Identical Triplets
Puzzle. Three brothers who are identical triplets live on the seventh, eighth, and ninth floors of the same apartment building. Their apartments are identical and vertically stacked. One day all three step onto their balconies, standing in the same upright posture. The brother on the eighth floor shouts “AAAA!” Which of the other two will hear him first?
I gave this puzzle to my students, and two of them offered the right answer for the wrong reasons. One said, “The seventh-floor brother, because air is warmer closer to the ground and sound travels faster in warmer air.” Another said, “The seventh-floor brother, because the air is denser at lower altitude and sound travels faster in denser air.”
What is the right reason?
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