Feb 27, 2024
Puzzler time.
This one is automotive and kind of historic. Here we go.
There was a guy back in 1935. He had a brand new Chevrolet 6. He was so excited about it so he took his girl for a ride.
So he took her for a drive across the newly opened George Washington Bridge and parked in Lover's Lane in Alpine, New Jersey overlooking the New York City skyline. Very romantic.
To make it more romantic, he turned on the radio to listen to some music. Now in 1935, radios in automobiles used vacuum tubes which had a grid that had to be heated up, in that part of the tube, for the current to pass through. And this radio drew heavily from the six-volt battery. When it came time to leave Lover's Lane, the starter would not turn fast enough to start the engine. It was cranking too slowly. And this was a problem because he had to get his girl home by 11pm.
So he started the car using the only tool he had in his possession, a pair of pliers.
And the puzzler is, how did he do it?
Good luck.
How did he do it? How do he use a pair of pliers to get the car to start?
And here's the answer.
Note, you can't do this with cars anymore, so please don't try it...
What he did was this.
Back then, the six cylinder engine had the plugs all sitting on top and you could easily take one or more of them out with pliers. So he pulled out one of the plugs. And by doing so he made the engine not a six cylinder anymore, but a five cylinder. And by making it only five cylinders, he made it easier to crank for that weak battery.
So by pulling it out, the engine had one less cylinder in which gases were being compressed. And since it would be easier to crank, that weak battery would be enough to start the car. Then he could run the car for a time, and allow that to recharge the battery. And once the battery is charged, and the car has cooled down a little, he put the plug back in.
Again, do not try this at home. This is not possible with cars these days.
