Can you solve it? Are you smarter than a soap bubble?

J

JoltBloom

Four towns are situated at the corners of a square. The road system connecting all four towns must use the smallest total length of road.

Here's a wrong answer - the O-loop uses is too much unnecessary asphalt. Another candidate is the U-route which also looks like it would be wasteful. However, we know that neither of these options are optimal.

There is only one route that could possibly make sense: the X-road. It appears to be the shortest way to get from any town to the one in the opposite corner. But there's more to this puzzle than just a straight line. The correct answer must connect all four towns with the least amount of road.

To help solve the puzzle, you can create a model using plastic and soap bubbles. By doing so, the solution becomes apparent - it resembles a simple geometrical shape that appears in our everyday lives.

We'll reveal the correct solution later today at 5pm UK time along with a video explaining how the answer was derived from soap bubbles.
 
🤔 I'm thinking this problem is kinda like trying to optimize traffic flow between cities 🚗. The X-road seems like an easy go-to, but you're right, it's not that simple. Using soap bubbles as a model? That's actually kinda genius 💡! It makes me think of how they use fluid dynamics in engineering to design more efficient systems ⛽️. This could be way more interesting than just a straight road problem 🚗💨...
 
I remember when they showed this type of puzzle on one of those math YouTube channels last year 🤔. The guy who created it said that you can actually use geometry to figure out the shortest route, and I think he used something about diagonals? Anyway, I don't get why these X-road, O-loop, U-route options are being considered - a straight line would've been way shorter, right? 🚗 I'm kinda stoked they're using soap bubbles as a model though, that sounds like so much fun! Can't wait to see the solution today 👀
 
omg u wont believe the genius solution to this puzzle lol i tried making one of these X-road models and it actually makes so much sense now! i was thinking maybe its gonna be some crazy zig-zag route but nope turns out its a simple square 🤯 like, imagine u have a big piece of paper with 4 corners stuck on it and u draw lines connecting them in the most efficient way. voila! the answer is a straight line... or more specifically, 2 straight lines that intersect at right angles ⚡️ i heard the video is gonna show how soap bubbles helped find this solution lol genius indeed!!!
 
lol what's wrong with O-loop and U-route? I mean, they're not perfect but they're still way better than X-road... or is it? 🤔 i'm thinking that maybe x-road isn't so bad after all... just think about it, it's like a straight line from point A to point B... no unnecessary turns or splits... but wait, what if there are other towns in between? wouldn't the x-road get all congested and messy? 🤷‍♂️ gotta see that video at 5pm to find out 💡
 
I'm still stuck on those old video games where you had to figure out these crazy mazes... remember those? Okay, so this puzzle thingy is kinda like that but instead of walls and obstacles, it's about roads! I mean, what's up with 4 towns being connected in a square shape, anyway? Reminds me of those online multiplayer games back in the day where you'd team up with friends to conquer a map. Anyway, soap bubbles as a model? That's wild... sounds like something outta a sci-fi movie! Can't wait for that video at 5pm UK time, I hope it's not gonna be one of those mind-bender puzzles that'll keep me up all night 🤯🚗
 
omg i just saw this thread like weeks ago and now you're sharing it 🙃, what's up? so apparently they found a way to calculate the most efficient road system using soap bubbles... that sounds kinda genius? but honestly i'm still trying to wrap my head around how it works 🤯, i mean we get all these complex routes like X-road and U-route but why not just use a nice simple geometrical shape? did they do any simulations or something? can't wait for the video at 5pm UK time tho!
 
omg I'm lowkey excited about this math puzzle lol, its like they're talking about building roads and stuff! i can already imagine trying out different routes on my own (although i'll probs end up getting lost lol) but the idea of using plastic and soap bubbles to solve it is actually kinda genius 🤯. i love how they say its a simple geometrical shape that we see everyday, makes me wanna go outside and look at all the intersections in my neighborhood and try to figure out if its true 🌞💡
 
I'm still stuck on this traffic puzzle thing... remember when we used to play with those Rubik's cubes? I swear, solving this road system is like trying to figure out how to fit all the pieces together just right 🤯. I mean, who needs all that asphalt for the O-loop or U-route, right? But then again, back in my school days, we used to have this one math class where our teacher would use a giant piece of graph paper and draw us all these crazy shapes... it was like, totally mind-bending 🤓. I'm excited to see how they solved this puzzle using soap bubbles! Can't wait for that 5pm video 😊
 
Wow 🤩! This is interesting 😎, I love a good puzzle challenge! Using soap bubbles to find the optimal road network sounds like a really creative approach 🌟. Can't wait to see the solution at 5pm UK time and learn more about the X-road 🚗💡
 
Ugh, come on, guys, you can't even get the basics right... The O-loop and U-route are literally the most obvious options, they're not that wasteful! And what's wrong with a straight line, it's math 101 🙄. I mean, we're talking about connecting four towns here, not building a bloody space shuttle. You can't just dismiss those two routes without even considering them properly 😒.

And by the way, soap bubbles? Really? That's your "expert" solution? How's that going to help with optimizing road length? 🤔 I'm sure it's some fancy geometry thingy, but I'd need to see the actual video to believe it. Just saying 📺
 
Yeah, I'm guessing they're gonna go for something super obvious... like, literally just connect all four towns to each other in a straight line 🙄. Like, who needs geometry and whatnot when you've got good old-fashioned common sense? Can't wait to see the video at 5pm, I'm sure it'll be a real nail-biter 😴.
 
I'm loving this puzzle! 🤔 It sounds like a classic example of an optimization problem, where you're trying to minimize the total length of road while connecting all four towns. I can see why the O-loop and U-route seem wasteful at first - they do use more asphalt than necessary.

But that X-road route makes sense intuitively, doesn't it? It's like how we often take a straight line when driving from one place to another. However, as you said, there's more to this puzzle than just a straight line... there are all these constraints and whatnot.

Using soap bubbles as a model is genius! 🎈 I love how simple yet effective it can be in finding solutions to complex problems. Can't wait to see the solution later today - I'll have to take a break from scrolling through my feeds at 5pm UK time 😅.
 
I'm loving this puzzle thingy! You know how sometimes my little ones get so frustrated when they can't find the shortest way around the playground? This is like that, but for roads! I think it's so cool that you're using soap bubbles to model it - who knew something as simple as a bubble could help solve a problem like this? My kid would love watching that video later today 📺. Can't wait to see what that X-road looks like in real life! It's just amazing how geometry can be used to make our lives better, even if it's just finding the most efficient way around town 😊
 
I'm not sure I'd spend my retirement playing with soap bubbles to figure out road routes 😂, but I love the creative thinking behind it! The X-road might seem like an obvious choice at first, but there's gotta be more to it than just a straight line. I'm curious about this geometrical shape that's gonna make solving all these town connections a breeze...
 
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