A test of logic

[michel]

A fictitious train is running on a straight railway line - for the sake of the question, the line carries on forever. The line is surrounded by dry bushy vegetation; the maximum speed of the train is 100 kph, and there is a following wind of 100kph. Suddenly, 5 k's behind the train, a bush fire starts.
How can the driver save his passengers? (And no sidings, thunderstorms etc get-out clauses) - just answer it as is.

 

[Jaymes]

They can stop and get out of the train and away from the brush.

EDIT: Wait, does the brush go on forever, too?

 

[michel]

They can stop and get out of the train and away from the brush.

EDIT: Wait, does the brush go on forever, too?

Sorry Jensa,

They cant get off the train, there is no water ....etc Just take it 'as is' with no easy 'get outs'; if it makes people feel better, I never got this one without being told the answer!
Mind you, I THOUGHT I was good at logic!

 

[michel]

I am very sorry; it is Saturday evening here, and my wife absolutely insists that I go downstairs to have our usual Saturday evening drinks with alsorts of forbidden fruit like peanuts, olives etc. Although I would much rather stay here, I will have to drag myself away. Ghosh, it's hard being a devoted husband!

 

[Pah]

A fictitious train is running on a straight railway line - for the sake of the question, the line carries on forever. The line is surrounded by dry bushy vegetation; the maximum speed of the train is 100 kph, and there is a following wind of 100kph. Suddenly, 5 k's behind the train, a bush fire starts.
How can the driver save his passengers? (And no sidings, thunderstorms etc get-out clauses) - just answer it as is.

Of course! The passangers are grazing animals and so many that stopping for lunch would create a fire break.

Or......

The engineer could put the train in reverse at max speed easily driving it through the line of the brush fire.

 

[Jaymes]

Do they have materials to start another fire? If they could, then voila! Backfire.

 

[Feathers in Hair]

I keep wanting to post 'they should piddle on it', because that seemed to invariably be the answer to all the roundabout logic questions that I used to read involving fire. I keep reminding myself that this will not help, but it doesn't stop my brain from insisting.

I like Jensas' last answer. Fire! Fire!

 

[Pah]

I keep wanting to post 'they should piddle on it', ...

I sincerely hope that only males try this

 

[Faust]

A fictitious train is running on a straight railway line - for the sake of the question, the line carries on forever. The line is surrounded by dry bushy vegetation; the maximum speed of the train is 100 kph, and there is a following wind of 100kph. Suddenly, 5 k's behind the train, a bush fire starts.
How can the driver save his passengers? (And no sidings, thunderstorms etc get-out clauses) - just answer it as is.

Increase to maximum speed on go on your merry way.
If the fire is 5k behind you and you are traveling at the same speed it will always remain 5k behind given that there is no change in any of the variables.
Faust.

 

[Lightkeeper]

A fictitious train is running on a straight railway line - for the sake of the question, the line carries on forever. The line is surrounded by dry bushy vegetation; the maximum speed of the train is 100 kph, and there is a following wind of 100kph. Suddenly, 5 k's behind the train, a bush fire starts.
How can the driver save his passengers? (And no sidings, thunderstorms etc get-out clauses) - just answer it as is.

Since the wind and the train are traveling at the same speed, the train would always be 5k ahead of the fire.

The train could go into reverse, the fire would pass and the train would be out of the fire. The wind and the fire would be in opposite directions of the train. The reverse draft would keep the fire away from the train.

 

[michel]

STOP!!!!! I got it all wrong - wait for the late edition!:woohoo::woohoo:

 

[michel]

As usual, I have proved that the best man at my wedding was right about me; he always maintained that I was 'Genuine, but slightly prone to cack-handedness'.
The following wind ought to have been 20 kph fater than the top speed of the train. I got it wrong!!!!!!!!!!!
Now, I had a prize in mind for the winner; as usual, you great people on this forum have come up with some lovely answers, which all made me laugh.
the answer to the proper question was :- stop the train, light a fire in front of it, and then carry on at full speed; thus the fire would always be ahead of the train, and would have nothing to burn when it catches up with the already burnt bits.

So, 10/10 for Jensa, feathers in hair comes a close second for the wonderful image that her solution evokes, pah third for his common sense, and light keeper for the correct answer to the wrong question.(Is that what I mean ?)

Well done guys, sorry for the usual Michel total 'cock-up' as we call it here, and thank you for takinfg part.

 

[Jaymes]

Woo! :jiggy: I love brainteasers like this.

 

[HelpMe]

The following wind ought to have been 20 kph fater than the top speed of the train. I got it wrong!!!!!!!!!!!

... stop the train, light a fire in front of it, and then carry on at full speed; thus the fire would always be ahead of the train, and would have nothing to burn when it catches up with the already burnt bits...

stopping the train with a fire at that distance behind it approaching at that speed would not doom it to be cought by the time they got it started again?

 

[Majikthise]

I keep wanting to post 'they should piddle on it', because that seemed to invariably be the answer to all the roundabout logic questions that I used to read involving fire. I keep reminding myself that this will not help, but it doesn't stop my brain from insisting.

I like Jensas' last answer. Fire! Fire!

HEY!! You stole my idea!! Not fair,NOY FAIR!!:tsk:

 

[michel]

stopping the train with a fire at that distance behind it approaching at that speed would not doom it to be cought by the time they got it started again?

No; I can't remember the exact figures, it's immaterial, it's the principle of the story that counts.

This was actually a question that was to be asked to engineers applying for a job at the company my Dad worked for, in the early fifties. He and all the other directors thought they'd have a 'go' at it, and realized that not one of them would have been employable had they had that question asked them at interview.

They removed the question from the interview procedure!

 

[Feathers in Hair]

I'm glad they did, Michel! Too many might have left it in, discounting the fact that they wouldn't have been able to answer it themselves.

(Sorry Majikthise! Didn't mean to steal your answer!)

 

[Jaymes]

Someone frubaled me on my last post in here, and in the frubal message thing asked me to translate my sig. Since I have no idea who frubaled me (they didn't sign it), I'll stick it here:

"In the lighted woods
Under the moon
Is my secret home
In the lighted woods
Under the stars"

It's from E Nomine - Wolfen (Das Tier in Mir), and from what I understand it's a song about a werewolf.