Dad made 6 pancakes, one after the other, and numbered them 1 to 6 in the order that they were made.
Sometimes while he did this his children ran into the kitchen and ate the hottest pancakes. In which of the
following orders could the pancakes not have been eaten.
in order of hotness, the numbers will be decreasing.
To determine which orders the pancakes could not have been eaten, we need to consider the temperatures of the pancakes.
Let's analyze each option:
1. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
In this order, the pancakes are cooled down progressively. Therefore, it is possible for the children to have eaten them in this order.
2. 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1
In this order, the pancakes are heated up progressively. Therefore, it is possible for the children to have eaten them in this order.
3. 1, 3, 2, 4, 5, 6
This order indicates that the second pancake is eaten before the third pancake. This means that the third pancake must be hotter than the second pancake, violating the assumption that the children only eat the hottest pancakes. Therefore, this order is not possible.
4. 6, 4, 2, 5, 3, 1
This order indicates that the first pancake is eaten after the third pancake. Since the first pancake was made before the third pancake, it should have been hotter. Therefore, this order is not possible.
Therefore, the orders that the pancakes could not have been eaten are 3 and 4.