I've created this thread with the itnention of sharing fun puzzles and riddles that require some thought to figure out.
The first one is relatively simple:
There are 4 men lined up in a row so they can only see the person infront of them (Ie. First person sees no one, 2nd person just sees first person etc.). All four of these men are wearing hats, but can not see their own and can only see the one of the person infront. They are told that there is at least 1 Black hat being worn and at least 1 White hat being worn. The first two peple in the line have black hats, and the last two are wearing white hats. Who is the first to speak up and guess there own hat colour first?
edit: For fun, I'll be keeping a point system unless protested by the people. 1 point for the easier questions, 5 points for the HARD ones. From now on I'll post how much each riddle is worth. x)
Do you mean that person 3 can only see the hat on person 2, or can he see the hat on both person 1 and 2?
If the former, I don't know how to solve it, and at first glance it would seem impossible to figure it out without resorting to guessing and hoping you get it right.
If the latter, then person 3 will be the first. Person 4 will see three hats, 2 black and 1 white. He cannot be sure what his own color is. Person 3 sees 2 black hats. However, had he himself been wearing a black hat, person 4 would have immediately said his hat was white, since there was a minimum of 1 white hats, and he can see 3 black. However since he says nothing, person 3 knows he has a white hat.
PlugY for Diablo II allows you to reset skills and stats, transfer items between characters in singleplayer, obtain all ladder runewords and do all Uberquests while offline. It is the only way to do all of the above. Please use it.
Supporting big shoulderpads and flashy armor since 2004.
Do you mean that person 3 can only see the hat on person 2, or can he see the hat on both person 1 and 2?
If the former, I don't know how to solve it, and at first glance it would seem impossible to figure it out without resorting to guessing and hoping you get it right.
If the latter, then person 3 will be the first. Person 4 will see three hats, 2 black and 1 white. He cannot be sure what his own color is. Person 3 sees 2 black hats. However, had he himself been wearing a black hat, person 4 would have immediately said his hat was white, since there was a minimum of 1 white hats, and he can see 3 black. However since he says nothing, person 3 knows he has a white hat.
Nice work Phrozen! Kind of scary though, that was pretty much the precise wording too. Freaky, lol. And yes, it was the latter - my apologies for the misunderstanding. ^^'
Okay this one is a bit more complicated and a LOT longer.
Lethal Dose:
Once upon a time, there was a king, and in his kingdom poisons worked differently from how they work here. There, if you have taken a poison, then the only cure is to take a stronger poison afterwards. If you do, then neither poison has any adverse effect, whilst by mistake you take a weaker poison, both poisons will have their full (and lethal!) effects.
In order to thin out (pun! lol) the ranks of the poisoners in the kingdom, the king decided to hold a contest and determine the best poisoner in all the land. Once all the entries were in, the rules were then explained. In each round, the alchemists would be paired off, and each of them would provide a flask of poison. Each would then drink from their opponent's flask, and then from their own. The one who survived would go through the next round. Any attempt to withdraw would result in immediate execution. At length, the competitors were reduced to a single pair. One of them, the night before the contest, managed to get hold of a tiny sample of his opponent's poison, and to his horror realized that it was far stronger than anything he had or could hope to produce. Then he realized that there was a way he could win the contest afterall. How did he do it?
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
One becomes strong when they are fighting to protect someone close to them... - Shiro Haku
I shall have to sleep on that I think. Perhaps I'll have it tomorrow if no one else has managed to answer it by then.
EDIT: Is it perhaps so that two equally strong poisons do not negate each other? If so, then the alchemist will simply use the poison hemanaged to procure from the other alchemst as his own. When the contest starts, he will ask the other one to start. Our alchemist, who should legitimately lose, will give his opponent his own poison. When he then drinks his own, they will be equally strong, thus both will have effect, and he will die. Our alchemist will then be crowned chamption without having to drink anything.
PlugY for Diablo II allows you to reset skills and stats, transfer items between characters in singleplayer, obtain all ladder runewords and do all Uberquests while offline. It is the only way to do all of the above. Please use it.
Supporting big shoulderpads and flashy armor since 2004.
Nope, sorry. If you look at the wording, it says the ONLY cure is to drink a stronger poison, so drinking equal to or less strong poisons results in both immediate effects.
If you want to give up or clues, just ask. =)
edit: And by the way, both contestants HAVE TO drink their opponents flask first and then thier own next. So they cant just wait for the other to die first.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
One becomes strong when they are fighting to protect someone close to them... - Shiro Haku
Maybe he drank his own poison just before the contest, so it ends up being a win because the poison of his opponent will negate his own, then he will drink his own poison again.
By giving the sample of his opponent to his opponent, like you said, his opponent will die, because he will drink the same poison twice.
But the winner might die after the contest, because he is still affected by a poison
Blizter, you were getting closer. But however the guy wouldn't survive long enough, and plus he would drink his weaker poison after and therefore he'd die anyways. But I suppose you're on the right track. But lets say you're trying to answer a mathematical equation, but you're missing a variable.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
One becomes strong when they are fighting to protect someone close to them... - Shiro Haku
A pours the strong poison into two bottles. He also makes two bottles of his own weak poison. He drinks one of the weak poisons before the match begins, and puts the other weak poison in a condom, which he puts in his mouth. Since it doesn't matter how much poison he drinks, the condom shouldn't be noticeable.
The match begins. He drinks his opponents strong poison, which negates the weak poison he took earlier. Status: not poisoned.
Once that is done, he bites down on the condom, ripping it, and drinks it's contents (weak poison). Then he drinks a bottle of strong poison, which he claims is his own stuff. Now he is not poisoned anymore and passed the test.
He gives the other bottle of strong poison to B, who then drinks his own strong poison, and dies.
A wins.
By the way, I only said condom because it's easier than saying "a bag that doesn't burst or spill the poison until he bites down on it" ^^.
I love you.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
It's the decisions you make when you have no time to make them that define who you are.
Ahh there ya go ivaron! Very nice job. =) Although you could have just said replacing his own poison with just water insetad of saying two bottles of water, but pfsh! You got it. Very good work indeed. I'm almost on your bandwagon, lol!
Next one: Hanging By a Thread: (Worth 2 points)
You are given two strings of equal length and equal chemical/physical properties. You know that if you burn one, it'll last for exactly one hour. However! It does NOT burn at a constant rate, and therefore if it has burned up to exactly half of the string does NOT mean it has been burning for half an hour. So with two strings (and presumably a method of lighting them), how can you measure when it has been 45 minutes?
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
One becomes strong when they are fighting to protect someone close to them... - Shiro Haku
Dayum! Good job Blizter! I hadn't expected anyone t get it tonight (although it is a relatively easy one hehe).
I'll edit this post soon with a new riddle, so stay tuned folks!
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
One becomes strong when they are fighting to protect someone close to them... - Shiro Haku
Ohh I see. Well no I guess not? lol Doesn't matter anymore. Anyways, here is the new question!:
Secret Numbers: (5 points)
This is by far, the most difficult of the questions so far, and will probably ever put on this thread. Asit is the hardest I can remember of, I think. lol
Here it is!:
Three logical people are given a piece of paper, each with a different number on it. Each person knows only his own number. They are told that the sum of two of the three numbers is 25 and the product of two of the numbers is 120. They are then asked to guess the numbers. None can do so. They are asked again to guess the three but fail. They are asked a third time and now they all state the three correct numbers. What are they?
Hints:
Now since this question is pretty difficult and y'all could think of it in different ways, I'll kind of tell you a few things.
-firstly, lets assume that they each get three guesses and guess them in private (as to not give what number they have away).
-next thing is, there are exactly 12 diffierent combonations. "Oh thats easy!" You may think. WRONG! Out of those 12 answers, 7 of them are most defintely incorrect. Out of the 5 remaining, they are all pretty much correct (if i recall) except one set of numbers in that group is correct. So if you want, write down "Group A" and "Group B" and try to figure out what makes them go in each group, and try to find all 12 combos. This will defintely help.
And as a side note, if you guess the correct set, I will still say no. You MUST provide an explanation as to the differences between the groups, what makes them wrong etc, and why only this one set of numbers work where the others don't.
Remember, this is a 5 point question.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
One becomes strong when they are fighting to protect someone close to them... - Shiro Haku
Like I said Blizter, there are 12 combonations, but only 1 of them is the actual answer. Reread the riddle a few times, and look at the specefic wording.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
One becomes strong when they are fighting to protect someone close to them... - Shiro Haku
You probably forgot that 0 is in the play or maybe it's not, but either way... The twelve combinations sum numbers 1 through 24 (or 0 through 25 - it's of no consequence). To get the possible third number, you would have to divide 120 by either of the two numbers in each combination. Those combinations without a third number do not have an integer number that would equal a product of either of the numbers and itself. The numbers I put inside the perenthesis are a product of division of the other of the two numbers in the combination, and only three combinations have a second solution which gives an integer number (I marked them with '***').
That gives us the following combinations of numbers (given that we are looking for integer numbers only and that division by zero is impossible):
The ones with an asterisk have two of the three numbers in common with another combination (I grouped them together: ie - 5 - 20 - 6 and 5 - 20 - 24).
Now. The sadistic bastard who designed the riddle for the three men gave them only three attempts to guess the numbers correctly. That means that by any chance of modulation in the attempts, the solution must be derived from three attempts. To make this possible, you need to make sure that none of the three men have a chance to consequently guess the same numbers. A unique combination must be find, where no numbers are repeating in the other combinations. That means that the three pairs of combos with two common numbers are out of question. When you eliminate all combinations with repeating numbers, you are left with one, unique combination and that is:
2 - 23 - 60
Each of the three men are already given one number. First has 2, second has 23, and the last has 60. That means that after each of them came to the same logical conclusion, they only needed to guess the remaining two numbers in one of the two attempts any random modulation, since after three times, the dynamic chance to guess from two choices changes to 100% (~33.33%, 50%, 100%).
The first one is relatively simple:
There are 4 men lined up in a row so they can only see the person infront of them (Ie. First person sees no one, 2nd person just sees first person etc.). All four of these men are wearing hats, but can not see their own and can only see the one of the person infront. They are told that there is at least 1 Black hat being worn and at least 1 White hat being worn. The first two peple in the line have black hats, and the last two are wearing white hats. Who is the first to speak up and guess there own hat colour first?
edit: For fun, I'll be keeping a point system unless protested by the people. 1 point for the easier questions, 5 points for the HARD ones. From now on I'll post how much each riddle is worth. x)
PhrozenDragon: 2 points (1 + 1)
Ivaron: 5 points (4 + 1)
Blizter: 2 points
Dimebog: 7 points (5 + 1 + 1)
Stormcat: 1 point
Magistrate: 3 points
One becomes strong when they are fighting to protect someone close to them... - Shiro Haku
If the former, I don't know how to solve it, and at first glance it would seem impossible to figure it out without resorting to guessing and hoping you get it right.
If the latter, then person 3 will be the first. Person 4 will see three hats, 2 black and 1 white. He cannot be sure what his own color is. Person 3 sees 2 black hats. However, had he himself been wearing a black hat, person 4 would have immediately said his hat was white, since there was a minimum of 1 white hats, and he can see 3 black. However since he says nothing, person 3 knows he has a white hat.
Nice work Phrozen! Kind of scary though, that was pretty much the precise wording too. Freaky, lol. And yes, it was the latter - my apologies for the misunderstanding. ^^'
Okay this one is a bit more complicated and a LOT longer.
Lethal Dose:
Once upon a time, there was a king, and in his kingdom poisons worked differently from how they work here. There, if you have taken a poison, then the only cure is to take a stronger poison afterwards. If you do, then neither poison has any adverse effect, whilst by mistake you take a weaker poison, both poisons will have their full (and lethal!) effects.
In order to thin out (pun! lol) the ranks of the poisoners in the kingdom, the king decided to hold a contest and determine the best poisoner in all the land. Once all the entries were in, the rules were then explained. In each round, the alchemists would be paired off, and each of them would provide a flask of poison. Each would then drink from their opponent's flask, and then from their own. The one who survived would go through the next round. Any attempt to withdraw would result in immediate execution. At length, the competitors were reduced to a single pair. One of them, the night before the contest, managed to get hold of a tiny sample of his opponent's poison, and to his horror realized that it was far stronger than anything he had or could hope to produce. Then he realized that there was a way he could win the contest afterall. How did he do it?
One becomes strong when they are fighting to protect someone close to them... - Shiro Haku
I shall have to sleep on that I think. Perhaps I'll have it tomorrow if no one else has managed to answer it by then.
EDIT: Is it perhaps so that two equally strong poisons do not negate each other? If so, then the alchemist will simply use the poison hemanaged to procure from the other alchemst as his own. When the contest starts, he will ask the other one to start. Our alchemist, who should legitimately lose, will give his opponent his own poison. When he then drinks his own, they will be equally strong, thus both will have effect, and he will die. Our alchemist will then be crowned chamption without having to drink anything.
Is that the answer?
If you want to give up or clues, just ask. =)
edit: And by the way, both contestants HAVE TO drink their opponents flask first and then thier own next. So they cant just wait for the other to die first.
One becomes strong when they are fighting to protect someone close to them... - Shiro Haku
By giving the sample of his opponent to his opponent, like you said, his opponent will die, because he will drink the same poison twice.
But the winner might die after the contest, because he is still affected by a poison
One becomes strong when they are fighting to protect someone close to them... - Shiro Haku
I love you.
It's the decisions you make when you have no time to make them that define who you are.
I'll tell you this now, poisoner A does NOT use the stronger poison after discovering its strength. If I recall correctly. =)
One becomes strong when they are fighting to protect someone close to them... - Shiro Haku
Next one:
Hanging By a Thread: (Worth 2 points)
You are given two strings of equal length and equal chemical/physical properties. You know that if you burn one, it'll last for exactly one hour. However! It does NOT burn at a constant rate, and therefore if it has burned up to exactly half of the string does NOT mean it has been burning for half an hour. So with two strings (and presumably a method of lighting them), how can you measure when it has been 45 minutes?
One becomes strong when they are fighting to protect someone close to them... - Shiro Haku
Is it possible to make one of the strings to burn out after it has been going for exactly 45 minutes?
One becomes strong when they are fighting to protect someone close to them... - Shiro Haku
When the first string stops burning (after 30minutes), burn the second side of String B.
When string B stops burning, it's been 45 minutes.
I'll edit this post soon with a new riddle, so stay tuned folks!
One becomes strong when they are fighting to protect someone close to them... - Shiro Haku
Secret Numbers: (5 points)
This is by far, the most difficult of the questions so far, and will probably ever put on this thread. Asit is the hardest I can remember of, I think. lol
Here it is!:
Three logical people are given a piece of paper, each with a different number on it. Each person knows only his own number. They are told that the sum of two of the three numbers is 25 and the product of two of the numbers is 120. They are then asked to guess the numbers. None can do so. They are asked again to guess the three but fail. They are asked a third time and now they all state the three correct numbers. What are they?
Hints:
Now since this question is pretty difficult and y'all could think of it in different ways, I'll kind of tell you a few things.
-firstly, lets assume that they each get three guesses and guess them in private (as to not give what number they have away).
-next thing is, there are exactly 12 diffierent combonations. "Oh thats easy!" You may think. WRONG! Out of those 12 answers, 7 of them are most defintely incorrect. Out of the 5 remaining, they are all pretty much correct (if i recall) except one set of numbers in that group is correct. So if you want, write down "Group A" and "Group B" and try to figure out what makes them go in each group, and try to find all 12 combos. This will defintely help.
And as a side note, if you guess the correct set, I will still say no. You MUST provide an explanation as to the differences between the groups, what makes them wrong etc, and why only this one set of numbers work where the others don't.
Remember, this is a 5 point question.
One becomes strong when they are fighting to protect someone close to them... - Shiro Haku
One becomes strong when they are fighting to protect someone close to them... - Shiro Haku
**Edited out the second question after giving it thought.**
---------------
Anyway. I will assume it's only integer numbers, and here is the solution:
There are not 12 combinations as you suggested but 13, and here they are:
You probably forgot that 0 is in the play or maybe it's not, but either way... The twelve combinations sum numbers 1 through 24 (or 0 through 25 - it's of no consequence). To get the possible third number, you would have to divide 120 by either of the two numbers in each combination. Those combinations without a third number do not have an integer number that would equal a product of either of the numbers and itself. The numbers I put inside the perenthesis are a product of division of the other of the two numbers in the combination, and only three combinations have a second solution which gives an integer number (I marked them with '***').
That gives us the following combinations of numbers (given that we are looking for integer numbers only and that division by zero is impossible):
The ones with an asterisk have two of the three numbers in common with another combination (I grouped them together: ie - 5 - 20 - 6 and 5 - 20 - 24).
Now. The sadistic bastard who designed the riddle for the three men gave them only three attempts to guess the numbers correctly. That means that by any chance of modulation in the attempts, the solution must be derived from three attempts. To make this possible, you need to make sure that none of the three men have a chance to consequently guess the same numbers. A unique combination must be find, where no numbers are repeating in the other combinations. That means that the three pairs of combos with two common numbers are out of question. When you eliminate all combinations with repeating numbers, you are left with one, unique combination and that is:
2 - 23 - 60
Each of the three men are already given one number. First has 2, second has 23, and the last has 60. That means that after each of them came to the same logical conclusion, they only needed to guess the remaining two numbers in one of the two attempts any random modulation, since after three times, the dynamic chance to guess from two choices changes to 100% (~33.33%, 50%, 100%).
And you certainly are thinking fairly well, however you are wrong. In both your number series and explanation. =)
One becomes strong when they are fighting to protect someone close to them... - Shiro Haku
EDIT: FOUND THE ERRROR! Give me a minute to try again. >.<