Spoiler:

Yea, you wish.

Spoiler:

The possible age combinations are the following (and the sum of all those) :

{1,1,36} : sum = 38
{1,2,18} : sum = 21
{1,3,12} : sum = 16
{1,4,9} : sum = 14
{1,6,6} : sum = 13
{2,2,9} : sum = 13
{2,3,6} : sum = 11
{3,3,4} : sum = 10

Now, since the mathematician knows the number of windows on the building (even if we do not) and he is still not able to find out the answer, then that's because there must be more than one possible answer for any given number of windows.

In this case, the only solutions that have the same sum are {1,6,6} and {2,2,9} .

Assuming that the twins in these 2 solutions are identical twins, then the oldest son must not have a twin, therefore the answer is {2,2,9}

But the enigma (it really isn't much a math problem as far as I can tell) is not well presented, because there are no assumptions for the twins to be identical. Since blue eye color is from a recessive gene, there is probability of any son born out of the same egg cell is 1 in 4 or 3 in 4 (depending if one of the parents has blue eyes or not, otherwise all kids would have blue eyes or none would) => therefore, twins that result from 2 different egg cell can have blue and non-blue eye colors.
Lisianthus: I think that the color doesn't have much to do with it, and rather that he says "Oldest son" But yes still, there is nothing that says that the "oldest son" cannot be a twin. Maybe he just came out first.

calex wrote:Well where's the answer now? Hmm..
I should post my answer first.. For me
if that man has three sons and the product
of their ages is 36, therefore, 36 divided
by 3 is equal to 12. They are triplets! Am I
right? That's my answer because the man
did not tell how many windows in the building
and I don't think the color of the eyes of his
older son has got to do with their ages.

"It's just a name, I'm a girl."

schattenkrieger wrote:abortions are fun