On Valentine's Day in 1996, there was a snail (his name is Herb) at the bottom of an empty well that is 30 feet tall. The well had run dry, but it had slippery, moss covered walls. So, during the day (he woke up at 6am), Herb was able to climb 3 feet up, but while he slept at night (he went to sleep at 10pm), he slipped back down 2 feet.

On what date did Herb get out of the well?

(In reply to remember leap year! by Jim)

Yes, since 1996 was a leap year, On March 12th, at 10pm, Herb reaches the 30 foot mark, falls asleep and slides down two feet.<br><br>

On March 13th, at 6am, Herb wakes up at 6am and climbs at the rate of 1 foot every 5 hours 20 minutes. He reaches the 30 foot mark again at 4:40pm, and takes one tiny "snail step" OUT of the well.<br><br>

This might have been more fun if, instead of involving leap year, it involved daylight savings time.

Posted by bob909 on 2004-09-30 13:34:38