try this

[Moopy]

try this.

 

theres 3 houses (1-2-3)

theres gas,electricity and water.

 

each house needs on of each.

 

connect G/W/E with a line.

 

u may draw the line in any way you want.BUT!! none of the lines can cross eachother and u cant jump over the lines.

[Lance]

Meh.

[the tree]

Even Lances awnser was needlessly complex. I swear we must be missing something.

[Lance]

Yours is much more graceful but I still like mine better.

[insane_alien]

i think he might have missed a bit out of the problem, there is NO WAY it could be that simple.

[YT2095]

he did, there has to be a single line from each supplier to each house.

 

don`t bother, it can`t be done!

[Tigerbeam]

aye, the solutions arent right. each house (1,2,3) has to go to each utility (g,e,w) so there would have to 9 lines total (i think the puzzle assumes you cant have a single line going through any houses, as it would be incredibly simple then)

 

and it can NOT be solved

[Trond]

Not possible

http://www.cut-the-knot.org/do_you_know/3Utilities.shtml

 

or with added rules

http://www.puzzle.dse.nl/harder/gas_water_electricity_us.html

 

or the words are the problem

http://www.puzzles.com/PuzzleHelp/PuzzleHelpItems1_12.htm

the reply on the third link was:

"Reply: Dear puzzle ponderers:

I have come up with a possible (viable) solution to the old puzzle about connecting up three houses with GAS, ELECTRICITY AND WATER. The answer lies in how the puzzle is worded. The instructions given are that in connecting the houses, no two lines can cross. Well, as water and gas are PIPES and ELECTRICITY is the only line....where is the problem?

Ian (Mexico)

Modified: November 29, 2005"