Mind Matters News is pleased to offer a new series, “Monday Micro Softies,” from our director, Robert J. Marks, a series of puzzles that illustrate the ways of thinking needed in the computer industry today. – Eds.

Last Monday’s Micro Softy dealt with Claude King’s 1962 song Wolverton Mountain. Claude’s girlfriend, Chloe, was the daughter of Clifton Clowers who did not like Claude sparking his girl. Before I offer the solution to that puzzle, I am offering  a new Micro Softy, also based on  Claude, Chloe, Clifton Clowers and Wolverton Mountain.

One day, Claude worked up the courage to approach Clowers and ask for his daughter’s hand in marriage. Clowers, who hated young Claude, asked him if he loved Chloe enough to die for her. Claude said yes.

“Come back tomorrow,” said Clowers “and we’ll cast lots. I’ll put two slips of paper in my hat. One will say ‘marriage’ and the other ‘death’.  If you pick ‘marriage’, you can marry Chloe. If ‘death’, I get to shoot you in the foot with my AK-47 and you promise to never see her again.”

Claude accepted and came to Clifton Clowers’ house early the next day. Before Claude went into the house, Chloe ran up to him breathlessly.

After a quick smooch, she said “You can’t do it, Claude! Daddy wrote ‘death’ on both pieces of paper. Don’t do it!”

But Claude was unfazed. In fact, he smiled. He knew he would soon be married to Chloe. So he went into the house. All of Chloe’s family was there including her mother, four brothers, three sisters and two dogs. After Clowers described the rules, Claude drew one of the slips of paper out of the hat. Later that day he married Chloe at the Wolverton Mountain First Baptist Church.

There are no tricks here. Claude did not bring in his own slip of paper. And because Clifton Clowers was a proud man, Claude chose not to expose him as a cheat.

So how did Claude do it? We’ll give the answer in the Micro Softy column here next Monday at Mind Matters News.

Hint: Claude’s solution was genius.

Here’s the solution to Micro Softy 3: Claude King’s Wolverton Mountain Trip

First, here’s the problem in full:

Before Claude married Chloe, he periodically climbed Wolverton mountain to see her. Going up the mountain, starting at 6 AM, took three hours. Going down the mountain the next day, starting at 6 AM, also took three hours. There was only one road from the bottom to the top and Claude took the road both ways. Sometimes he walked. Sometimes he jogged.

Was Claude ever at the exact same spot on the road at the same time? For example, might Claude be at the same place on the road at 7:10 AM on the up trip as he is at 7:10 AM on the down trip?

The answer is yes. To see why, assume that Claude has a brother named Clod. At 6 AM on the same day, Claude starts up the mountain, and Clod starts down. At some time during their three hour trips, Claude and Clod will meet somewhere on the road.

This is exactly the same situation as in the problem posed above except that the trips are separated by a day. We’re not sure where or at what time, but Claude will, somewhere on the road, be at the same spot at the same time on both trips.

Here are Micro Softies from earlier Mondays:

Monday Micro Softy 1: Microsoft: What did you need to work there in the early days? They asked questions that were not about the details of computer technology. The questions made you think. Hard. For example, they would ask questions like, why are manhole covers round? Also, here’s the Round Trip puzzle.

Monday Micro Softy 2: The Dead Presidents’ Club. The answer to Monday Micro Softy 1: The Round Trip puzzle is here too. Today’s puzzle: How would a girl who knew nothing of American history immediately know the name of at least one of three early Presidents who died on July 4?

Monday Micro Softy 3: The Wolverton Mountain Puzzle. Here’s the answer to Dead President’s Club as well — and smart STEM people often DON’T get that one right. Today’s brain teaser is in honor of Claude King, Clifton Clowers, and Wolverton Mountain. It’s not high tech but it will surely test your thinking abilities.