← Paradoxes & riddles
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The Census Taker's Riddle
how old are the three children?
A census taker asks a woman the ages of her 3 children. She says the product of their ages is 36, and their sum is the house number next door. The census taker looks at the house number and says, 'I still can't tell.' She adds, 'My eldest child loves chocolate.' Now he knows. How old are they?
Source: A classic puzzle, retold by INFINITE SUM and fact-checked against our curated notes
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