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There are 11 ways to get to X.
There is only one way to get to X+1.

What is X, the ways to get to X, X+1, and the way to get to X+1?

Hint:

You'll know your answer is correct if you understand the title of this question.

Hint 2:

X is a number.

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  • $\begingroup$ Note: I'm not 100% sure if riddle is a proper tag for this. I apologize if it isn't. Unfortunately I probably won't get good advice on that until it's answered. $\endgroup$
    – TTT
    Mar 22, 2016 at 17:40
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    $\begingroup$ There are 11 ways a batter can reach base in Major League Baseball without recording a hit. $\endgroup$
    – Alexis
    Mar 22, 2016 at 17:41
  • $\begingroup$ @Alexis - but I assume there is more than 1 way to get to 2nd base... (Interesting, but not it.) $\endgroup$
    – TTT
    Mar 22, 2016 at 17:42
  • $\begingroup$ @TTT There is indeed. $\endgroup$
    – charfellow
    Mar 22, 2016 at 17:47
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    $\begingroup$ all I can think about is adam sandler $\endgroup$ Mar 22, 2016 at 19:52

7 Answers 7

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X is:

290

Because:

In bowling there are 11 ways to score 290. The only way to score 291 is to almost bowl a perfect game, then mess up.

Derived from http://www.balmoralsoftware.com/bowling/bowling.htm and charfellow's answer

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  • 1
    $\begingroup$ You can use < br > (no spaces) to put line breaks in your spoilers without breaking the spoiler tag. I usually put two of those. Alternately, you can put a blank line and then some normal text and then a new spoiler tag. $\endgroup$
    – Duncan
    Mar 22, 2016 at 20:29
  • $\begingroup$ @Duncan thanks for the pointers, that helped out. $\endgroup$
    – swells
    Mar 22, 2016 at 20:34
  • $\begingroup$ Well done! In case someone missed it, the only way to get 291 is 11 strikes in a row followed by 1 pin on the last throw. I don't know if anyone has ever done that, but if so, I'm sure the title would be accurate! $\endgroup$
    – TTT
    Mar 22, 2016 at 20:58
  • $\begingroup$ Nice work, but how is this related to the title of the question like the OP says? $\endgroup$
    – Pedro
    Mar 23, 2016 at 0:36
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    $\begingroup$ @cpast not nearly as bad, but the night my dad earned is 300 ring he didn't break 700. He took a lot of sh... grief... for that for years hahaha. $\endgroup$
    – corsiKa
    Mar 23, 2016 at 14:45
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X=Getting out in Cricket: There are 11 ways to get out in cricket. See http://sportzwiki.com/cricket/the-eleven-ways-of-getting-out-in-cricket/

X+1 = Getting out twice in cricket:

How to get to X+1: you can be run out from a no ball if not attempting a run if ;

you bat outside the crease , a no ball is delivered , you hit the ball to slips and the slip fielder throws the ball on to the stumps and you are still out side the crease this would be out run out.

People would laugh at you for getting two outs in one at bat

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    $\begingroup$ How does the part about people laughing at you fit in? $\endgroup$
    – dpwilson
    Mar 22, 2016 at 17:59
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    $\begingroup$ See updated answer $\endgroup$
    – Maxqueue
    Mar 22, 2016 at 18:09
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    $\begingroup$ That's not it, but +1 for forcing a square peg into a round hole! $\endgroup$
    – TTT
    Mar 22, 2016 at 18:11
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    $\begingroup$ @dpwilson: Isn't the fact that you're playing cricket enough reason for them to laugh at you? $\endgroup$
    – DSKekaha
    Mar 23, 2016 at 13:26
  • $\begingroup$ @DSKekaha That's mean. It's trueness is irrelevant. $\endgroup$
    – wizzwizz4
    Mar 23, 2016 at 18:48
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Sounds like

x= 200560490130 , x+1=200560490131. The 11 ways to get to it are the 11 primes in its prime factorization. X+1 has only one way; since it cannot have any of those primes as factors, it must itself be prime. Not sure how the title factors in though. Could refer to the actual math folks laughing at me because I made a mistake :D

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  • $\begingroup$ Sorry, but not it. I'm pretty sure if your answer was correct, that there would be many others like it that would also be correct. $\endgroup$
    – TTT
    Mar 22, 2016 at 17:49
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    $\begingroup$ The puzzle is tagged "sports". $\endgroup$
    – Alexis
    Mar 22, 2016 at 17:51
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    $\begingroup$ Yea, because people that play sports laugh at people that do math :P $\endgroup$
    – goodguy5
    Mar 22, 2016 at 17:53
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    $\begingroup$ You are correct! People are laughing at you for using maths to answer a sports question. $\endgroup$
    – wizzwizz4
    Mar 23, 2016 at 18:49
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Could also be:

getting a strike in bowling

Reasoning:

If you have any one ball in which you don't get a strike (labeled as X), you have 11 strikes.
There is only one way to get 12 strikes, and get a perfect game.
Maybe people are laughing at you because you came so close to the perfect game.

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  • $\begingroup$ This isn't the correct answer, but you're on the right track. $\endgroup$
    – TTT
    Mar 22, 2016 at 18:19
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X=6

11 ways to get to X: There are 11 players on the football field that could all score a touchdown

One way to get to x+1: The only way to get to 7 is to kick an extra point by the place kicker:

Everyone is going to laugh at you: No one respects the placekicker and everyone will laugh if you miss the extra point.

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  • $\begingroup$ Another good try, but still not it. I think last season, after they moved the extra point back, there were many more misses, and thus probably not laugh worthy. $\endgroup$
    – TTT
    Mar 22, 2016 at 19:31
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    $\begingroup$ Admittedly not likely, but 7 could also be achieved with 2 safeties and a field goal. $\endgroup$
    – wrjohns
    Mar 23, 2016 at 13:32
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X is:

10

Because:

It's soring 10 in ten pin bowling.
You get 10 points for a strike, one way to get that, or a spare, 10 ways to get a spare. For a total of 11 ways.
X+1 is when you get 1 added to your 10 for subsequent rolls and you only knocked down 1 pin after a spare or throw a gutter ball and also knocked down 1 pin after a strike. That's going to make them laugh.

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  • $\begingroup$ This isn't the correct answer, but you're on the right track. $\endgroup$
    – TTT
    Mar 22, 2016 at 19:56
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Here's some additional information in case anyone is interested.

The 11 ways to get to X are:

0-9 pins on the first throw, followed by a spare, followed by 11 strikes. (10 total possibilities)

11 strikes followed by a gutter ball. (1 possibility)

= 11 ways to get to 290

The 1 way to get to X+1 is:

11 strikes followed by a horrible throw of just 1 pin = 1 way to get to 291

According to this trivia page,

Some people have bowled 291 before, in some cases due to a gross error on the last throw. I'm sure there was laughter involved!

It's much harder to get just 2 pins on a single throw (with 10 pins standing) than to get a strike, so the least likely score in a single game is probably 292. Sometimes 292 is attempted on purpose, basically for bragging rights, since it's so much harder to achieve than a perfect score of 300. (I suppose it's also probably the case that someone attempting to score 292 doesn't succeed and could end up with 291 instead.)

A score of 299.5 has happened before when on the last throw one pin broke in half and part of it remained standing.

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