HOME | CR4 | General Discussion | Challenge Questions

Challenge Questions

Stop in and exercise your brain. Talk about this month's Challenge from Specs & Techs or similar puzzles.

So do you have a Challenge Question that could stump the community? Then submit the question with the "correct" answer and we'll post it. If it's really good, we may even roll it up to Specs & Techs. You'll be famous!

Answers to Challenge Questions appear by the last Tuesday of the month.

Previous in Blog: "We Got A Great Big Convoy" (May 2024 Challenge Question)

Next in Blog: Color Cubed (July '24 Challenge Question)

5 comments

Rate this

Comments: Nested

Can You Spell 'Inglenook'? (June 2024 Challenge Question)

Posted May 31, 2024 12:00 AM

Pathfinder Tags: challenge question

This month's challenge question comes from the world of railroading. Inglenook siding puzzles are a unique way to create combinations of train consists.

Siding 1 can hold 5 train cars - it currently has 5.
Siding 2 can hold 3 train cars - it currently has 3.
Siding 3 can hold 3 train cars - it currently has 0.

Rules

Train cars can only be moved by shunting and reorganizing cars using the available side rail space.
Create as many different English words as possible, using the train cars provided.
Words must be at least 3 letters.

Challenges

How many different words can you create? (Your list doesn't need to be comprehensive. Inglenooks can have more than 40,000 combinations.)
What is the longest word you can spell?
Can you spell any words that start with U?

You do not need to show work - but it may be requested for some solutions!

Interested in this topic? By joining CR4 you can "subscribe" to
this discussion and receive notification when new comments are added.

Join CR4, The Engineer's Place for News and Discussion!

Comments rated to be "almost" Good Answers:

Check out these comments that don't yet have enough votes to be "official" good answers and, if you agree with them, rate them!

#1 "Re: Can you spell 'Inglenook'? (June 2024 challenge question)" by Randall on 05/31/2024 9:32 AM (score 1)

Randall Guru Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Hemel Hempstead, UK Posts: 5759 Good Answers: 314	#1 Re: Can you spell 'Inglenook'? (June 2024 challenge question) 05/31/2024 9:32 AM
	How many different words can you create? 441 What is the longest word you can spell? 7 letters eg. mastery and matures Can you spell any words that start with U? Several: here's user Get A put it in 3 Get E put it in 3 Get U keep it attached to the engine Get R put it in 3 Get S keep it attached to U Get R from 3 put it in 1 Get E from 3 keep it attached to S Get R from 1 __________________ We are alone in the universe, or, we are not. Either way it's incredible... Adapted from R. Buckminster Fuller/Arthur C. Clarke
	Reply Score 1 for Good Answer

No more "Almost" Good Answers.

Randall Guru Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Hemel Hempstead, UK Posts: 5759 Good Answers: 314	#2 In reply to #1 Re: Can you spell 'Inglenook'? (June 2024 challenge question) 06/01/2024 11:12 AM
	The railway siding aspect of this puzzle is just a red herring; all you have to do is find anagrams of the eight letters. All words are easy, if tedious, to complete. For example MASTERY Get RSTYM Put M in 3 Put RSTY back in 1 Get M and keep attached to the engine Get A and keep attached to M Get RST Put ST in 3 Put R in 1 (that's handy it's next to Y) Get ST and keep attached to A Get E and keep attached to T Get RY MASTERY The rule about available "side rail space" is about the sidings; the sidings would be useless unless they were attached to the rail network, so, the available space to the left of the diagram must be adequate. I'm open to correction. __________________ We are alone in the universe, or, we are not. Either way it's incredible... Adapted from R. Buckminster Fuller/Arthur C. Clarke
	Reply

Randall Guru Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Hemel Hempstead, UK Posts: 5759 Good Answers: 314	#5 In reply to #1 Re: Can you spell 'Inglenook'? (June 2024 challenge question) 06/12/2024 6:11 AM
	Whoops 414 not 441 I accidentally included 2 and 1 letter words. __________________ We are alone in the universe, or, we are not. Either way it's incredible... Adapted from R. Buckminster Fuller/Arthur C. Clarke
	Reply

Rixter Guru Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: About 4000 miles from the center of the earth (+/-100 mi) Posts: 9671 Good Answers: 1104	#3 Re: Can you spell 'Inglenook'? (June 2024 challenge question) 06/01/2024 1:47 PM
	I guess I'm the wrong kind of engineer, I don't move trains...
	Reply

PWSlack Guru Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: In the bothy, 7 chains down the line from Dodman's Lane level crossing, in the nation formerly known as Great Britain. Kettle's on. Posts: 31825 Good Answers: 834	#4 Re: Can You Spell 'Inglenook'? (June 2024 Challenge Question) 06/11/2024 3:16 AM
	This one could roll and roll. __________________ "Did you get my e-mail?" - "The biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place" - George Bernard Shaw, 1856
	Reply