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6
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3
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4 ,
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5
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' F ' Clue
A SIMPLE EXPERIMENT WITH A RULER AND PAPER SHOWS THAT ANY POSITION FOR THE GALLOWS LEADS TO THE SAME POINT AS THE PROBLEM SAYS THE APPRENTICE MIXED UP THE HANDS SO THAT THE MINUTE HAND WAS SHORT AND THE HOUR HAND WAS LONG. THE FIRST TIME THE APPRENTICE RETURNED TO THE CLIENT WAS ABOUT 2 HOURS AND 10 MINUTES AFTER HE HAD SET THE CLOCK AT SIX.THE LONG HAD MOVED OLNY FROM TWELVE TO A LITTLE PAST TWO. THE LITTLE MADE TWO WHOLE CIRCLES AND AN ADDITIONAL 10 MINUTES. THUS THE CLOCK SHOWED THE CORRECT TIME. THE NEXT DAY AROUND 7:O5 A.M.HE CAME A SECOND TIME,13 HOURS AND 15 MINUTES AFTER HE HAD SET THE CLOCK FOR SIX. THE LONG HAD, ACTING AS THE HOUR HAND,COVERED 13 HOURS TO REACH 1. THE SHORT HAND MADE 13 FULL CIRCLES AND 5 MINUTES, REACHING 7, SO THE CLOCK SHOWED THE CORRECT TIME AGAIN THERE ARE 40 HOUSES. THERE ARE 16 HOUSES BETWEEN NUMBER 12 AND NUMBER 29. SINCE HALF OF THOSE HAVE TO BE ON EACH SIDE, THERE ARE 8 MORE HOUSES ON EACH SIDE. THIS MAKES THE LAST HOME ON ONE SIDE HOUSE NUMBER 20, AND THERE MUST BE 20 MORE HOMES GOING BACK UP THE STREET, WHICH MAKES»A TOTAL OF 40 THERE ARE 6 'F'S IN THE SENTENCE. ONE OF AVERAGE INTELLIGENCE FINDS 3 OF THEM. IF YOU SPOTTED 4, YOU'RE ABOVE AVERAGE. TO SEE 5 IS RARE. IF YOU FOUND 6, YOU ARE PROBABLY A GENIUS. THERE IS NO CATCH. MOST PEOPLE FORGET THE 'OF'S. THE HUMAN BRAIN TENDS TO SEE THEM AS 'V' INSTEAD OF 'F'