This was on the Cartalk website. I can't find it now. It is the property of NPR, copyright NPR, Click and Clack, Tom and Ray, and used without permission. I will take it off my website if they want me to.
This past week on Car Talk, we got a call from Rich from Florida... who was actually on the road in Missouri.
Here's his intriguing mathematical conundrum:
The gauge on his 18 wheeler is kaput. So he uses a dowel to measure the diesel in his tank -- which just so happens to be cylinder shaped, 20 inches in diameter and sits on its side.
Now, any moron (that would be us) could tell Rich that his tank was half empty when the stick measured 10 inches of fuel.
But when is the tank exactly three-quarters empty? Or a quarter empty?
We tried ... but got lost in the calculus.
Think you know how Rich can figure it out? Share your answer
right here -- and make sure those frozn turkey wings he's got make it to your
local deep fryer.
Tom and Ray
Click and Clack, the Tappet Brothers
Click here to see
Doug's solution
Click here to go to Doug's
AP page
Click here to go to Doug's homepage