SOLUTION: Hi. I've tried this problem but could not come up with a logical answer. "A monk has a very specific ritual for climbing up the steps to the temple. First he climbs up to the m

Algebra ->  Trigonometry-basics -> SOLUTION: Hi. I've tried this problem but could not come up with a logical answer. "A monk has a very specific ritual for climbing up the steps to the temple. First he climbs up to the m      Log On


   

Question 84856: Hi. I've tried this problem but could not come up with a logical answer.
"A monk has a very specific ritual for climbing up the steps to the temple. First he climbs up to the middle step and meditates for 1 minute. Then he climbs up 8 steps and faces east until he hears a bird singing. Then he walks down 12 steps and picks up a pebble. He takes one step up and tosses the pebble over his left shoulder. Now, he walks up the remaining steps three at a time which only takes him 9 paces. How many steps are there?"
Thank you so much for you help. I just couldn't reason this problem out...
Answer by rapaljer(4671) About Me  (Show Source):
You can put this solution on YOUR website!
The monk goes up to the middle step. Then he goes up 8 more steps and down 12 steps, which places him 4 steps below the middle step. From this step, he goes UP 27 steps to the top. This means that there are 27-4=23 steps from the middle step to the top. There must be a total of 2*23 = 46 steps.
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