What color is the bear?

Originally posted by Suzianne
What word? I see a collection of letters that *looks* like it might be the word color, only misspelled.

So please tell me, why, in your opinion, do Americans spell this word differently?*



*incorrectly.

Originally posted by Suzianne
What word? I see a collection of letters that *looks* like it might be the word color, only misspelled.

I believe it was the Plumber who dropped the science on me with this one on another thread a few months back. I don't want to give it away outright, but imagine this: at most points south of the north pole, if the bear walks east 1 mile, it ends up 1 mile east of where it started - does this ever change? Try moving the bear south and see what happens...BTW, the south pole won't be a starting/stopping point for the bear because walking "east" at the south pole doesn't mean anything (unless you're syphilitic or clinically insane!).

Originally posted by PBE6
I believe it was the Plumber who dropped the science on me with this one on another thread a few months back. I don't want to give it away outright, but imagine this: at most points south of the north pole, if the bear walks east 1 mile, it ends up 1 mile east of where it started - does this ever change? Try moving the bear south and see what happens...BTW, ...[text shortened]... st" at the south pole doesn't mean anything (unless you're syphilitic or clinically insane!).

I was imprecise. It would be a mile north of the circle which was on the surface of the Earth, was centered on the north/south axis and had a circumferance of exactly one mile and was south of the Equator.

Originally posted by LordOfTheChessboard
This still does not say anything about its collor. But why can a bear not walk like that here in holland?

I never answered about the color.

Get a compass, a large field, and try it.
Walk long EQUAL distances SOUTH, EAST, then NORTH.
you will not return to the same spot with out going Northwest.

Your path would be like an open box.
The closer to the north pole, the closer you will return to you original position in this manner.
Unless you were at the north pole, this would not work.
Think about it.

Only at the Northpole will that work. because of the position of the poles.

Also think of this if you are at the North-Pole, you cannot go in any direction with out going a southernly direction.

You cannot go East or West from the North or South poles.

Originally posted by AThousandYoung
Or a mile from the South pole.

How would that work out?

If the bear were one mile from the SouthPole, there is no way it could follow the same path as in the question.

After the first mile south the bear would be at the south pole. After that he could not go in any other direction except a Northernly direction.

You cannot go East or West from the North or South poles.

Originally posted by Suzianne
An infinite number of spots? On *this* planet? Please explain.

Yes, the places where one can go 1 mile south, 1 mile east and 1 mile back north to arrive back at the starting point are:

1) the north pole

2) Near the south pole, all the points on the parallel which is one mile above the parallel that has a circumference of 1 mile

3) As in 2, but every parallel one mile above parallels with a circumference of a whole fraction (1/2, 1/3, 1/4, .....) of one mile.

Originally posted by LordOfTheChessboard
A bear left her den, moved 1 mile southword, then 1 mile eastword, turned north and, after another mile, got back into her den.

What is the color of the bear?

The bear could be any colour that bears come in - providing that the den was more than a mile wide and the bear left it from the west wing.

Originally posted by Mephisto2
Yes, the places where one can go 1 mile south, 1 mile east and 1 mile back north to arrive back at the starting point are:

1) the north pole

2) Near the south pole, all the points on the parallel which is one mile above the parallel that has a circumference of 1 mile

3) As in 2, but every parallel one mile above parallels with a circumference of a whole fraction (1/2, 1/3, 1/4, .....) of one mile.

That is so clever. I never thought about 2 and 3. Very nice.

Originally posted by Mephisto2
Yes, the places where one can go 1 mile south, 1 mile east and 1 mile back north to arrive back at the starting point are:

1) the north pole

2) Near the south pole, all the points on the parallel which is one mile above the parallel that has a circumference of 1 mile

3) As in 2, but every parallel one mile above parallels with a circumference of a whole fraction (1/2, 1/3, 1/4, .....) of one mile.

This is indeed an elegant solution and not immediately grasped by many.

Except for one thing.

The first stipulation is that a bear left her den and walked this route.

There are no bears of any kind living on Antarctica.

Originally posted by Suzianne
This is indeed an elegant solution and not immediately grasped by many.

Except for one thing.

The first stipulation is that a bear left her den and walked this route.

There are no bears of any kind living on Antarctica.

An excellent point, lost on none save the stupidest bear south of the equator.

Originally posted by Mephisto2
Yes, the places where one can go 1 mile south, 1 mile east and 1 mile back north to arrive back at the starting point are:

1) the north pole

2) Near the south pole, all the points on the parallel which is one mile above the parallel that has a circumference of 1 mile

3) As in 2, but every parallel one mile above parallels with a circumference of a whole fraction (1/2, 1/3, 1/4, .....) of one mile.

Clever indeed!

1. easy enough

2. Very clever

3. Pure genius.
Same idea as 2 I get, but I am still processing it.
So you would be making multiple trips round the smaller
circumference parallels, ending once again directly south of the
origin. The smaller the circumference(thus the closer to the
South pole, the more trips you make round!
That is my understanding sans math.
In answers 2 and 3, the path is no longer triangular.

So much for that puzzle.

Originally posted by PBE6
An excellent point, lost on none save the stupidest bear south of the equator.

That is correct. Therefor my initial answer above was: "White, if it is an aboriginal bear. Although I am doubtful that there is a bear den exactly on the north pole. Making abstraction of that requirement, it could be any colour (you can find or make a bear of), and there are an infinite number of spots where this 'bear' could have a den, the northpole being just one of them."

edit. That 'bear' would have a unique opportunity to meet his antipole 'friend' the pinguin, something which normally is possible only in a zoo.

Originally posted by Mephisto2
That is correct. Therefor my initial answer above was: "White, if it is an aboriginal bear. Although I am doubtful that there is a bear den exactly on the north pole. Making abstraction of that requirement, it could be any colour (you can find or make a bear of), and there are an infinite number of spots where this 'bear' could have a den, the northpole ...[text shortened]... to meet his antipole 'friend' the pinguin, something which normally is possible only in a zoo.

Yeah, there's probably no den there, just a bunch of American and British flags. Lousy patriots.

Originally posted by Bowmann
Good to see someone spell this word correctly.

There you go again Bowmann, with the spelling!

Originally posted by Mephisto2
Yes, the places where one can go 1 mile south, 1 mile east and 1 mile back north to arrive back at the starting point are:

1) the north pole

2) Near the south pole, all the points on the parallel which is one mile above the parallel that has a circumference of 1 mile

3) As in 2, but every parallel one mile above parallels with a circumference of a whole fraction (1/2, 1/3, 1/4, .....) of one mile.

I say Brooklyn that can be done, yes Brooklyn.