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Nir Dahan Inner circle Munich, Germany 1390 Posts |
3 people are in front of you. One tells always the truth, one is lying all the time, and one is a politician; he tells the truth or a lie at random. The politician decided before each question is asked by flipping a coin.
You are asked to distinguish between the 3 (who know each other's identity) by 3 yes/no questions. Please notice that asking something like, "if I would ask the other guy if he is ... what would he say", is most of the time not allowed because that can lead to the fact that the other guy is the politician and the person you ask will not know himself what he would say! You are also not allowed to use that in your favor, only simple yes/no questions where the answers to them are DETERMINISTIC! Have fun, Nir |
magicgeorge Inner circle Belfast 4299 Posts |
Ask them all "Are you the politican?"
The one that says no is the honest guy. The one that says yes is the liar. The one that asks you if he can borrow a coin is the politician. |
Nir Dahan Inner circle Munich, Germany 1390 Posts |
As I mentioned the only info you receive is either a yes or a no. Think of it as if you are asking the questions via the Internet.
IMHO this is the most interesting truth tellers/liars question I know. |
Daniel J. Ferrara Jr. Regular user Long Island, New York 182 Posts |
This is a good one. I have lost sleep over it. I haven’t given up yet though.
Maybe if I share my thinking pattern, someone else can help. If you ask the first two people "are you a politician" and they both say yes, than it is obvious that one of them is the politician and the other is the liar. Therefore, you could ask the third person (who must be the one who tells the truth) is the first person the politician. If you ask the same question and the first two people say no, than one of them is the politician and the other is the one who tells the truth. Therefore, you can ask the third one (who is the liar) "is the first person a politician" and if he says yes, than you know the first person is the one who tell the truth. The problem comes if the first person answers the question yes and the second person answers no. That tells us that the first person is either the politician or the liar and the second person is either the politician or the truth teller. I can't think of a question that I could ask the third one in that case. Am I on the right track at least? |
Nir Dahan Inner circle Munich, Germany 1390 Posts |
I know of at least 2 ways to solve this puzzle, both of which are different than what you suggest.
A few years back, after solving this puzzle, I gave it to a friend who found a third solution. This puzzle is truly a piece of beauty. |
Jonathan Townsend Eternal Order Ossining, NY 27297 Posts |
I thought the traditional solution involved sending over some missionaries and then coming in with the boats to deliver building materials, train tracks, and cargo holds to accept the goods requested.
Or is that thinking too far outside the box?
...to all the coins I've dropped here
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Nir Dahan Inner circle Munich, Germany 1390 Posts |
Just simple yes/no questions. No tricks whatsoever.
There is a way (more than one) that relies strictly on logic to solve this puzzle. |
Jonathan Townsend Eternal Order Ossining, NY 27297 Posts |
Politicians do not lie or tell the truth, they use words to affect others.
Logic builds the walls of the box. Rationalizing keeps you inside the box. How is the view? <g>
...to all the coins I've dropped here
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Daniel J. Ferrara Jr. Regular user Long Island, New York 182 Posts |
OK, I give up. Please PM me with the answer.
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Nir Dahan Inner circle Munich, Germany 1390 Posts |
I don't know how hard you tried to solve it. Just giving the answer is not the way to go.
I might be convinced to give you a hint. |
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