1001 Braintwisters.
Jan. 13th, 2009 10:34 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
inferred_logicThese riddles are all taken verbatim from Raymond Smullyan's The Riddle of Scheherazade and Other Amazing Puzzles, Ancient & Modern, published in 1997. I'm only posting up the riddles I already figured out the answer to, since I want to solve these by myself. If anyone else wants to take a guess at the answers, comments are screened, so have a go. Incorrect answers will be unscreened, while correct ones will not.
Most of them are math. Be warned.
1. WHAT IS IT?
"Auspicious King," began Scheherazade on this memorable night, "let me first ask you a riddle: What is it that's greater than Allah; the dead eat it; and if the living eat it, they die?"
*
3. HOW DID THEY MANAGE?
"Two camels were facing in opposite directions. One was facing due east and the other was facing due west. How can they manage to see each other without walking, turning around, or even moving their heads?"
"Hmm!" said the king, "I guess there must have been a reflection."
"No," said Scheherazade, "this was in the middle of the desert, and there was no reflecting material for miles around."
*
4. ABDUL THE JEWELER
"The news has reached me that one day a customer brought into the shop of Abdul the Jeweler six chains, each of which had five links. He wanted the six chains to be joined into one large circular chain and inquired as to the cost. 'Well,' replied the jeweler, 'every link I cut open and close costs one piece of silver.' The question, Your Majesty, is how many pieces of silver are required for the job?"
The king gave the wrong answer. What is the correct one?
*
8. HOW MANY?
"Here is a happier one," said Scheherazade. "One day a man brought in fifty-nine jewels to sell to Abdul. Some were emeralds and some were rubies. The emeralds were carried in bags, nine to a bag, whereas the rubies were carried four to a bag. How many of the jewels were rubies?"
*
9. A SIMPLE ONE?
"That was not bad for a simple one," said the king. "Give me another simple one."
"Very well," replied Scheherazade. "Which is more, six dozen dozen, or a half dozen dozen?"
"Now, really!" exlaimed the king, angrily. "I didn't want one that simple. The answer is so obvious! Do you take me for a dunce?"
What is the answer?
*
10. SINBAD AND HINBAD
"Try this one," said Scheherazade. "There were two friends named Sinbad and Hinbad--"
"Are you referring to Sinbad the Sailor?" asked the king.
"Not necessarily," replied Scheherazade. "Anyway, they each owned the same number of horses. How many should Sinbad give Hinbad so that Hinbad has six more than Sinbad?"
*
46. WHAT ARE THE ODDS?
"Here's one," said Scheherazade. "A man has two cats. At least one of them is male. What is the probability that both are male?"
*
47. WHAT ARE THE ODDS?
"Here's another," said Scheherazade. "A man has two cats-- one black and one white. The white cat is male. What is the probability that both are male?"
"Obviously, the same as in the last problem," said the king. "The colors don't make any difference!"
Was the king right?
***
1. WHAT QUESTION?
There is a yes/no question I can ask you such that it is logically impossible for you to give the correct answer, yet the question does have a correct answer, and the most curious thing of all is that anyone else in the world might be able to answer it correctly! The only person in the world who definitely cannot answer it correctly is you!!
Can you guess what such a question might be?
Most of them are math. Be warned.
1. WHAT IS IT?
"Auspicious King," began Scheherazade on this memorable night, "let me first ask you a riddle: What is it that's greater than Allah; the dead eat it; and if the living eat it, they die?"
*
3. HOW DID THEY MANAGE?
"Two camels were facing in opposite directions. One was facing due east and the other was facing due west. How can they manage to see each other without walking, turning around, or even moving their heads?"
"Hmm!" said the king, "I guess there must have been a reflection."
"No," said Scheherazade, "this was in the middle of the desert, and there was no reflecting material for miles around."
*
4. ABDUL THE JEWELER
"The news has reached me that one day a customer brought into the shop of Abdul the Jeweler six chains, each of which had five links. He wanted the six chains to be joined into one large circular chain and inquired as to the cost. 'Well,' replied the jeweler, 'every link I cut open and close costs one piece of silver.' The question, Your Majesty, is how many pieces of silver are required for the job?"
The king gave the wrong answer. What is the correct one?
*
8. HOW MANY?
"Here is a happier one," said Scheherazade. "One day a man brought in fifty-nine jewels to sell to Abdul. Some were emeralds and some were rubies. The emeralds were carried in bags, nine to a bag, whereas the rubies were carried four to a bag. How many of the jewels were rubies?"
*
9. A SIMPLE ONE?
"That was not bad for a simple one," said the king. "Give me another simple one."
"Very well," replied Scheherazade. "Which is more, six dozen dozen, or a half dozen dozen?"
"Now, really!" exlaimed the king, angrily. "I didn't want one that simple. The answer is so obvious! Do you take me for a dunce?"
What is the answer?
*
10. SINBAD AND HINBAD
"Try this one," said Scheherazade. "There were two friends named Sinbad and Hinbad--"
"Are you referring to Sinbad the Sailor?" asked the king.
"Not necessarily," replied Scheherazade. "Anyway, they each owned the same number of horses. How many should Sinbad give Hinbad so that Hinbad has six more than Sinbad?"
*
46. WHAT ARE THE ODDS?
"Here's one," said Scheherazade. "A man has two cats. At least one of them is male. What is the probability that both are male?"
*
47. WHAT ARE THE ODDS?
"Here's another," said Scheherazade. "A man has two cats-- one black and one white. The white cat is male. What is the probability that both are male?"
"Obviously, the same as in the last problem," said the king. "The colors don't make any difference!"
Was the king right?
***
1. WHAT QUESTION?
There is a yes/no question I can ask you such that it is logically impossible for you to give the correct answer, yet the question does have a correct answer, and the most curious thing of all is that anyone else in the world might be able to answer it correctly! The only person in the world who definitely cannot answer it correctly is you!!
Can you guess what such a question might be?
