The Lemon Fool

From six you take nine,
And from nine you take ten.
Then from forty, take fifty,
And six will remain.

Can you explain?

Cinelli

Blimey, an easy one! Answer: SIX less IX is S, IX less X is I, XL less L is X. SIX

mc2fool wrote:Blimey, an easy one! Answer: SIX less IX is S, IX less X is I, XL less L is X. SIX

Hehe. I thought for a moment that's much better than the obvious quasi-pure-arithmetic answer[1], but I have to take issue with your first term. The arbitrarily different representations of six and nine have a whiff of ... not quite sure what to call it, but something akin to Deus ex Machina.

[1] VI - IX + IX - X + XL - L

UncleEbenezer wrote:

mc2fool wrote:Blimey, an easy one! Answer: SIX less IX is S, IX less X is I, XL less L is X. SIX

Hehe. I thought for a moment that's much better than the obvious quasi-pure-arithmetic answer[1], but I have to take issue with your first term. The arbitrarily different representations of six and nine have a whiff of ... not quite sure what to call it, but something akin to Deus ex Machina.

[1] VI - IX + IX - X + XL - L

I thought the same about the first term, in fact it was the last one I saw, but I don't understand your quasi-pure-arithmetic answer, that just comes to -14...?

mc2fool wrote:

UncleEbenezer wrote:

mc2fool wrote:Blimey, an easy one! Answer: SIX less IX is S, IX less X is I, XL less L is X. SIX

Hehe. I thought for a moment that's much better than the obvious quasi-pure-arithmetic answer[1], but I have to take issue with your first term. The arbitrarily different representations of six and nine have a whiff of ... not quite sure what to call it, but something akin to Deus ex Machina.

[1] VI - IX + IX - X + XL - L

I thought the same about the first term, in fact it was the last one I saw, but I don't understand your quasi-pure-arithmetic answer, that just comes to -14...?

My word "arithmetic" is a mislabel there. Just add and subtract symbols and all but six are gone. Forty serves, arithmetically speaking, for sixty.

UncleEbenezer wrote:

mc2fool wrote:

UncleEbenezer wrote:

mc2fool wrote:Blimey, an easy one! Answer: SIX less IX is S, IX less X is I, XL less L is X. SIX

Hehe. I thought for a moment that's much better than the obvious quasi-pure-arithmetic answer[1], but I have to take issue with your first term. The arbitrarily different representations of six and nine have a whiff of ... not quite sure what to call it, but something akin to Deus ex Machina.

[1] VI - IX + IX - X + XL - L

I thought the same about the first term, in fact it was the last one I saw, but I don't understand your quasi-pure-arithmetic answer, that just comes to -14...?

My word "arithmetic" is a mislabel there. Just add and subtract symbols and all but six are gone. Forty serves, arithmetically speaking, for sixty.

Ummmm ... VI (- IX + IX) (- X + X) (L - L) ? Think I prefer mine, at least it matches up term per term (well, line) with the puzzle.

mc2fool wrote:Ummmm ... VI (- IX + IX) (- X + X) (L - L) ? Think I prefer mine, at least it matches up term per term (well, line) with the puzzle.

Yes, I like yours better (I looked at it to see if it was the same as mine). I expect yours is also the "right" answer.

But I think we're agreed, both are flawed.

Well solved, mc2fool, and quickly too.

Cinelli