A Utah man drives a wagon 30 feet across the flats. 
He yells "Gee ho!" and then drives the wagon 30 feet. 
He yells "Haw!" and then drives the wagon 10 feet. 
He yells "Whoa!"
How far is the man from where he started?

*I am convinced that this is not a math question, in a traditional
sense. It has something specific to do with a Utah man and the flats
(presumably Salt Flats, but then again maybe not).  I have researched
it extensively, and not found anything conclusive.  I've come up with
the standard math answer, but am looking for an answer that ties in a
"Utah man" and "across the flats".  Also, keep in mind wagon could
potentially be other things, like a carriage, buggy or even station
wagon.

**My base price for an answer is $20.00.  HOWEVER, if you post
notification that you have a satisfactory answer and explanation, I
will give you my email address and double the payment to $40.00 if you
email me directly with the answer.

---

Request for Question Clarification by pafalafa-ga on 03 Nov 2004 12:29 PST

>>I've come up with the standard math answer<<

Can you tell us a bit more what you mean by this...?  What answer did
you come up with, and how did you arrive at it.

It helps to know what you have done already, so that we don't reinvent
the (wagon) wheel...!

Thanks.

pafalafa-ga

---

Clarification of Question by fernbern-ga on 04 Nov 2004 18:19 PST

pafalafa-ga

This is my first time using Google Answers. I erroneously posted
clarification as a comment - sorry about that!  My team arrived at the
math answer of 50 feet.  And give the writing skills these questions
demonstrate, I believe the correlation between a Utah man and flats
are too significant to dismiss.

I researched this every way to Sunday: early surveyors, mormons,
Bonneville Salt Flats, civil engineering of cities near Salt Lake,
pioneer and settler journals, etc.  Some things appeared tantalizing,
but always resulted in dead ends or cul de sac returning me to the
same place I began.

If I can provide any further clarification please let me know.  

~fernbern

I believe this is a geometry problem. The reason for specifying "a
Utah man" is that the meaning of the driver's terms "gee ho" and "haw"
is not the same in the United States and in Europe. The puzzle
mentions Utah to make it clear that the American meaning of the words
should be used.

I'm assuming you're familiar with Outwit the West 2 contest?  There
isn't a single question in which most every word or phrase doesn't has
special significance.  This contest deals exclusively with the
American West, so no need to provide a clue that they're talking about
American West vs. European terms.  Why not a Missouri man, or an
Arizona man?  Also, Utah is famous for the Salt Flats.  Also, the
Canyonlands of southern Utah, where they also talk of flats.  I am
certain there is special significance.

Gee ho means turn right, or gee means right, and ho is a command given
to stop the movement.

~Fernbern

Haw means left.  Whoa means stop.

The statement, "A Utah man drives a wagon 30 feet across the flats"
clearly indicates (in my opinion) that the path is straight and
unimpeded and that neither elevation nor objects are a factor in this
equation in determining the distance traveled.

tutuzdad-ga

OK, how's this for obscure:  the Mormon pioneers left Winter Quarters,
Nebraska (now Florence, Nebraska), and began their trek westward,
finally arriving at Salt Lake City, UT.  See
http://historytogo.utah.gov/mt45hit.html

So, the answer should be 633 miles as the crow flies ("across the
flats"), the distance from Florence, Nebraska to Salt Lake City, UT. 
I used tools at multimap.com and http://www.indo.com/distance/ to
calculate that.

For just a straight math answer, I got 50 feet, since there are two triangles.

Not a math whiz myself, I let fellow team members work on this
question. They came up with an answer of 50 feet. Perhaps I am placing
too much emphasis on the correlation between a Utah man and the
"flats"? I confess I'm in a profession that may over-analyze the
significance of each word.  However, since the contest deadline isn't
for another several weeks, I am continuing my research. I'm confident
there is more to this question than initially meets the eye.

*Pink, did I previously read you are also participating in this contest?

I have answered several GA questions posted by participants, but I am
not participating in the contest.