Best...Puzzle...Ever....

[Jeremy Ackerman-Yost]

I'm not DMing here... if you want to be a rules lawyer about it, go ahead.

Two guys already found the answer. Go look in the previous page.

I've run into this one before. And it *is* a poor logic problem. No one actually has more information than anyone else. This "logic" problem relies on the notion that a bunch of people threatened with death will a) simply keep their mouth shut rather than take a 50% chance at life, and b) that the guy in the middle will have the presence of mind to think about the fact that the guy behind him is suspiciously silent.

If you did this with real people, it's not a logic problem, it's a prisoner's dilemma: Do I keep my mouth shut and let someone else, who might have more information than me, take a 100% chance at freedom, or do I take my 50% chance and maybe doom us all?

 

[Malchior]

Re: Hat riddle. How are the hats affixed to their heads? I would suggest stating in the riddle that the hats cannot be removed, otherwise, tilt your head down to make it fall off. ;-) (Unless their heads are completely immobile) Any, yes, I havve already read the solution on the previous page.

Okay, here's my riddle (told to me by my cousin).

You have two lengths of rope that are alchemically treated to burn. You have to accomplish a very important task in exactly 45 minutes. You have absolutely nothing except the ropes for using to tell time (no sunlight to make a sundial, magic won't work, etc.) In the riddle as given to me, a boy needed CPR for exactly 45 mins to live but the actual task could be anything needing exactly 45 mins of time.

As mentioned, the ropes have been alchemically treated to burn completely. You know that one rope (we'll call it rope A) will burn completely in exactly one (1) hour. You know that the second rope (let's call it, oh, I don't know, rope B?) will burn completely in thirty (30) minutes.

IMPORTANT: The ropes do NOT burn consistantly! ie. Rope A might burn really quickly for a while, then slowly, then quickly, etc. unpredictably until consumed in one hour. Thus cutting a rope will NOT help.

Soooo... how do you utilize these ropes to time exactly 45 minutes?

The answer.... coming soon.

 

[MerakSpielman]

Soooo... how do you utilize these ropes to time exactly 45 minutes?

Answer:

Spoiler

Light both ends of the 1-hour rope. It will burn in 30 minutes. Then light both ends of the 30-minute rope. It will burn in 15 minutes. Total: 45 minutes.

 

[Malchior]

MerakSpielman: Have you heard thisone before, or is it really that simple? ;-)

 

[MerakSpielman]

MerakSpielman: Have you heard thisone before, or is it really that simple? ;-)

Hmmm...
Option 1: I've heard of it before
Option 2: It's really that simple
OR
Option 3: I'm really that smart

Well, I haven't heard of it before, so, logically, it must be Option 3.[/ego]

Actually, let's wait and see how many other people solve it.

 

[apsuman]

You are blindfolded and handed a deck of 52 cards.

Exactly 13 are upside down randomly scattered throughout the deck.

You must manipulate the cards into 2 piles so that there are an equal number of upside down cards in the two piles.



EDIT: I confused two puzzles, edit to make the fix.

 

[MerakSpielman]

You are blindfolded and handed a deck of 52 cards.

Exactly 13 are upside down randomly scattered throughout the deck.

You must manipulate the cards so that there are an even number of cards right side up and upside down.

Spoiler

Unless you meant that you wanted an equal number of upside down and right side up cards, this is too easy: Take one card and flip it over. You're done! Before, there were 13 upside down cards and 39 right side up cards. If you flipped over an upside down card, now there are 12 upside down coards and 40 right side up cards, and both numbers are even. If the card was right side up, now there are 14 upside down cards and 38 right side up cards, and both numbers are even.

I'm starting to think more and more that you meant "equal," but an "even number" is what I did, so I'm technically right.

 

[Zander]

...So my guess is that #512 is the last man standing.

Sorry, Sagiro & kipling.

The magazine in which I saw this problem gave a different answer. I told this puzzle to my math teacher (many years ago) and she cheated and used a computer to work out the answer. She came up with the same number as the magazine. So while I can tell you the answer, I can't say how to do it or why your method isn't right.

 

[MerakSpielman]

Sorry, Sagiro & kipling.

The magazine in which I saw this problem gave a different answer. I told this puzzle to my math teacher (many years ago) and she cheated and used a computer to work out the answer. She came up with the same number as the magazine. So while I can tell you the answer, I can't say how to do it or why your method isn't right.

I guess you could just write out the numbers 1 through 1000 and do the damn thing, crossing off numbers as you "execute" them, and actually see what number is last.

 

[RangerWickett]

About the ropes, the saying

Spoiler

'burning your candle at both ends'

comes to mind.

So yeah, it's kinda easy.