Ghoulish Delight
11-02-2012, 02:16 PM
Saw this on BoingBoing.
http://boingboing.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/NewImage8.png
Shown above are four men buried up to their necks in the ground. They cannot move, so they can only look forward. Between A and B is a brick wall which cannot be seen through.
They all know that between them they are wearing four hats--two black and two white--but they do not know what color they are wearing. Each of them know where the other three men are buried.
In order to avoid being shot, one of them must call out to the executioner the color of their hat. If they get it wrong, everyone will be shot. They are not allowed to talk to each other and have 10 minutes to fathom it out.
After one minute, one of them calls out.
Question: Which one of them calls out? Why is he 100% certain of the color of his hat?
This is not a trick question. There are no outside influences nor other ways of communicating. They cannot move and are buried in a straight line; A & B can only see their respective sides of the wall, C can see B, and D can see B & C.
Answer (at least I think it is - the answer page won't load, but I'm 99.9% sure my logic is correct)
'C' shouts the correct answer. C knows that if D isn't saying anything, that B and C must be wearing different color hats (If they were wearing the same color, D would know he's wearing the other color). So since C can see that B is wearing a white hat, then he knows he must be wearing a black one.
http://boingboing.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/NewImage8.png
Shown above are four men buried up to their necks in the ground. They cannot move, so they can only look forward. Between A and B is a brick wall which cannot be seen through.
They all know that between them they are wearing four hats--two black and two white--but they do not know what color they are wearing. Each of them know where the other three men are buried.
In order to avoid being shot, one of them must call out to the executioner the color of their hat. If they get it wrong, everyone will be shot. They are not allowed to talk to each other and have 10 minutes to fathom it out.
After one minute, one of them calls out.
Question: Which one of them calls out? Why is he 100% certain of the color of his hat?
This is not a trick question. There are no outside influences nor other ways of communicating. They cannot move and are buried in a straight line; A & B can only see their respective sides of the wall, C can see B, and D can see B & C.
Answer (at least I think it is - the answer page won't load, but I'm 99.9% sure my logic is correct)
'C' shouts the correct answer. C knows that if D isn't saying anything, that B and C must be wearing different color hats (If they were wearing the same color, D would know he's wearing the other color). So since C can see that B is wearing a white hat, then he knows he must be wearing a black one.