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West of Evan, East of Odin (Posted on 2022-06-29) Difficulty: 4 of 5
In " Last house on the street " as well as in Henry Ernest Dudeney's original problem, there was a street with consecutive house numbers all on the same side of the street.
Now we have a different street with houses numbered 1, 2, 3, ... on alternating sides of the street. As you travel down this street from West to East, #1 is the first house on your left, then #2 on your right and so on, consecutively with all the odd numbers on the left (North) side of the street; all the evens on the right (South).
Odin lives in one of the odd numbered houses, and his best pal, Evan in one of the even numbered ones. It is unknown whether the last house number is even or odd. It is a very, very long street (way more than 5 houses).

One morning in May, Odin and Evan were having coffee discussing their favorite topics of math puzzles and savant arithmetic abilities. Odin noted "the sum of odd house numbers west of me and also on my side of the street is the same as the sum of even house numbers to the east of you on your side of the street. West of Odin equals East of Evan."
Evan agreed this this was quite remarkable, but added "what is more unusual is that the same is true if you flip flop the words 'east' and 'west'. In other words: West of Evan equals East of Odin."

....... 1 3 5 7 9 11 .......
West ...................... East
........ 2 4 6 8 10 12 ........

By example, if their house numbers were #5 and #8, and the last house were #12, then 1+3 would have to equal 10+12; and 7+9+11 would have to equal 2+4+6 (so this is not a solution).

By September of the next year, after their street was lengthened (more than doubled) with the same house numbering scheme, Odin brought his new friend Odessa to meet Evan. Shaking hands, Odessa remarked: "Evan, now that the length of the street is much longer, the mathematical relationship of your house number with Odin's is no longer true. But the good news is, your house number now shares that same relationship with my house number. West of Odessa equals East of Evan; and West of Evan equals East of Odessa."

(Odessa moved into a new house on the odd/North side of the street well east of Odin's address.)

(1). What were the house numbers of Odin, Evan, as well as the last house number on that May morning?

(2). What were Odessa's address (and Evan's which remained unchanged) and the last house number when Odessa met Evan the next September?

(3). Is there a solution if the last house is #5 ?

Bonus info: Several years earlier, the last house number was less than half of Evan's current address. Odin lived where he lives now. His house number had the same mathematical relationship with a different even numbered house, where Evart lived.
(Bonus Question): Many years earlier, what were Evart's (and Odin's) house numbers and the last house number?

No Solution Yet Submitted by Larry    
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  Subject Author Date
Solutioncomputer solutionCharlie2022-06-29 12:20:36
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