I always thought if plurals were used, the answer couldn't be one.

For example: I have 10 apples. I want to put some apples in one barrel and some apples in another barrel so that the product of apples in barrels is the least possible.

The answer can't be 0 (of course) or 1x9=9, because I said "some apples" and 1 apple isn't apples.

I wasn't going to ask about this, but many problems are including such a solution, and wondered if the problem creators didn't want such a restriction on the problem.

Would you like some 1's?

OK, I missed the subtlety here. In logical deduction, saying that some A are B or other such comments mean at least 1 A are B. I think to leave that behind and travel into the world of strict English, (and I most certainly vcould be wrong here - I don't have a dictionary to check this and its something my parents taught me when I was a kid) doesn't a "couple" mean 2, a "few" mean 3 and "some" mean 4 or more?

All aside, without a more precisely worded question, I would have to agree with you that when you put apples (without the word some) into a barrel then you've put at least 2 there. Maybe we have a Language guru hangin around who is infinitely more qualified than I to answer this (could you tell by my poor grammar??).

Personally, I think it depends on the context.

For me, saying "some people got on the bus" means that more than one person got on the bus.

On the other hand, if i hear "some of the people on the bus got off", i would not exclude the possibility of only 1 person getting off.

Well is there any point in discussing these anymore, that too here in the forums ? I mean the users are going to post their problems as they do. Then we can post our doubts (whatever we are discussing here), but related to that particular problem's wordings/grammar, before voting for their problems. I mean by leaving a Note as we generally do while voting them. Since there are many such words and sentences that come up with such ambiguity and everything cannot be cleared just by going on discussing such things in the forums. So it would be better we should comment only on those particular lines of the problems in the Queue which are not clear to us, so that the problem is framed properly before being pushed up on the site.
That was just my point of view regarding these discussions. If I am wrong then you all can surely continue with your discussions here in the forums.
Thank You.

Yes Charlie, obviously 'yearS' does imply more than 1 "YEAR".

How many year isn't correct period, since if you know 1 year you wouldn't need to ask the question. Maybe that's why we don't say it that way... but you did bring up a good point Charlie :)

I just don't understand what I am supposed to do. I mean what changes I am supposed to make in the problem (Professor and Students) which is there in the queue. Bryan is asking for one change and Charlie for something else. Levik Please help me out with this problem (changes in the problem). You can go through its solution and then push the problem up on the site.

It's alright Alan. I've changed the problem myself and now there's nothing wrong with it. It's all done.