Solution To: How Many People Does It Take To Cook an Egg?

Here is the answer for all you egg lovers out there just in case you ever find yourself in this EXACT situation...(it could happen...).

Here is the original problem.

How can you cook an egg for exactly 15 minutes if all you have is a 7-minute hourglass and an 11-minute hourglass?

Ok, so you start with your two hourglasses. (The bigger one is the 11-minute one and the smaller is the 7-minute one, in case you needed that to be more clear.)

Then you flip them both over to start both of them.

At seven minutes, the 7-minute hourglass will have run out and the 11-minute hourglass will have four minutes left in it.

Then you flip the 7-minute hourglass back over.

When the remaining four minutes have run out of the 11-minute hourglass, eleven minutes have passed.  The eleven minute hour glass will have run out completely, and 4 minutes will have run out of the 7-minute hour glass.

Now, as stated above, four minutes have run out of the 7-minute hourglass.  Eleven minutes total have passed.  Tip the 7-minute hourglass back over.  Now the four minutes of sand in the 7-minute hourglass that were on the bottom are now one top.  Allow the 4 minutes in the 7-minute hourglass to run out.  Now 15 minutes have passed.

Bada-bing, bada-bang, bada-boom!

See you next week!

Sincerely,
The Math Freak