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On April 21 2012 09:40 TanGeng wrote:
Blind Man's Deck
There was once a very wise blind man, and the town philosopher was jealous of the man's popularity. One day, he took a full deck of 52 cards, turned all the Aces, Kings, and Queens face up, shuffled the deck well and handed the deck to the blind man. He challenged the wise man to split the cards into piles such that the number of cards facing up in all of the piles was equal.
Without pausing for a beat, the wise man counted off a few cards, split the decks into piles, and completed the challenge in a matter of seconds. How did the wise man do it?
+ Show Spoiler +Trivial solution: Split the cards into 1 pile. Optionally, flip some of the over. All 1 piles have the same number of face up cards! 2 pile solution: Count off 12 cards into one pile. Leave the other 40 cards in the second pile. Flip the first pile upside-down. If n is the number of aces/kings/queens in the first pile (0 <= n <= 12), there are now 12-n face-up cards in each pile. n pile solution (n>2): Impossible. Proof left as an exercise for the reader 
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On April 21 2012 07:53 Whitewing wrote:Pure word riddle for you: good luck! You are trapped in a perfectly cylindrical room with perfectly smooth walls, no friction at all. There is a light at the top of the room so that you can see, but it is a good 10 feet above your head. Your only possessions inside this room are a mirror and a table. The walls are sufficiently strong that you have no hope of damaging them directly. Escape the room. Hint: + Show Spoiler +The solution is purely word play, do not try to logic your way out of the room.
Since there is no friction you slide straight through the wall.
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On April 21 2012 07:53 Whitewing wrote:Pure word riddle for you: good luck! You are trapped in a perfectly cylindrical room with perfectly smooth walls, no friction at all. There is a light at the top of the room so that you can see, but it is a good 10 feet above your head. Your only possessions inside this room are a mirror and a table. The walls are sufficiently strong that you have no hope of damaging them directly. Escape the room. Hint: + Show Spoiler +The solution is purely word play, do not try to logic your way out of the room.
+ Show Spoiler +The roof falls down because the walls have no friction. You hide under the table to survive and make sure the mirror is higher than the table. The roof breaks the mirror so gets bad luck and breaks when it hits the table. You stack the bits of roof to make stair and walk out of the hole where the roof used to be.
:D
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On April 21 2012 07:53 Whitewing wrote:Pure word riddle for you: good luck! You are trapped in a perfectly cylindrical room with perfectly smooth walls, no friction at all. There is a light at the top of the room so that you can see, but it is a good 10 feet above your head. Your only possessions inside this room are a mirror and a table. The walls are sufficiently strong that you have no hope of damaging them directly. Escape the room. Hint: + Show Spoiler +The solution is purely word play, do not try to logic your way out of the room.
+ Show Spoiler +Always heard this riddle when I was younger.
"You look in the mirror and see what you saw, take the saw and cut the table in half. Two halves make a whole (hole) and you climb out the hole and leave."
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On April 21 2012 07:53 Whitewing wrote:Pure word riddle for you: good luck! You are trapped in a perfectly cylindrical room with perfectly smooth walls, no friction at all. There is a light at the top of the room so that you can see, but it is a good 10 feet above your head. Your only possessions inside this room are a mirror and a table. The walls are sufficiently strong that you have no hope of damaging them directly. Escape the room. Hint: + Show Spoiler +The solution is purely word play, do not try to logic your way out of the room.
+ Show Spoiler [This is how the pro's escape.] +
1. Use mirror to focus light on table to laser cut table into ten foot shaped sections.
2. Stack the ten foot shaped sections into a neat pile.
3. Stand on the pile of feet.
4. Unscrew light bulb causing the room to go dark.
5. Yell "LET THERE BE LIGHT" and then quickly screw in the light bulb.
6. Proclaim yourself god.
7. Use your god powers to walk through the perfectly smooth walls.
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United States7483 Posts
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On April 21 2012 09:40 TanGeng wrote:
Blind Man's Deck
There was once a very wise blind man, and the town philosopher was jealous of the man's popularity. One day, he took a full deck of 52 cards, turned all the Aces, Kings, and Queens face up, shuffled the deck well and handed the deck to the blind man. He challenged the wise man to split the cards into piles such that the number of cards facing up in all of the piles was equal.
Without pausing for a beat, the wise man counted off a few cards, split the decks into piles, and completed the challenge in a matter of seconds. How did the wise man do it?
+ Show Spoiler +
This is impossible since the blind man cannot tell if a card is face up or not. So he must have put the cards on edge or ripped the cards in half.
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On April 21 2012 15:24 GoldenH wrote:Show nested quote +On April 21 2012 09:40 TanGeng wrote:
Blind Man's Deck
There was once a very wise blind man, and the town philosopher was jealous of the man's popularity. One day, he took a full deck of 52 cards, turned all the Aces, Kings, and Queens face up, shuffled the deck well and handed the deck to the blind man. He challenged the wise man to split the cards into piles such that the number of cards facing up in all of the piles was equal.
Without pausing for a beat, the wise man counted off a few cards, split the decks into piles, and completed the challenge in a matter of seconds. How did the wise man do it? + Show Spoiler +
This is impossible since the blind man cannot tell if a card is face up or not. So he must have put the cards on edge or ripped the cards in half.
+ Show Spoiler +It is very possible!
One of my favourites, so so simple after you know the answer but can drive you nuts if you don't.
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On April 21 2012 16:02 Resent wrote:Show nested quote +On April 21 2012 15:24 GoldenH wrote:On April 21 2012 09:40 TanGeng wrote:
Blind Man's Deck
There was once a very wise blind man, and the town philosopher was jealous of the man's popularity. One day, he took a full deck of 52 cards, turned all the Aces, Kings, and Queens face up, shuffled the deck well and handed the deck to the blind man. He challenged the wise man to split the cards into piles such that the number of cards facing up in all of the piles was equal.
Without pausing for a beat, the wise man counted off a few cards, split the decks into piles, and completed the challenge in a matter of seconds. How did the wise man do it? + Show Spoiler +
This is impossible since the blind man cannot tell if a card is face up or not. So he must have put the cards on edge or ripped the cards in half.
+ Show Spoiler +It is very possible!
One of my favourites, so so simple after you know the answer but can drive you nuts if you don't.
+ Show Spoiler +you take 12 cards out and flip em all over?
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On April 21 2012 09:40 TanGeng wrote:
Blind Man's Deck
There was once a very wise blind man, and the town philosopher was jealous of the man's popularity. One day, he took a full deck of 52 cards, turned all the Aces, Kings, and Queens face up, shuffled the deck well and handed the deck to the blind man. He challenged the wise man to split the cards into piles such that the number of cards facing up in all of the piles was equal.
Without pausing for a beat, the wise man counted off a few cards, split the decks into piles, and completed the challenge in a matter of seconds. How did the wise man do it?
+ Show Spoiler +The wise man tears the cards in half, and now he has two piles of cards that both have same amount of cards facing up.
Forgot to spoiler it.
+ Show Spoiler +Just read the post on top, it had been mentioned.
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On April 21 2012 16:22 lyAsakura wrote:Show nested quote +On April 21 2012 16:02 Resent wrote:On April 21 2012 15:24 GoldenH wrote:On April 21 2012 09:40 TanGeng wrote:
Blind Man's Deck
There was once a very wise blind man, and the town philosopher was jealous of the man's popularity. One day, he took a full deck of 52 cards, turned all the Aces, Kings, and Queens face up, shuffled the deck well and handed the deck to the blind man. He challenged the wise man to split the cards into piles such that the number of cards facing up in all of the piles was equal.
Without pausing for a beat, the wise man counted off a few cards, split the decks into piles, and completed the challenge in a matter of seconds. How did the wise man do it? + Show Spoiler +
This is impossible since the blind man cannot tell if a card is face up or not. So he must have put the cards on edge or ripped the cards in half.
+ Show Spoiler +It is very possible!
One of my favourites, so so simple after you know the answer but can drive you nuts if you don't. + Show Spoiler +you take 12 cards out and flip em all over?
+ Show Spoiler +What makes you think that'll work? You can't assume he gave them all to you face down. guy's a dick.
Re: above
+ Show Spoiler +Ah but you could also say, take 4 cards, rip them in half, put both halves in the same pile, repeat. Then you can have as many piles as you want!
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On April 21 2012 14:50 Whitewing wrote:
OnceKing has the answer.
+ Show Spoiler +
But hole =/= whole, and homophones were previously disallowed...
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On April 21 2012 21:16 Aragnis wrote:+ Show Spoiler +
But hole =/= whole, and homophones were previously disallowed...
sore and saw aren't homophones. they are pronounced differently
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On April 21 2012 06:51 TanGeng wrote:Show nested quote +On April 21 2012 05:37 LastPrime wrote:On April 21 2012 05:11 nq07 wrote:On April 21 2012 05:07 LastPrime wrote:On April 21 2012 03:07 TanGeng wrote:A friend packed six ping pong balls for you, 3 orange, 3 white. He's placed them in three pockets of your sports bag. One pocket has two orange balls. One pocket has two white balls. One pocket has one white and one orange. You reach into one random pocket and pull out an orange ping pong ball. What's the probability of the other ball in the pocket being orange? + Show Spoiler +
The probability is 2/3.
Consider: You reach into one random pocket and pull out a ping pong ball. What is the probability that the other ball in the pocket is the same color?
+ Show Spoiler +Since the wording of the problem says random pocket, the answer is 1/2. If it said random marble, the answer 2/3 would have been correct. + Show Spoiler +But the problem implies that after reaching into a random pocket, you also randomly select one of the two balls in that pocket (otherwise, how would you end up with a ball)? So in fact the problem is implying random ball, in which case the 2/3 interpretation would seem to be correct? + Show Spoiler +I would still argue that 1/2 is correct. The first ping pong ball pulled out being orange is stated as a given condition, not as a random event. On April 21 2012 05:23 TanGeng wrote:On April 21 2012 05:07 LastPrime wrote:On April 21 2012 03:07 TanGeng wrote:A friend packed six ping pong balls for you, 3 orange, 3 white. He's placed them in three pockets of your sports bag. One pocket has two orange balls. One pocket has two white balls. One pocket has one white and one orange. You reach into one random pocket and pull out an orange ping pong ball. What's the probability of the other ball in the pocket being orange? + Show Spoiler +
The probability is 2/3.
Consider: You reach into one random pocket and pull out a ping pong ball. What is the probability that the other ball in the pocket is the same color?
+ Show Spoiler +Since the wording of the problem says random pocket, the answer is 1/2. If it said random marble, the answer 2/3 would have been correct. The semantics doesn't work your way. BTW, who's pulling out random marbles? + Show Spoiler +Please elaborate on why you think the semantics don't work my way. + Show Spoiler +
The one orange ball that is pull out is the given event. The given event is NOT that you picked a pocket with at least one orange ball.
Based on the given, we count three possibilities, and two chances to be in the pocket with two orange balls and one chance to be in the pocket with the pocket with one of each. The probability is clearly 2/3.
orange ball ...
+ Show Spoiler +
i think the confusion lies in the fact that you dont have equal chances of being the pockets based on the given event. Its more likely that you are in the orange orange pocket when you end up with a orange ball on the first draw. Hence, the higher probability.
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On April 21 2012 09:40 TanGeng wrote:
Blind Man's Deck
There was once a very wise blind man, and the town philosopher was jealous of the man's popularity. One day, he took a full deck of 52 cards, turned all the Aces, Kings, and Queens face up, shuffled the deck well and handed the deck to the blind man. He challenged the wise man to split the cards into piles such that the number of cards facing up in all of the piles was equal.
Without pausing for a beat, the wise man counted off a few cards, split the decks into piles, and completed the challenge in a matter of seconds. How did the wise man do it?
+ Show Spoiler +He just made one pile with all the 52 cards so the number of cards facing up is the same for all piles
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My favourite puzzle is the so-called Einstein Enigma (although apparently it wasn't actually invented by Einstein):
Five men live in five houses of five different color.
They smoke five different brands of cigar,drink five different beverages,and keep five different pets.
We know that:
* The Norwegian lives in the first house.
* The brit lives in the red house.
* The Swede keeps dogs as pets.
* The Dane drinks tea.
* The green house is just on the left of the white house.
* The green house owner drinks coffee.
* The man who smokes Blend lives next to the one who keeps cats.
* The person who smokes Pall Mall rears birds.
* The owner of the yellow house smokes Dunhill.
* The man living in the house right in the center drinks milk.
* The German smokes Prince.
* The man who smokes Blend has a neighbor who drinks water.
* The Norwegian lives next to the blue house.
* The man who keeps horses lives next to the man who smokes Dunhill.
* The owner who smokes Blue Master drinks beer.
The question is ... Who keeps a fish?
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On April 21 2012 21:31 BlackJack wrote:Show nested quote +On April 21 2012 21:16 Aragnis wrote:On April 21 2012 14:50 Whitewing wrote:
OnceKing has the answer. + Show Spoiler +
But hole =/= whole, and homophones were previously disallowed...
+ Show Spoiler +sore and saw aren't homophones. they are pronounced differently
(that's no homophone!)
Well, I guess that explains why your version includes the mirror, as over here + Show Spoiler + are pronounced the same. The internets inform me that this is because of the difference between rhotic and non-rhotic accents (or more colloquially, because you americans don't speak engligh properly . Of course, I knew that already, but I had never encountered that particular difference before). The things you learn on TL.net...
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On April 21 2012 09:40 TanGeng wrote:
Blind Man's Deck
There was once a very wise blind man, and the town philosopher was jealous of the man's popularity. One day, he took a full deck of 52 cards, turned all the Aces, Kings, and Queens face up, shuffled the deck well and handed the deck to the blind man. He challenged the wise man to split the cards into piles such that the number of cards facing up in all of the piles was equal.
Without pausing for a beat, the wise man counted off a few cards, split the decks into piles, and completed the challenge in a matter of seconds. How did the wise man do it?
+ Show Spoiler + Because the wise man had vision, it was the blind man that challenged the wise man, not the other way.
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On April 21 2012 21:50 gameguard wrote:Show nested quote +On April 21 2012 06:51 TanGeng wrote:On April 21 2012 05:37 LastPrime wrote:On April 21 2012 05:11 nq07 wrote:On April 21 2012 05:07 LastPrime wrote:On April 21 2012 03:07 TanGeng wrote:A friend packed six ping pong balls for you, 3 orange, 3 white. He's placed them in three pockets of your sports bag. One pocket has two orange balls. One pocket has two white balls. One pocket has one white and one orange. You reach into one random pocket and pull out an orange ping pong ball. What's the probability of the other ball in the pocket being orange? + Show Spoiler +
The probability is 2/3.
Consider: You reach into one random pocket and pull out a ping pong ball. What is the probability that the other ball in the pocket is the same color?
+ Show Spoiler +Since the wording of the problem says random pocket, the answer is 1/2. If it said random marble, the answer 2/3 would have been correct. + Show Spoiler +But the problem implies that after reaching into a random pocket, you also randomly select one of the two balls in that pocket (otherwise, how would you end up with a ball)? So in fact the problem is implying random ball, in which case the 2/3 interpretation would seem to be correct? + Show Spoiler +I would still argue that 1/2 is correct. The first ping pong ball pulled out being orange is stated as a given condition, not as a random event. On April 21 2012 05:23 TanGeng wrote:On April 21 2012 05:07 LastPrime wrote:On April 21 2012 03:07 TanGeng wrote:A friend packed six ping pong balls for you, 3 orange, 3 white. He's placed them in three pockets of your sports bag. One pocket has two orange balls. One pocket has two white balls. One pocket has one white and one orange. You reach into one random pocket and pull out an orange ping pong ball. What's the probability of the other ball in the pocket being orange? + Show Spoiler +
The probability is 2/3.
Consider: You reach into one random pocket and pull out a ping pong ball. What is the probability that the other ball in the pocket is the same color?
+ Show Spoiler +Since the wording of the problem says random pocket, the answer is 1/2. If it said random marble, the answer 2/3 would have been correct. The semantics doesn't work your way. BTW, who's pulling out random marbles? + Show Spoiler +Please elaborate on why you think the semantics don't work my way. + Show Spoiler +
The one orange ball that is pull out is the given event. The given event is NOT that you picked a pocket with at least one orange ball.
Based on the given, we count three possibilities, and two chances to be in the pocket with two orange balls and one chance to be in the pocket with the pocket with one of each. The probability is clearly 2/3.
orange ball ... + Show Spoiler +
i think the confusion lies in the fact that you dont have equal chances of being the pockets based on the given event. Its more likely that you are in the orange orange pocket when you end up with a orange ball on the first draw. Hence, the higher probability.
+ Show Spoiler +Because it's a given you have already drawn an orange ball, you can dismiss the pocket with 2 white balls and assume that you are only dealing with 1 of TWO pockets, as opposed to 1 of THREE. It's a big distinction. So you either have a 50% chance of having a 100% chance of drawing another orange ball (2 orange balls), or you have a 50% chance of having a 0% chance of drawing another orange ball (1 orange 1 white). Let's put it together in an equation. (.5)(1.0) + (.5)(0) = .5 = 50%
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On April 21 2012 22:23 khaydarin9 wrote:
My favourite puzzle is the so-called Einstein Enigma (although apparently it wasn't actually invented by Einstein):
Five men live in five houses of five different color.
They smoke five different brands of cigar,drink five different beverages,and keep five different pets.
We know that:
* The Norwegian lives in the first house.
* The brit lives in the red house.
* The Swede keeps dogs as pets.
* The Dane drinks tea.
* The green house is just on the left of the white house.
* The green house owner drinks coffee.
* The man who smokes Blend lives next to the one who keeps cats.
* The person who smokes Pall Mall rears birds.
* The owner of the yellow house smokes Dunhill.
* The man living in the house right in the center drinks milk.
* The German smokes Prince.
* The man who smokes Blend has a neighbor who drinks water.
* The Norwegian lives next to the blue house.
* The man who keeps horses lives next to the man who smokes Dunhill.
* The owner who smokes Blue Master drinks beer.
The question is ... Who keeps a fish?
+ Show Spoiler +Answer: German If link won't work: http://imgur.com/v3XECPaint was a pain in the ass. I don't have my photoshop with me. 
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EPT![[image loading]](http://imgur.com/v3XEC)
