RAY: Hi, we're back. You're listening to Car Talk with us, Click and Clack, the Tappet Brothers. And we're here to talk about cars, car repair, and the answer to last week's Puzzler. This one was from my match stick series.
TOM: Yeah.
RAY: And I've got to say, I have a vague recollection of maybe having used this one before.
TOM: Well, I think you did. And I think I probably came up with the same answer. Say it again. I don't remember.
RAY: Anyway, here it is.
TOM: It was Roman numerals were involved.
RAY: As always.
TOM: Yeah.
RAY: You have a bunch of matches and you construct the following equation using Roman numerals.
TOM: Go ahead.
RAY: One.
TOM: One.
RAY: There's Roman numeral I minus Roman numeral III.
TOM: Yeah.
RAY: That's three match sticks. You know, I I I.
TOM: ??, yeah.
RAY: Equals --
TOM: Yeah?
RAY: -- using two match sticks for the equal sign. Two.
TOM: Yeah.
RAY: Which obviously is incorrect.
TOM: Yeah.
RAY: Anyway, the question is what's the fewest number of match stick movements you can make to make it an equation that is correct? And you're not allowed to bend, fold, staple or otherwise mutilate the match sticks. And you must use them all.
TOM: Yeah.
RAY: Here's the answer moving a match stick, one match stick. And that is, you take the match stick from the equal sign.
TOM: Yeah, yeah.
RAY: And you bring it over to where the minus sign is and you make one equal to three, now minus two.
TOM: Sure, that's good.
RAY: OK? Or you move no sticks and you walk around to the other side of the table. You walk around 180 degrees --
TOM: Right.
RAY: -- and look at it from the other side of the table --
TOM: Yeah.
RAY: -- assuming you had them set up on a table. And you can look at it from the other side --
TOM: Yeah, ??.
RAY: -- in which case you need to move nothing.
TOM: Well then, that's the right answer.
RAY: And it says two equals three minus one.
TOM: Well, the answer is what's the least number of --
RAY: Match stick movements.
TOM: ?? Isn't zero leaster than one?
RAY: Yeah.
TOM: There aren't two answers. There's one answer.
RAY: OK.
TOM: The answer is zero.
RAY: In which case I already used it.
TOM: I know you did.
RAY: But it was a long time ago and everyone forgets. Anyway, do we have a legitimate winner?
TOM: Yes, we do. The winner is Richard King from Sunnyvale, California. And for having his answer selected at random from the leaf bag full of correct answers that we got, Richard will get a $25 gift certificate to the Shameless Commerce Division of the Car Talk section of cars.com. Now isn't that exciting?
RAY: Yeah.
TOM: With that gift certificate, you may ask, what can he do? He can get our newest CD, "Car Talk Car Tunes, the Car Talk Compendium of Disrespectful Car Songs." You know, they actually sold out and had to make more of these last week? Can you believe it?
RAY: No.
TOM: It has been so popular that the Shameless Commerce Division ran out of CDs and had to have more of them made. I mean, what do you think of that?
RAY: Well, I think they should have pressed like more than four. You know. I mean, they should have had a little more faith in us. Don't you think?
TOM: Yeah. I mean, we forced the staff to buy copies and that's five right there. Anyway, we'll have a brand new, I'm going to have to call it quasi-automotive --
RAY: Quasi-auto, yes, Master.
TOM: -- Puzzler coming up in the third half of the show. So don't touch that dial. Right now, if you have a question about your car or anything else, the number to call is 1, is Murray Hill 4, 1-888-Murray Hill 7? I'm sorry. Murray Hill seven --
RAY: 3333.
TOM: Really?
RAY: Yeah. You know what that'll get you?
TOM: No. Nothing.
RAY: A tape. Of something.
TOM: Anyway, our number is 888-CAR-TALK. That's 88-82-27-82-55. Hello, you're on Car Talk.
[ Car Talk Puzzler ]
