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        riddles >> easy >> Logicians are back!
        
(Message started by: alien2 on Aug 25^th, 2020, 6:29am)

Title: Logicians are back!
Post by alien2 on Aug 25^th, 2020, 6:29am

But this time, they number 91. And they are humans (well what do you know!). They were captured by a powerful alien, on a class M planet a hundred light years away. Don’t ask me how they got there. Though I will say that humans are as imaginative as they are unpredictable. They’re all standing in the middle of a desert, salt flat, flat expanse of ground covered with salt and other minerals. The summer star has reached its zenith, it is directly overhead, above the logicians. Needless to say, it is a hot day. However, it’s not all black, so to speak. Alien likes riddles, so he gives them a chance to set them free by returning them to their place of origin in a blink of an eye. He teleports one of them directly to this logician’s quarters, talking about alien’s mothership in the orbit. Then he focuses on the 90 logicians in the desert. He creates a bigger wooden Greek cross and teleports it near them. They gather around the cross. The cross with four arms of equal length has initials of the four cardinal directions, north, east, south, and west, denoted by their initials N, E, S, and W. So, the Greek cross shows the four cardinal directions. Alien then speaks to them, so they hear his voice even though he is on the bridge of his mothership in the orbit.
“You all must walk three miles in a straight line one behind another, in direction or directions chosen by you, without stopping. After you travel three miles, two things will happen. Your footprints will vanish, as you are not allowed to leave anything behind, and you’ll be teleported to my mothership, each to his or her quarters, though you will be confined. You’ll have food replicators and sonic shower there. What else could you wish for? So, when 90 of you are in your quarters designed for comfort, being at ease, I’ll teleport the remaining logician, who is currently in his quarters, to the desert, right where the cross is. I’ll tell him what I told you. Though I will not tell him in which directions you were walking. He will then have to assert the claim in which direction or directions you went and how many of you. If he offers a wrong direction for just one of you, you will all be executed for stupidity. If he guesses correctly for all of you, you are all free to go, that is to say, I will return you to Earth. All 90 of you and later the logician who’s currently on my ship have exactly one hour to think about it. Don’t worry. I’ll occasionally inform you how much time you have left.”
What is the best strategy and the most logical solution for 91 logicians they could come up with in order to save themselves?

Title: Re: Logicians are back!
Post by towr on Aug 25^th, 2020, 11:00am

I don't think logic will help anyone much in that situation.
[hide]I'd go with North, because I think most people would go with North if they had to pick a direction that other people would pick.[/hide]

Title: Re: Logicians are back!
Post by alien2 on Aug 25^th, 2020, 11:13am

Ladies and gentlemen. For the first time in history, after bar mitzvah, towr is at a loss. But who happens to be right: Towr, or me? This remains to be seen. I still believe that I have a riddle, which is fully compatible with logic. Sort of. Yes. This riddle is a glimmer of hope, that someone here, will find order even in the midst of, seemingly, profound chaos. And what is chaos, if not order of infinitely high degree? Happy puzzling.

Title: Re: Logicians are back!
Post by alien2 on Aug 25^th, 2020, 11:23am

Actually, now that I think about it, towr is probably right. Meh. Still, a glimmer of hope remains. Focus on the number of logicians, number 90. Does it associate you on something in particular? Could it pass for something else regarding the mentioned directions?

You can delete the riddle. I don't mind. Really.

Title: Re: Logicians are back!
Post by towr on Aug 26^th, 2020, 11:12am

[hide]
90 could be a number of degrees
So you might consider a direction of 90 degrees on a compass.
But on the other hand, a compass already assumes North as primary direction. So it might be safer to go with that.
[/hide]

Title: Re: Logicians are back!
Post by Grimbal on Sep 9^th, 2020, 3:54am

Logician being not stupid* they would
[hide]take away the E, W and S branches of the cross and go with towr's plan.[/hide]

Or
[hide]They could draw a penis on the N arrow. Humans know this has been used in ancient Rome to show directions. An alien would just assume it is vandalism.
[/hide]

* err...