| Author | Message | ||
| Bodo (Bodo)
New member Username: Bodo Post Number: 2205 Registered: 2-2001 |
So my co-worker went on holiday with his wife, and when they got back it was obvious that someone had gotten into their booze, even though whoever had consumed it had been careful to replace what they drank. How could they tell just by looking? Early $poilers please to email, thanks ever so. | ||
| Enjay (Enjay)
New member Username: Enjay Post Number: 659 Registered: 4-2007 |
Has the culprit replaced it with the same substance that they drank? Did the drinks look different? Was the culprit still there? Was there any sign of entry to their house/drinks cabinet etc? Is it relevant where they kept the booze? Was the person who drank it there illegally? Without the couple's permission? | ||
| Bodo (Bodo)
New member Username: Bodo Post Number: 2207 Registered: 2-2001 |
Enjay Posted on Wednesday, October 03, 2007 - 8:05 pm: Has the culprit replaced it with the same substance that they drank? No. Did the drinks look different? No(ish) - it might not've been obvious at first glance, but they could tell without drinking any. Was the culprit still there? No. Was there any sign of entry to their house/drinks cabinet etc? No - it was my co-worker's step-son - he was house-sitting. Is it relevant where they kept the booze? Yes. Was the person who drank it there illegally? Without the couple's permission? See previous answer. | ||
| Enjay (Enjay)
New member Username: Enjay Post Number: 662 Registered: 4-2007 |
Had the stepson replaced th drinks with plain water? So the colour was slightly lighter? Is it relevant what the drinks were? If they were a clear drink like vodka would this have been possible? Is it relevant how he drank it...the glass he used, if he used ice etc? Was the booze kept in th house? In a drinks cabinet? Locked? In a cellar? In the fridge? Could anyone in the house have easily got to it? | ||
| Bodo (Bodo)
New member Username: Bodo Post Number: 2209 Registered: 2-2001 |
Enjay Posted on Wednesday, October 03, 2007 - 8:36 pm: Had the stepson replaced th drinks with plain water? Yes. So the colour was slightly lighter? But No. Is it relevant what the drinks were? Yes. If they were a clear drink like vodka would this have been possible? It was, in fact, vodka. Is it relevant how he drank it...the glass he used, if he used ice etc? No. Was the booze kept in th house? Yes. In a drinks cabinet? No. Locked? No. In a cellar? No. In the fridge? Yesish. Could anyone in the house have easily got to it? Yes. | ||
| Beccaann (Beccaann)
New member Username: Beccaann Post Number: 1742 Registered: 6-2006 |
Was it kept in the freezer? And the water, unlike vodka, froze? | ||
| Bodo (Bodo)
New member Username: Bodo Post Number: 2210 Registered: 2-2001 |
Beccaann Posted on Wednesday, October 03, 2007 - 8:48 pm: Was it kept in the freezer? And the water, unlike vodka, froze? ***** Spoiler ***** That's exactly it - the step-son watered down the vodka to disguise his pilfering, then put it back in the freezer (I don't think science was his strong suit) - well, that's the shortest puzzle I think I've ever run. Good job. | ||
| Bentarm (Bentarm)
New member Username: Bentarm Post Number: 1288 Registered: 6-2001 |
I'm no expert on putting vodka in the freezer, and indeed have never done it, but surely since vodka is basically a mixture of ethanol and water anyway, what you would expect to happen is for the water to freeze and the ethanol to stay liquid (although probably not visibly so - it would get trapped inside ice crystals). I suppose there are temperatures at which certain water/ethanol mixtures would stay liquid and others would freeze. I assume he didn't drink the entire bottle though.. so if he found a temperature in this range though, I'd say he was quite unlucky. If the vodka did start to freeze, it could be dangerous to pour it too soon after taking it out of the freezer, as you'd have something well over 100% proof. | ||
| Bodo (Bodo)
New member Username: Bodo Post Number: 2212 Registered: 2-2001 |
It's typically what, 40% alcohol? I wouldn't think it would take that much to tip the balance over to allow it to freeze (although I would think part of it wouldn't freeze). | ||
| Bentarm (Bentarm)
New member Username: Bentarm Post Number: 1291 Registered: 6-2001 |
well - exactly, but I would have thunk that the balance was already tipped. In a mixture of only 40% ethanol and 60% water I would expect a good deal of the water to freeze, but as I say, I haven't done the experiment (although I'm tempted to... I'll have to buy a bottle of vodka). | ||
| Beroean (Beroean)
Moderator Username: Beroean Post Number: 1324 Registered: 10-2001 |
Try Tesco's or Asda if you want the cheapest vodka but make sure it contains the desired percentage of alcohol, as I recall that they do vary somewhat. Russian and Polish probaly have the higher content of alcohol. Apparently Whisky is basically vodka with additional "rubbish" added, hence the colour/color and different taste. Mind you, I'm no expert, so I await contradiction. :-) | ||
| Bodo (Bodo)
New member Username: Bodo Post Number: 2214 Registered: 2-2001 |
I'm not a vodka drinker, but my co-worker is and he typically keeps it in the freezer (his current wife is, in fact, from Russia), so I'm assuming it doesn't separate and freeze when undiluted. Personally I've never cared for vodka - I prefer gin - but I'm not really drinking these days so I guess it's moot. | ||
| Beroean (Beroean)
Moderator Username: Beroean Post Number: 1325 Registered: 10-2001 |
Same here Tim, but in the past I did enjoy a gin and tonic with a big bowl of peanuts. | ||
| Tobasi (Tobasi)
New member Username: Tobasi Post Number: 692 Registered: 8-2006 |
Bentarm, before or after doing the experiment have a look at the phase diagram, it seems to confirm that the plot of the puzzle is realistic. Moreover, I don't think that you can separate water and ethanol by cooling the mixture to the appropriate temperature (you can to a certain extend by heating it up to 80-100 deg C). |
