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Topic: tough puzzle (Read 5100 times) |
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towr
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Re: tough puzzle
« Reply #2 on: Apr 1st, 2008, 1:18pm » |
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Discovering the wonderful world of webcomics, eh?
Well, shooting all three guards of the original post, you'd find out from the response which is the liar; he'd be the one denying to be in pain. So ask him which way nto to go, and you're home free.
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Marissa
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Re: tough puzzle
« Reply #3 on: Apr 1st, 2008, 1:34pm » |
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Yeah, some webcomics look fun and challenging.
I think that having a stabbing guard makes questions to the other guards more difficult, eh?
We don't know whether or not the stabbing guard tells the truth, and what he would consider a question as a "tricky question".
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towr
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Re: tough puzzle
« Reply #5 on: Apr 1st, 2008, 3:06pm » |
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on Apr 1st, 2008, 2:36pm, Marissa wrote:Partially clips isn't one of the comics on my exceedingly large reading list, although I've heard of it.
That particular one reminds me of the "gods of gibberland" puzzle on this site.
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| « Last Edit: Apr 1st, 2008, 3:07pm by towr » |
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Marissa
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Re: tough puzzle
« Reply #6 on: Apr 1st, 2008, 5:11pm » |
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Still, it is a tough logical puzzle, the one with a stabbing guard.
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towr
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Re: tough puzzle
« Reply #7 on: Apr 2nd, 2008, 12:50am » |
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I'm not sure it's really a logical puzzle; that would assume there's a logical answer.
If there's just one guard, but he'll stab you as you approach; well, what's the solution then?
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Benny
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Re: tough puzzle
« Reply #8 on: Apr 2nd, 2008, 9:43am » |
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You need to know either exactly who the stabber is or if he is consistent in his lying/truthtelling, or just
answers on a whim.
The text below the image tells us that it is designed to trap logicians.
This puzzle reminds me of another puzzle: A man on an island with natives ..." The solution was to ignore the natives and head up to the mountain.
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Grimbal
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Re: tough puzzle
« Reply #9 on: Apr 2nd, 2008, 9:59am » |
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The third guard only stabs people who ask tricky questions. Simple questions like pointing at another guard and asking "Is he a liar?" isn't tricky.
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Benny
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Re: tough puzzle
« Reply #10 on: Apr 2nd, 2008, 12:39pm » |
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How do you determine which guard is the "stabbing guard"?
I think this puzzle is insolvable or maybe I missing something. Or maybe just ignore the guards and do whatever.
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Grimbal
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Re: tough puzzle
« Reply #11 on: Apr 3rd, 2008, 12:25am » |
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The guard stabs people who ask tricky questions. Just ask simple questions.
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temporary
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Re: tough puzzle
« Reply #12 on: Apr 3rd, 2008, 6:09pm » |
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How many questions do I get. Also, is finding out if the stabbing guard is liar/truther part of the riddle, or did you just forget to mention it. The paradox dragon can't be solved because the 2nd head accused himself of lying, which only the random one would do, but the 3rd head accused him of lying then said that he wasn't actually lying, so he must be the random one. Maybe the narrator lied. And how can you determine how "simple" or "tricky" a question is? Here is another one
http://www.albinoblacksheep.com/flash/3cup
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| « Last Edit: Apr 3rd, 2008, 6:28pm by temporary » |
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Grimbal
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Re: tough puzzle
« Reply #13 on: Apr 4th, 2008, 6:13am » |
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And the middle head cannot be random, because then the left and right heads would be truthful and lying. They couldn't agree.
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temporary
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Re: tough puzzle
« Reply #14 on: Apr 4th, 2008, 11:05pm » |
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But to disagree with yourself or say you just lyed(which heads 2 and 3 both did), one ust be random.
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Grimbal
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Re: tough puzzle
« Reply #15 on: Apr 5th, 2008, 12:01pm » |
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I agree with you that there is no solution.
As with the stabbing guard problem, it is a joke not meant to actually be solved.
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temporary
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Re: tough puzzle
« Reply #16 on: Apr 5th, 2008, 7:33pm » |
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There might be a way to solve it though. Let's say you get 4 questions and the stabbing guard is random.
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skeptic1000
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Re: tough puzzle
« Reply #17 on: Apr 25th, 2008, 11:30am » |
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It's a freaking joke! You have to ask a tricky question to figure anything out, which means you will get stabbed. (This is where you are supposed to laugh). It doesn't matter if you get four questions, or if you don't ask the stabbing guard directly, because he stabs anyone who asks a tricky question regardless of who you ask it of.
You can dissect a joke and you can dissect a frog, but they both get killed in the process...
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towr
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Re: tough puzzle
« Reply #18 on: Apr 25th, 2008, 12:19pm » |
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on Apr 25th, 2008, 11:30am, skeptic1000 wrote:| You can dissect a joke and you can dissect a frog, but they both get killed in the process... |
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On the other hand, overanalyzing a joke can be a joke in itself.
Seriousness in the face of absurdity is absurd, and therefore an appropriate reaction as much as anything else.
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skeptic1000
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Re: tough puzzle
« Reply #19 on: Apr 25th, 2008, 1:46pm » |
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on Apr 25th, 2008, 12:19pm, towr wrote:
On the other hand, overanalyzing a joke can be a joke in itself. |
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For sure...as long as there is some acknowledgment of the original intent of the joke first. Maybe someone can hack away at this puzzle by the same author:
http://xkcd.com/74/
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towr
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Re: tough puzzle
« Reply #20 on: Apr 25th, 2008, 2:22pm » |
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on Apr 25th, 2008, 1:46pm, skeptic1000 wrote:| For sure...as long as there is some acknowledgment of the original intent of the joke first. |
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No, no, leaving that out is part of the extended joke. It works much better when people have doubts whether or not you got it was a joke.
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Benny
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Re: tough puzzle
« Reply #21 on: Apr 28th, 2008, 2:36pm » |
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There doesn't seem to be a limit on the number of questions you can ask. So, ask each "Are you the guard of THAT door?" and point to the door that he is guarding. There will be either 2 yes's and 1 no, or 2 no's and 1 yes, depending on whether the stabbing guard is lying or telling the truth. You can therefore identify the lier or the truthful guard by the answer that has only 1 yes or no. (E.g. if there are two yes's and one no, the one that said no is the lier. Visa versa for the truthful guard.) You then direct a question to that guard (while pointing to another guard) "Does that guard always tell the truth?" Depending on your knowledge of who the truthful guard is, the answer would tell you who the truthful, lying guard and stabbing guards are.
Now ask the truthful guard "Do any of the doors lead to escape?" If the answer is no, then forget about it. If the answer is yes, then ask sequentially "Does that door lead to an escape?" If the door that leads to an escape is behind the stabbing guard, then forget about it. If it is behind the truthful or lying guard, your task becomes one of getting the stabbing guard to stab the target guard, by getting the target guard to ask a convoluted question.
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skeptic1000
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Re: tough puzzle
« Reply #22 on: Apr 30th, 2008, 11:40am » |
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on Apr 25th, 2008, 2:22pm, towr wrote:
No, no, leaving that out is part of the extended joke. It works much better when people have doubts whether or not you got it was a joke. |
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Sure, but then the joke is on the person rather than on the joke. So you are insinuating that it is funny to make a fool of someone else on the board? That doesn't seem very nice to the poster. Unless of course he/she was just a pawn for your ultimate plan of drawing me into the discussion, in which case I would be the one not getting the joke.  But I'm quite certain there was some sincerity in the original post.
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skeptic1000
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Re: tough puzzle
« Reply #23 on: Apr 30th, 2008, 11:43am » |
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on Apr 28th, 2008, 2:36pm, BenVitale wrote:| So, ask each "Are you the guard of THAT door?" |
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I think that would be interpreted as a "tricky" question (since you are trying to TRICK them into giving you information), so the stabbing guard comes over and kills you.
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Benny
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Re: tough puzzle
« Reply #24 on: Apr 30th, 2008, 1:22pm » |
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on Apr 30th, 2008, 11:43am, skeptic1000 wrote:
I think that would be interpreted as a "tricky" question (since you are trying to TRICK them into giving you information), so the stabbing guard comes over and kills you.
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Why? I'm sorry but I don't see how this could be interpreted as a tricky question. I see it as a simple question.
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