496
Everything Else / Re: Riddles
« on: September 13, 2005, 11:08:42 AM »
The solution can be explained in one rather simple sentence.
News:
"Magic is what makes fantasy fantastic," someone says, "you can't apply rules to them or else it loses wonder!" I respond, "Sure, but if you want to write them you will certainly want to know how they work." Writing is all about execution, and I find applying some basic laws of physics to magic systems make them more understandable and realistic. Here, I'm going to outline my basic method for developing a magic system.
Column by Chaos2651
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497
Brandon Sanderson / Re: Second Printing
« on: September 13, 2005, 10:55:25 AM »
I read Eldon's book and enjoyed it. I hope his sales pick up with the second and third books, because I understand he has a fairly large advance to earn out.
498
Everything Else / Re: Riddles
« on: September 13, 2005, 10:46:05 AM »
In order to solve the puzzle, you do not need to use anything not specifically mentioned. (i.e., a knife)
499
Everything Else / Re: Riddles
« on: September 13, 2005, 02:36:03 AM »
Hint: The solution is not complicated, once you recognize it.
500
Everything Else / Re: Riddles
« on: September 12, 2005, 06:59:02 PM »
This one is one of my favorites:
You're a lieutenant in charge of a sergeant and four privates. You have a 40-foot flagpole that is one foot in diameter at one end (intended as the base) and 6 inches in diameter at the other (intended as the top). There is a hole six feet deep and three feet wide, into which the flagpole must be placed in the middle, so that concrete can be poured around it to fix it in position. You have three pieces of rope -- one 38 feet long, one 27 feet long, and one six feet long.
Explain what you would do to get the flagpole into position.
You're a lieutenant in charge of a sergeant and four privates. You have a 40-foot flagpole that is one foot in diameter at one end (intended as the base) and 6 inches in diameter at the other (intended as the top). There is a hole six feet deep and three feet wide, into which the flagpole must be placed in the middle, so that concrete can be poured around it to fix it in position. You have three pieces of rope -- one 38 feet long, one 27 feet long, and one six feet long.
Explain what you would do to get the flagpole into position.
501
Everything Else / Re: Riddles
« on: September 12, 2005, 06:14:20 PM »
The home's address numbers. The address is 880 [Street Name].
502
Everything Else / Re: Riddles
« on: September 12, 2005, 02:28:28 PM »
Suppose on your first question you ask A about B.
1. Suppose A is the outcast. You will get either a yes or a no from A about B.
2. Suppose B is the outcast. You will get either an "I don't know" or an "I know" from A.
3. Suppose C is the outcast. You will get either a yes or a no from A about B.
Now, for #2, there's no problem. If you know B is the outcast, then you ask the question of A about C. Since neither of them is an outcast, you can use A's answer to determine where the village is.
With #1 and #3, you don't know if you can rely on A's answer, because you don't if A or C is the outcast. But you do know that B is not the outcast. So you ask your question again, but this time you ask B about C.
If B gives a "yes" or "no" answer, you know you can rely on it because A must be the outcast.
If B gives an "I don't know" or an "I know" answer, you know C must be the outcast. That means you can rely on A's answer to the first question about B, because neither of them is the outcast.
I believe that covers all the bases.
1. Suppose A is the outcast. You will get either a yes or a no from A about B.
2. Suppose B is the outcast. You will get either an "I don't know" or an "I know" from A.
3. Suppose C is the outcast. You will get either a yes or a no from A about B.
Now, for #2, there's no problem. If you know B is the outcast, then you ask the question of A about C. Since neither of them is an outcast, you can use A's answer to determine where the village is.
With #1 and #3, you don't know if you can rely on A's answer, because you don't if A or C is the outcast. But you do know that B is not the outcast. So you ask your question again, but this time you ask B about C.
If B gives a "yes" or "no" answer, you know you can rely on it because A must be the outcast.
If B gives an "I don't know" or an "I know" answer, you know C must be the outcast. That means you can rely on A's answer to the first question about B, because neither of them is the outcast.
I believe that covers all the bases.
503
Everything Else / Re: Riddles
« on: September 12, 2005, 12:17:55 PM »
Firemeboy also asked about that, and here's the answer, for purposes of solving the problem as I presented it:
The more I think about it, the more I'm sure that in the original version of the problem, the outcasts are supposed to alternate between truth and lies, and the other two know where the outcast is in the cycle, so they can predict whether his next answer will be true or false.
I'll take a solution to the problem either way.
Quote
If you pointed at the outcast and asked the Truthteller, "If I asked that man if the Truthteller village is to the East, would he answer 'Yes'?" then the only truthful response would be "I don't know."
So, I guess the only thing the Lieteller could do would be the opposite: "I know."
The more I think about it, the more I'm sure that in the original version of the problem, the outcasts are supposed to alternate between truth and lies, and the other two know where the outcast is in the cycle, so they can predict whether his next answer will be true or false.
I'll take a solution to the problem either way.
504
Everything Else / Re: Riddles
« on: September 12, 2005, 01:48:18 AM »
Stick to your original question and work through the implications of asking it twice. You're close.
505
Everything Else / Re: Riddles
« on: September 11, 2005, 11:54:59 PM »
I think your question works if you ask it twice and think through the implications. It's a different solution from what I had, but I think that's because I didn't lay out the problem exactly the way I heard it originally.
(The original version didn't have the "I don't know" and "I know" answers available to distinguish the outcast. I'm not sure how that was done -- maybe by having the outcasts alternately tell the truth and lie, and the other two knew what the outcast would do next.)
(The original version didn't have the "I don't know" and "I know" answers available to distinguish the outcast. I'm not sure how that was done -- maybe by having the outcasts alternately tell the truth and lie, and the other two knew what the outcast would do next.)
506
Everything Else / Re: Riddles
« on: September 11, 2005, 11:08:28 PM »Quote
But assuming that you ask two people, you can be assured that one of them is not the outcast.
But if you don't know which one is not the outcast, you don't know which answer to rely on.
I think you may have a workable answer, but you need to demonstrate your reasoning a bit more clearly.
507
Everything Else / Re: Riddles
« on: September 11, 2005, 08:28:11 PM »
That said, the first question you have proposed does elicit sufficient information for you to solve the puzzle, if you ask the right second question of the right person. It's not the same first question I would have used, but in analyzing it, I'm pretty sure it works.
508
Everything Else / Re: Riddles
« on: September 11, 2005, 08:17:17 PM »
You haven't dealt with what you do if the person you ask first was the outcast.
If you're pointing at the Truthteller, and the outcast tells the truth, then the answer will be "Yes."
If you're pointing at the Truthteller, and the outcast tells a lie, then the answer will be "No."
If you're pointing at the Lieteller, and the outcast tells the truth, then the answer will be "No."
If you're pointing at the Lieteller, and the outcast tells a lie, then the answer will be "Yes."
Thus the answer to the first question cannot tell you whether the village is in the east.
If you're pointing at the Truthteller, and the outcast tells the truth, then the answer will be "Yes."
If you're pointing at the Truthteller, and the outcast tells a lie, then the answer will be "No."
If you're pointing at the Lieteller, and the outcast tells the truth, then the answer will be "No."
If you're pointing at the Lieteller, and the outcast tells a lie, then the answer will be "Yes."
Thus the answer to the first question cannot tell you whether the village is in the east.
509
Everything Else / Re: Riddles
« on: September 11, 2005, 07:18:50 PM »Quote
Let's assume that the truthtellers village does lie to the east. If you asked the person who always lies, they would say, "He would say it does not lie to the East". And if you asked the person who always tells the truth, he would say, "He would say it does not lie to the East."
Well, they're supposed to be yes-or-no questions, but the principle works. "If I were to ask him if the Truthtellers village lies to the east, would he say yes?" If there were only the Truthteller and the Lieteller, either of them would reply "No" when asked about what the other would say, and you would know that answer was false, and that the village truly was to the east.
Quote
If I were to pick the liar, and ask him how this person would answer that question (and happened to pick the castout), what would they answer?
Hmmm. Interesting question. If you pointed at the outcast and asked the Truthteller, "If I asked that man if the Truthteller village is to the East, would he answer 'Yes'?" then the only truthful response would be "I don't know."
So, I guess the only thing the Lieteller could do would be the opposite: "I know."
Quote
Am I on the right vein here?
It's not the vein of the answer I'm familiar with, but it may lead to a correct answer.
510
Everything Else / Re: Riddles
« on: September 11, 2005, 12:22:59 PM »
On a certain island there are two tribes of people. The people of the Truthteller tribe always answer questions truthfully. The people of the Lieteller tribe always answer questions by lying.
There's also a group of outcasts from both villages. The outcasts sometimes tell the truth and sometimes lie, without any consistent pattern.
You have landed on this island, and you need to get to the village of the Truthtellers, but you don't know whether it's the east village or the west village.
On the road between the two villages, you encounter three people. Because they each have different tribal markings, you know that one is a Truthteller, one is a Lieteller, and one is an outcast. You don't know which is which, but at least their tribal markings look like an A, a B, and a C, so you can easily tell them apart.
You can ask a total of two yes-or-no questions. Each question will be directed to only one of the three people, and only that one will answer. You may direct both questions to one person or direct the first question to one and the second question to another.
What two questions do you ask (and of whom) in order to correctly determine whether the east village or the west village belongs to the Truthtellers?
There's also a group of outcasts from both villages. The outcasts sometimes tell the truth and sometimes lie, without any consistent pattern.
You have landed on this island, and you need to get to the village of the Truthtellers, but you don't know whether it's the east village or the west village.
On the road between the two villages, you encounter three people. Because they each have different tribal markings, you know that one is a Truthteller, one is a Lieteller, and one is an outcast. You don't know which is which, but at least their tribal markings look like an A, a B, and a C, so you can easily tell them apart.
You can ask a total of two yes-or-no questions. Each question will be directed to only one of the three people, and only that one will answer. You may direct both questions to one person or direct the first question to one and the second question to another.
What two questions do you ask (and of whom) in order to correctly determine whether the east village or the west village belongs to the Truthtellers?