November 2012
Problem of the Month

Restaurant Problem

Acorn, Beech, Cedar, Dogwood, and Elder and their respective wives recently dined together at a circular table in a restaurant.   The seats were so arranged that the men and women alternated and each woman was three places distant from her husband.

Mrs. Cedar sat on Mr. Acorn's right.   Mr. Elder sat two places to the left of Mr. Cedar, while Mrs. Elder sat two places to the right of Mrs. Beech.

Who sat on Mrs. Acorn's left?

Solution to the Problem:

Mr. Dogwood sits on Mrs. Acorn's left.


First, place Mr. Acorn at the head of the table.   Then, from the clues above, you can determine where Mrs. Cedar sits, then Mrs. Elder, then Mrs. Beech, then Mr. Beech, then Mrs. Acorn, then Mr. Cedar, then Mr. Dogwood, then Mrs. Dogwood, and finally Mr. Elder.

Correctly solved by:

1. James Alarie	Flint, Michigan
2. Adam Niemi	Mountain View High School, Mountain View, Wyoming
3. Rylan Kellum	Mountain View High School, Mountain View, Wyoming
4. Alp Aribal	Istanbul, Turkey
5. Alexis Stoddard	Mountain View High School, Mountain View, Wyoming
6. Mariah Stoddard	Mountain View High School, Mountain View, Wyoming

Send any comments or questions to: David Pleacher