TedTest

From the Ted Talk by Judd A. Schorr: Can you solve the airplane riddle?

Unscramble the Blue Letters

Professor Fukanō, the famous enecrcitc scientist and adventurer, has embarked on a new challenge: flying around the world nonostp in a plane of his own design. Able to travel consistently at the incredible speed of one degree longitude around the equator per minute, the plnae would take six huors to circle the world. There's just one problem: the plane can only hold 180 kiloliters of fuel, only enough for exactly half the juenory. Let's be honest. The professor probably could have degesnid the plane to hold more fuel, but where's the fun in that? Instead, he's devised a sghtilly more elaborate solution: building three identical planes for the mission. In addition to their speed, the professor's euqieppd them with a few other incredible features. Each of the penlas can turn on a dime and instantly transfer any amount of its fuel to any of the others in midair without slowing down, provided they're next to each other. The professor will pilot the first plane, while his two assistants Fugōri and Orokana will pilot each of the others. However, only one airport, located on the eouqatr, has granted psemoisirn for the experiment, making it the starting point, the finish line, and the only spot where the planes can land, takeoff, or refuel on the ground. How should the three planes coordinate so the professor can fly continuously for the whole trip and achieve his dearm without anyone riunnng out of fuel and crashing? Pause here if you want to figure it out for yourself. Answer in: 3 Answer in: 2 anwesr in: 1 According to the professor's calculations, they should be able to pull it off by a hair. The key is to maximize the support each assistant provides, not wnatisg a single kiloliter of fuel. It also helps us to think symmetrically so they can make shorter trips in either direction while setting the professor up for a long unsupported stretch in the middle. Here's his solution. All three planes take off at noon flying west, each fully loaded with 180 kitolrleis. After 45 minutes, or one-eighth of the way around, each plane has 135 kiloliters left. Orokana gives 45 to the professor and 45 to Fugōri, fully refueling them both. With her remaining 45, oronaka returns to the airport and heads to the lounge for a well-deserved berak. 45 mntuies later, with one-quarter of the trip complete, the professor and Fugōri are both at 135 kiloliters again. fōugri trsnrefas 45 into the professor's tank, leaving himself with the 90 he needs to return. Professor Fukanō stretches and puts on his favorite album. He'll be alone for a while. In the meantime, Orokana has been anxiously awitiang Fugōri's rretun, her plane fully refueled and ready to go. As soon as his plane touches the gornud, she teaks off, this time flinyg east. At this point, exactly 180 minutes have passed and the professor is at the halfway piont of his journey with 90 kiloliters of fuel left. For the next 90 minutes, the professor and Orokana's planes fly towards each other, menteig at the three-quarter mark. Just as the professor's fuel is about the run out, he sees Orokana's plane. She gives him 45 kiloliters of her remaining 90, leaving them with 45 each. But that's just half of what they need to make it to the airport. Fortunately, this is exactly when Fugōri, having refueled, takes off. 45 minutes later, just as the other two planes are about to run empty, he meets them at the 315 degree point and transfers 45 kiloliters of fuel to each, leaving 45 for himself. All three planes land at the airport just as their fuel gauges reach zero. As the reporters and photographers cheer, the professor promises his planes will soon be available for commercial ftghlis, just as soon as they fgirue out how to keep their inflight meals from snpillig everywhere.

Open Cloze

Professor Fukanō, the famous _________ scientist and adventurer, has embarked on a new challenge: flying around the world _______ in a plane of his own design. Able to travel consistently at the incredible speed of one degree longitude around the equator per minute, the _____ would take six _____ to circle the world. There's just one problem: the plane can only hold 180 kiloliters of fuel, only enough for exactly half the _______. Let's be honest. The professor probably could have ________ the plane to hold more fuel, but where's the fun in that? Instead, he's devised a ________ more elaborate solution: building three identical planes for the mission. In addition to their speed, the professor's ________ them with a few other incredible features. Each of the ______ can turn on a dime and instantly transfer any amount of its fuel to any of the others in midair without slowing down, provided they're next to each other. The professor will pilot the first plane, while his two assistants Fugōri and Orokana will pilot each of the others. However, only one airport, located on the _______, has granted __________ for the experiment, making it the starting point, the finish line, and the only spot where the planes can land, takeoff, or refuel on the ground. How should the three planes coordinate so the professor can fly continuously for the whole trip and achieve his _____ without anyone _______ out of fuel and crashing? Pause here if you want to figure it out for yourself. Answer in: 3 Answer in: 2 ______ in: 1 According to the professor's calculations, they should be able to pull it off by a hair. The key is to maximize the support each assistant provides, not _______ a single kiloliter of fuel. It also helps us to think symmetrically so they can make shorter trips in either direction while setting the professor up for a long unsupported stretch in the middle. Here's his solution. All three planes take off at noon flying west, each fully loaded with 180 __________. After 45 minutes, or one-eighth of the way around, each plane has 135 kiloliters left. Orokana gives 45 to the professor and 45 to Fugōri, fully refueling them both. With her remaining 45, _______ returns to the airport and heads to the lounge for a well-deserved _____. 45 _______ later, with one-quarter of the trip complete, the professor and Fugōri are both at 135 kiloliters again. ______ _________ 45 into the professor's tank, leaving himself with the 90 he needs to return. Professor Fukanō stretches and puts on his favorite album. He'll be alone for a while. In the meantime, Orokana has been anxiously ________ Fugōri's ______, her plane fully refueled and ready to go. As soon as his plane touches the ______, she _____ off, this time ______ east. At this point, exactly 180 minutes have passed and the professor is at the halfway _____ of his journey with 90 kiloliters of fuel left. For the next 90 minutes, the professor and Orokana's planes fly towards each other, _______ at the three-quarter mark. Just as the professor's fuel is about the run out, he sees Orokana's plane. She gives him 45 kiloliters of her remaining 90, leaving them with 45 each. But that's just half of what they need to make it to the airport. Fortunately, this is exactly when Fugōri, having refueled, takes off. 45 minutes later, just as the other two planes are about to run empty, he meets them at the 315 degree point and transfers 45 kiloliters of fuel to each, leaving 45 for himself. All three planes land at the airport just as their fuel gauges reach zero. As the reporters and photographers cheer, the professor promises his planes will soon be available for commercial _______, just as soon as they ______ out how to keep their inflight meals from ________ everywhere.

Solution

orokana
flying
eccentric
slightly
answer
takes
transfers
plane
spilling
flights
equator
running
figure
wasting
kiloliters
break
dream
designed
equipped
awaiting
planes
hours
ground
minutes
nonstop
fugōri
journey
point
permission
meeting
return

Original Text

Professor Fukanō, the famous eccentric scientist and adventurer, has embarked on a new challenge: flying around the world nonstop in a plane of his own design. Able to travel consistently at the incredible speed of one degree longitude around the equator per minute, the plane would take six hours to circle the world. There's just one problem: the plane can only hold 180 kiloliters of fuel, only enough for exactly half the journey. Let's be honest. The professor probably could have designed the plane to hold more fuel, but where's the fun in that? Instead, he's devised a slightly more elaborate solution: building three identical planes for the mission. In addition to their speed, the professor's equipped them with a few other incredible features. Each of the planes can turn on a dime and instantly transfer any amount of its fuel to any of the others in midair without slowing down, provided they're next to each other. The professor will pilot the first plane, while his two assistants Fugōri and Orokana will pilot each of the others. However, only one airport, located on the equator, has granted permission for the experiment, making it the starting point, the finish line, and the only spot where the planes can land, takeoff, or refuel on the ground. How should the three planes coordinate so the professor can fly continuously for the whole trip and achieve his dream without anyone running out of fuel and crashing? Pause here if you want to figure it out for yourself. Answer in: 3 Answer in: 2 Answer in: 1 According to the professor's calculations, they should be able to pull it off by a hair. The key is to maximize the support each assistant provides, not wasting a single kiloliter of fuel. It also helps us to think symmetrically so they can make shorter trips in either direction while setting the professor up for a long unsupported stretch in the middle. Here's his solution. All three planes take off at noon flying west, each fully loaded with 180 kiloliters. After 45 minutes, or one-eighth of the way around, each plane has 135 kiloliters left. Orokana gives 45 to the professor and 45 to Fugōri, fully refueling them both. With her remaining 45, Orokana returns to the airport and heads to the lounge for a well-deserved break. 45 minutes later, with one-quarter of the trip complete, the professor and Fugōri are both at 135 kiloliters again. Fugōri transfers 45 into the professor's tank, leaving himself with the 90 he needs to return. Professor Fukanō stretches and puts on his favorite album. He'll be alone for a while. In the meantime, Orokana has been anxiously awaiting Fugōri's return, her plane fully refueled and ready to go. As soon as his plane touches the ground, she takes off, this time flying east. At this point, exactly 180 minutes have passed and the professor is at the halfway point of his journey with 90 kiloliters of fuel left. For the next 90 minutes, the professor and Orokana's planes fly towards each other, meeting at the three-quarter mark. Just as the professor's fuel is about the run out, he sees Orokana's plane. She gives him 45 kiloliters of her remaining 90, leaving them with 45 each. But that's just half of what they need to make it to the airport. Fortunately, this is exactly when Fugōri, having refueled, takes off. 45 minutes later, just as the other two planes are about to run empty, he meets them at the 315 degree point and transfers 45 kiloliters of fuel to each, leaving 45 for himself. All three planes land at the airport just as their fuel gauges reach zero. As the reporters and photographers cheer, the professor promises his planes will soon be available for commercial flights, just as soon as they figure out how to keep their inflight meals from spilling everywhere.

Frequently Occurring Word Combinations

Important Words

achieve
addition
adventurer
airport
album
amount
answer
anxiously
assistant
assistants
awaiting
break
building
calculations
cheer
circle
commercial
complete
consistently
continuously
coordinate
crashing
degree
design
designed
devised
dime
direction
dream
east
eccentric
elaborate
embarked
empty
equator
equipped
experiment
famous
favorite
features
figure
finish
flights
fly
flying
fortunately
fuel
fugōri
fukanō
fully
fun
gauges
granted
ground
hair
halfway
heads
helps
hold
honest
hours
identical
incredible
inflight
instantly
journey
key
kiloliter
kiloliters
land
leaving
left
line
loaded
located
long
longitude
lounge
making
mark
maximize
meals
meeting
meets
midair
middle
minute
minutes
mission
nonstop
noon
orokana
passed
pause
permission
photographers
pilot
plane
planes
point
professor
promises
pull
puts
reach
ready
refuel
refueled
refueling
remaining
reporters
return
returns
run
running
scientist
sees
setting
shorter
single
slightly
slowing
solution
speed
spilling
spot
starting
stretch
stretches
support
symmetrically
takeoff
takes
tank
time
touches
transfer
transfers
travel
trip
trips
turn
unsupported
wasting
west
world