Encore Puzzler Answer, 8/2/97: Poignant Pinpointing
RAY: Who are we to know? But we do know the answer to the following question which is the Puzzler and here it is. You ready?
TOM: I remember it very well. You don't have to remind me, man. I got these Puzzlers embedded in my brain.
RAY: Like those steel plates. What moving -- this was obviously tricky. I mean if it was easy it wouldn't be what? A Puzzler.
TOM: It wouldn't be a Puzzlement.
RAY: So this is somewhat tricky.
TOM: He is a Puzzlement. Who said that? King and I. Yul Brynner. Did I interrupt you? I was just free associating. I can't remember the name of that disease where you can't remember things any more.
RAY: What moving, wearing part of a car is least likely to wear out? That was the question.
TOM: And then we sort of elaborated on it by pointing out if you went to the junk yard and looked at cars this piece would probably be brand spanking new on lots of the cars in the junk yard.
RAY: In fact in a lot of the cars it wouldn't ever have been used. That was a good hint.
TOM: We get any correct answers, Joe?
RAY: Joe's shaking --
TOM: Joe. Joe doesn't know what we're -- Joe. Ken, wake up, Joe --
RAY: Joe's our producer of the week. We're on a new program now. We no longer have a regular producer.
TOM: Instead of giving away a T-shirt for the winner of the Puzzler, we let you be the producer of the show for the next week. So Joe is the producer this week.
RAY: And he's wearing a T-shirt. Must have won two Puzzlers. So anyway, in some cars this part never wears out because it never gets to be used and that of course was a hint and the part is the gear -- I should have given you a hint that it's a gear. When they hear the answer they're going to say oh, boy, that's a -- that was --
TOM: No, they're going to say that's pretty clever, I wish I had thought of it.
RAY: We'll find out when we get our hate mail, when the truckloads of hate mail come in. The part is the gear that turns the poll. These are moving parts which are capable of course of wearing. The gear that turns the pole on the first digit of your odometer. Not the miles digit, but the 10,000 miles digit and in some cars that are presumptuous, like Volvos, a 100,000 digit.
TOM: But some cars just go to 9. 99,999.9.
RAY: Right. But that gear in 100,000 miles is only going to turn once.
TOM: That's right.
RAY: And it goes ...and it trips that little poll and it moves the digit and then you drive the car to the junk yard.
TOM: That's it, right.
[ Car Talk Puzzler ]
