Need The Answer Please!

[laurengano88]

In the dark, you are drawing socks from a drawer, one at a time (your family is asleep and you don't want to wake them...). The drawer contains 12 red socks, 11 white socks, 10 black socks, and 9 blue socks. What is the minimum number of socks you must draw from the drawer to be absolutely sure you have all of at least one of the colors?0

[Mamyalynne]

5

[Mamyalynne]

Presuming you mean at least one of all of the colours.

[fiction-factory]

I'm too tired to work it out but my first thought is 33 to be absolutely sure (although of course you'd probably get there with far fewer)

[Mamyalynne]

Ignore that, I am answering the riddle wrong.

You need to draw 5 to get a matching pair.

You've lost me.

[fiction-factory]

Sorry- I assumed you meant one of each but that's not what you asked , sorry

[Prudie]

My first thought is 39 but I hate these kind of questions

[pixie374]

39

[fiction-factory]

34 then? I'm still not sure exactly what you are asking

[Prudie]

I've assumed you mean either all the blue or all the red etc etc

[pixie374]

I think, 1 red, 1 white, 1black, and 1 blue

[fiction-factory]

Yes, I misunderstood what you want- I think

[fiction-factory]

Start with 42 .
Can't be 38 as you could still have one of each colour left.
So has to be 39 to be sure
Now we agree I think

[Prudie]

All of at least one of the colours (as in OP)
is not the same as
one at least of all of the colours

I think we need to switch the bedside light on :-)

[bhg481]

If you pull out 32 you can have 8 of each colour. You need to pull out 4 more to ensure that you have pulled out the last blue, so the answer is 36.

[Calibax]

39. You can draw 11 red, 10 white, 9 black and 8 blue socks (38) and still not have a complete set of any of the colours. One more will ensure you do.

[fiction-factory]

But in the dark you wouldn't know what you had after pulling out 32, bhg

[Gizmonster]

If I understand the question, you want to make sure you take out all the socks of at least one colour??
If you take out 38 socks you could have 11 red, 10 white, 9 black and 8 blue - each colour is one short of being a full set.
If you now take one more sock, you're guaranteed that you'll have at least one full set of all of the colours, so the answer is 39.

[bhg481]

Alternatively, pull out 11 red, 10 white, 9 black and 9 blue = 39.

[pixie374]

You'd have to pull out 43, before you could even guarantee a blue.

[pixie374]

I'm arguing with myself now, lol.