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Fun with Fundamentals: Problem 257

May 1, 2002
You could get carried away with this one. Call him Ishmael the Chipmunk. Ishmael is usually content to frolic in leaf piles and ivy

Problem 257: Chips ahoy!
You could get carried away with this one. Call him Ishmael the Chipmunk. Ishmael is usually content to frolic in leaf piles and ivy, but lately his spleen has been itchy, his circulation irregular, and his spirit longing for the open creek. He’s even taken to tugging the tail feathers of blue jays. So Ishmael has decided to join an acorning voyage, to search for floating, bug-filled acorns — and adventure. However, after seeing the sea vessel, a 14 in. tall glass jar, he’s wondering if it’s big enough to carry the entire enlisted crew. His stripy mates are so darn fluffy that they’re only about 950 kg/m3, but the three-legged captain’s made it clear that they’ll stay on the open seas until they collect 6.75 lb. of acorn. If the average chipmunk takes up about 200 mL, how many can go acorning in the jar before water breaches its brim?

Solution to problem 256, April, 2002: Smart ass

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