Thread: Mystery Object

A bit scary when Ozwinner knows I have a beard and he hasn't even seen me.

I haven’t got any photos that would even slow you people down so here is an question in lieu of a photo.

I have a piece of timber in the shape of a cube measuring 3”X3”X3”. Using bandsaw with a blade of zero thickness (to keep the maths simple) I cut the block into 1”X1”X1” cubes. I do this by not rearranging the pieces and it takes 6 cuts.

By rearranging the pieces as I cut them, can I make less than 6 cuts? If so how? If not why not?

- Wood Borer

I was never very good at maths (at least, I never enjoyed it and consequently paid little attention) but my feeble brain says that you can't make less cuts if you rearrange the pieces. On all planes you are cutting 1 piece into 3. If you were cutting 1 into 4 you could cut in half and then double the pieces up to save a cut in each plane thereby making 6 cuts rather than 9. Each cut you make when reducing your 3" cube to 1" cubes is already cutting through the maximum number of pieces. Rearranging them may mean that you can make some cuts earlier but you will still need to make a minimum of 6 cuts.

Mick

Hey, is your name RALPH Woodborer by any chance?
I reckon the real Ralph has a fair chance of getting up on this one!
P

Mick,

No maths to this one. Your thinking is correct but the answer can be explained in a less complicated way. Think about the cube in the very middle.


Bitingmidge,

nah my name isn't Ralph, an aussie through and through, family came out here in the 1700's.

- Wood Borer

Well I guess that the minimum number of cuts required to produce the middle cube is six and so it's not possible to do it with less than 6 cuts....

Spot on, not too much maths in that one.

Silent C or Journeyman Mick can have a turn by posting a mystery picture or perhaps you can pike out and put in a puzzle or even do something really different.

Ralph didn't get a look in - the yanks are probably still asleep.

- Wood Borer

Well here is a quick one to fill in time:

There are two doors and each door has a guard. Behind one door is freedom and behind the other is certain death. One guard always tells the truth, the other always lies. You do not know which is which. You can ask one question of either guard, what do you ask?

You could either of them “ If I asked the other guard which door leads to freedom, what would be his answer”

No matter what answer is given, you go to the other door.

- Wood Borer

I did say it was a quick one! Maybe Mick wants a go....

Mick,
I'd say your maths was just fine...maybe it was arithmetic you had problems with.

There are two different mechanisms that carry the same name. One is used to shift earth, the other was used to shift water. One is very common nowadays but was rarely used in the past. The other is rarely used nowadays but was common in the past. :confused:

Mick

PS Alex, arithmetic is a weak point, just went to a reactivated thread about a jig for routing hinges and someone spotted one of my mistakes there! I find I work best by drawing a diagram and doing my calculations on it, not something I generally do at the computer.

Archimedean screw similar to an auger?

Grew up on a farm and I have seen water "pumped" using an old wheat auger.

- Wood Borer
(City slicker now)

That would work Mick; old surveyor's saying - if you can't calc it, plot it.

Woodborer,
no, not an auger/archimedean screw. Anywhere earth is being shifted by machinery you will see these items.

Mick