What colour is the bear?

[Uncwilly]

Originally Posted by masser

This is similar to my initial line of thought - what if the hunter is on a giant moving iceberg?

The bear is still white. Icbergs come from the same place as polarbears.

[cheesehead]

Originally Posted by xilman

the North and South poles lie on the earth's rotation axis. That fully fixes the coordinate system.

... depending on one's required degree of accuracy ...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:P..._2001_2005.png

[S485122]

Originally Posted by xilman

The phrase "travels one mile due east" means "travel one mile towards the longitude of Greenwich while maintaining a constant distance from the north pole (or equator or south pole)".

The North American plate is subject to continental drift. Not only is it heading westwards on average, it is also rotating. Pick a spot such that the combination of continental drift and rotation combines such that after drifting west one mile that spot is due south of the starting point. Walk very slowly on the eastward leg of the journey.

I would disqualify this type of solution on the ground that all travelling in the original puzzle refers to ground distances : the reference point for the travel is not some coordinate but the base camp which will travel with the ground all the traveling is done on.

Jacob

[retina]

Originally Posted by S485122

I would disqualify this type of solution on the ground that all travelling in the original puzzle refers to ground distances : the reference point for the travel is not some coordinate but the base camp which will travel with the ground all the traveling is done on.

Jacob

Fair enough.

How about: On any continent rotating clockwise, walk 1 mile South. Wait until the continent rotates 30°. Walk 1 mile East. Wait until the continent rotates 30°. Walk 1 mile North.

For counter-clockwise rotating continents, change 30° to 210°.

Note: You may like to start waking sightly before 30° (210°) rotation has occurred so that the rotation during the walking time is also accounted for.

[xilman]

Originally Posted by S485122

I would disqualify this type of solution on the ground that all travelling in the original puzzle refers to ground distances : the reference point for the travel is not some coordinate but the base camp which will travel with the ground all the traveling is done on.

Jacob

Think about my solution.

It also uses ground distances and the hunter walks a total of three miles over ground to end up at the starting point.

My solution indicates that terms such as "north", "east", "south" are not constant directions with respect to the ground at any given point on the ground (with a few notable exceptions).

Paul

[Patrick123]

Originally Posted by xilman

Think about my solution.

It also uses ground distances and the hunter walks a total of three miles over ground to end up at the starting point.

My solution indicates that terms such as "north", "east", "south" are not constant directions with respect to the ground at any given point on the ground (with a few notable exceptions).

Paul

Based on your solution, I predict no color for the bear, as by then, they would either be extinct or would have evolved into some other species

[xilman]

Originally Posted by Patrick123

Based on your solution, I predict no color for the bear, as by then, they would either be extinct or would have evolved into some other species

Not really. The North American plate is drifting at about 3cm per annum. A mile is160934.4cm so it only takes around 50k years. Bears have been around for much longer than that.

Paul

[Patrick123]

Originally Posted by xilman

Not really. The North American plate is drifting at about 3cm per annum. A mile is160934.4cm so it only takes around 50k years. Bears have been around for much longer than that.

Paul

I agree with you there, now if we go back in time, by just 100 years and try and convince the Dodo, the Tasmanian Wolf, .....

Patrick

[Flatlander]

I wonder if, in a few years time, the puzzle will be: A hunter leaves his boat one morning and swims one mile due south ...

[Kevin]

Was the title of this thread always "What Color is the Beer"? If so, how come nobody's mentioned it yet?

[Wacky]

When the Meriones unguiculatus were in charge, the reference was to Ursus maritimus.
The present administration seem to be more interested in Zymurgy.