(2, 6, 6) = 14 3, 3, 8 - SUM(3, 3, 8 ) = 14 SINCE THE ELDEST KID IS TAKING PIANO LESSONS, WE CAN ELIMINATE COMBINATION 1 SINCE THERE ARE TWO ELDEST ONES. THE ANSWER IS 3, 3 AND 8 THE ELDEST IS 9 YEARS OLD AND THE 2 YOUNGER ONES ARE 2 YEARS OLD. LET'S BREAK IT DOWN. THE PRODUCT OF THEIR AGES IS 36. SO THE POSSIBLE CHOICES ARE: 1,1,36 - SUM(1,1,36) = 38 1,6,6 - SUM(1,6,6) = 13 1,2,18 - SUM(1,2,18) = 21 1,3,12 - SUM(1,3,12) = 16 1,4,9 - SUM(1,4,9) = 14 2,2,9 - SUM(2,2,9) = 13 2,3,6 - SUM(2,3,6) = 11 3,3,4 - SUM(3,3,4) = 10 SIX OF THE SUMS ARE UNIQUE, SO IF IT WERE ONE OF THOSE, TOM WOULD HAVE RECOGNISED THE NUMBER ACROSS THE STREET THAT MATCHES AND HE WOULD KNOW THE ANSWER, BUT HE COULD NOT FIGURE OUT THE ANSWER. THIS MEANS THERE ARE TWO OR MORE COMBINATIONS WITH THE SAME SUM. FROM THE CHOICES ABOVE, ONLY TWO OF THEM ARE POSSIBLE NOW. 1,6,6 - SUM(1,6,6) = 13 2,2,9 - SUM(2,2,9) = 13 WHEN TOM HEARD THAT THE ELDEST IS VISITING HIS GRANDFATHER, WE CAN ELIMINATE COMBINATION 1 SINCE THERE ARE TWO ELDEST ONES. THIS LEAVES US WITH ONLY 1 OPTION LEFT, THAT IS 2, 2 AND 9 THE CHILDREN ARE 1, 6 AND 6 YEARS OLD. THE PRODUCT OF THEIR AGES IS 36, SO NONE OF THEM CAN BE OLDER THAN 36. THE NUMBER 36 HAS TO BE EXPRESSED AS THE PRODUCT OF 3 NUMBERS. THEIR POSSIBLE AGES ARE (THE SUM OF THEIR AGES IS IN BRACKETS): 1, 1, 36 (3938) 1, 2, 18 (21) 1, 3, 12 (16) 1, 4, 9 (14) 1, 6, 6 (13) 2, 2, 9 (13) 2, 3, 6 (11) 3, 3, 4 (10) SINCE CHERYL IS TOM'S NEXT DOOR NEIGHBOUR, TOM KNOWS CHERYL'S HOUSE NUMBER. TOM WOULD KNOW THE CHILDREN'S AGES IN EVERY CASE THAT SUMS UP TO A UNIQUE NUMBER EXCEPT FOR THE SUM OF 13, WHICH HAVE 2 COMBINATIONS OF POSSIBLE AGES. AS A RESULT, TOM WOULD BE CONFUSED AS HE HAS TO PICK BETWEEN THE 2 COMBINATIONS: (1,6,6) AND (2,2,9). CHERYL THEN TELLS TOM ABOUT HER YOUNGEST CHILD WHO LIKES STRAWBERRY MILK WHICH TELLS TOM THAT THERE IS ONLY 1 YOUNGEST CHILD