Two years ago, traveling with my friend (a logic wiz) I have purchased two streetcar tickets, consecutively numbered. I told my friend that the sum of all ten digits equals 62, which was his age. He than asked me whether the sum of digits (s.o.d) of either of the tickets equals my age (which he knew) and upon getting my answer quoted exactly both 5-digit numbers.

What were the numbers?
Am I over 50 today?

(In reply to re: computer solution REMARK by Ady TZIDON)

When the numbers are (98999,99000), as we've deduced is true, if in fact the narrator is 27 (or 35), since the wiz knows you are 27, and you've answered "no" to is your age one of the sod's, he can deduce that it's not one of the 27-35 splits and must be the single 18-44 split.

Why can the 27- or 44-year old narrator not answer negatively to the question "is one of the sod's your age?"? It's his knowledge of your 27 or 44 year age that then allows him to rule out all those possibilities of the pair of numbers and narrow it down to (98999, 99000) as these are the only pair that do not have the 27 or 44 sod as the case may be.

Posted by Charlie on 2010-02-28 12:21:15