A NEW CADET CHALLENGE

Here's a new cadet challenge for you:

The warden of a prison with a deep, dark dock meets with 23 new prisoners when they arrive and proposes a convoluted challenge. He tells them, "You may meet today and plan a strategy. But after today, you will be in isolated cells and will have no communication with one another.  Here's the situation:
In the prison is a switch room, which contains two light switches labeled A and B, each of which can be in either the on or the off position. I am not telling you their present positions. The switches are not connected to anything.

After today, from time to time whenever I feel so inclined, I will select one prisoner at random and escort him to the switch room. This prisoner will select one of the two switches and reverse its position. He must move one, but only one of the switches. He can't move both but he can't move none either. Then he'll be led back to his cell.

No one else will enter the switch room until I lead the next prisoner there, and he'll be instructed to do the same thing. I'm going to choose prisoners at random. I may choose the same guy three times in a row, or I may jump around and come back. But, given enough time, everyone will eventually visit the switch room as many times as everyone else. At any time anyone of you may declare to me, 'We have all visited the switch room.' If it is true, then you will all be set free. If it is false, and somebody has not yet visited the switch room, you will be fed to the alligators.

Here's the question:
What is the strategy the prisoners devise?

No hints for you!

This challenge will end at 0730, Monday, 10 March.  There will be a prize.  Good luck!

This has almost nothing to do with the challenge.

ANNUAL INSPECTION DATE CHANGE

Our annual inspection has been rescheduled to Thursday, 3 April.  The senior inspector will be Captain Mark Morris.  Captain Morris is a long-time friend of our program and we really want to impress him, so start your preparations now.  Shine your shoes, learn your general knowledge, and work on your bearing.

Here are a few pictures from last year's annual inspection:

RPI midshipman inspects Cadert Matthew Ferrera

LtCol Blanchard observes the drill team.

GySgt Garcia inspects a cadet.

The freshman color guard.

First Platoon loses its military bearing.

UPDATE AND A QUICK CHALLENGE

It's been some time since the last post, so here is a quick summary:

• Our inspection has been scheduled for Tuesday, 18 March.  That's still tentative and is different from what has been discussed.  We are still planning on an evening affair.
• Our orientation trip has been tentatively scheduled for 20-23 March.  See the website for details.

Here is a quick challenge:

You are driving to Capital City.  Your speed is 75 MPH and you decide that as you pass each mile post you will instantaneously slow to the equivalent speed.  At mile post 75, you are doing exactly 75 mph.  At mile post 74, you immediately slow to 74, etc.
Question:  How long will it take you to drive the 75 miles?  

As you pass mile post 35, you would instantaneously slow to 35 MPH.

This challenge expires at 0730 13 February 2014.  Good luck.

HERE, BY POPULAR DEMAND...

Here's a new challenge:

There is a mad scientist somewhere, let's say in Middletown, NY, who wants to design a clock such that it would keep perfect time.  Being a mad scientist, he also wanted the end of the minute hand to move at 60 MPH.  How long would the minute hand have to be?

This challenge will expire at 0730 22 January.  Good luck!

A HOLIDAY CHALLENGE

Here is a tougher challenge to carry you through the holidays.  Good luck.

A man is walking down the street when meets another man mowing his lawn.  They talk and the second man mentions that he has three daughters.  He also mentions that their ages, when multiplied together, equal 36.  Their ages added together are the same as the address of the house across the street.  He challenges the first man to solve the puzzle.  The first man walks across the street, looks at the address, comes back and says, “You’ll have to tell me just a bit more.”  The second man then say, “OK…My oldest daughter plays  piano.”  The man then immediately solves the puzzle.

What are the ages of the three girls?

This challenge will close out at 0730, Monday 6 January 2014.  The prize will be a delicious  breakfast pastry.  Late entries will not be accepted--if no one answers correctly by 0730, I will eat the pastry myself.

NEW CHALLENGE

Congratulations to Cadet Christian Valentin who correctly answered that this would be possible only if the individual started from the North Pole.  Think about it.

Here's a simple challenge:

A man walks a mile directly south, turns, walks a mile directly west, then turns again, heads a mile directly north, and somehow finds himself exactly where he started.  How is this possible?

Good luck.  See me if you think you know the answer.  No guessing.

ANNOUNCING THE JOSEPH C. GILLIAM AWARD COMPETITION

The 2014 Gilliam Award Competition has been announced and this year we will continue our tradition of conducting a local award competition in parallel to the Navy’s area-wide and nation-wide competition.  This local competition will be open to members of all classes and will be based on overall standing as a cadet and a student.   Participation is voluntary, but each participant must submit an essay on the topic chosen for the national competition.  This year's topic is:  “Commitment is one of the Core Values of the Navy JROTC.  Please discuss how being a member of the NJROTC has strengthened your personal sense of commitment.  Include examples of how your sense of commitment, as defined in your NJROTC experience, influenced your accomplishment of important life goals.” 

Amplifying topic considerations: The Navy Junior ROTC core mission is citizenship development.  The high school years are normally recognized as one of the most important times in the development of young individuals. It is the time in a person's life when they transition from childhood to young adulthood. By including citizenship development in this transformational experience, the Navy Junior ROTC provides a unique opportunity to develop individuals who recognize the values of good

citizenship, teamwork and leadership. Please explain how the NJROTC has helped you or your NJROTC unit as a whole develop citizenship skills and an ethos of service that has an impact you and your community now and in the future. Special consideration should be given to specific leadership skills that you have developed as a result of your NJROTC experiences with emphasis on the core values of honor, courage and commitment have had in this development.

Cadets should provide examples of their personal growth through the experiences provided by NJROTC. The essay should highlight examples of positive reinforcement, leadership challenges and goal attainment that are attributable to the lessons learned and experiences of the NJROTC.  Provide details and feel free to use personal experiences and examples in your essay.

The essay should be typewritten, and between 500 and 750 words.  All cadets are encouraged to submit essays void of incomplete sentences, improper grammar, misspellings, strikeovers, and the like.  Numerous errors of this type could result in the loss of the cash award for a selectee. 

Selected packages will be considered by an impartial judge.  The best essay will receive a prize of $100 and will be forwarded TO the area manager for consideration in the area contest, the prize of which is approximately $1,000.

SUBMISSIONS ARE DUE TO YOUR NSI NLT 17 JANUARY 2014.

LATE SUBMISSIONS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED.