smartness

[Aoann]

http://listverse.com/entertainment/top-10-brain-teasers/#end

:D brain teasers. I only got like one right.

[Sethial]

These questions are not an accurate test of ones problem solving abilities, the questions are give with missing information on some, making it rather difficult if not impossible to answer. The few that did have complete information, were fairly simple to answer if you dumbed the questions down to a 3rd grader level.

I would more closely relate this a study in the evolution of thought.

[Wazdakka]

OKay, I missed 4,8,9 and 10. Nine and ten don't really seem to be proper riddles to me, as they just invite one to tell a little story. Especially 9 because it's not fright that can help you out of hiccups, it's startlement which can cause you to gasp. I don't actually understand how 8 would work...how would they know when they had their own socks so that they could stop? 4, though, was reasonably clever and, while silly, it was silly in somewhat the way of a Holmes story.

[Drakhon]

I don't actually understand how 8 would work...how would they know when they had their own socks so that they could stop?

Assume they put the single socks in a separate pile. In total, they have 6 pairs of red and 6 pairs of white. If they split each pair, they each end up with 6 red and 6 white (3 pairs of each), which is what they had prior to the mix up. It is a method that is not affected by the order in which sorting occurs or who does it.

Most of these "teasers" have far too many answers to be considered respectable and a number of them require the reader to assume far too much that is not presented or implied by the text.

For instance, in number 10, we have no way of knowing that he had a rooster or had just retired. It could just as easily have been that he shot some guy in the leg who then proceeded to gouge the person in question's eyes out.

In number 7, Custer could have wished for a broken leg (just one example). Admittedly, if Custer had a glass eye in real life, it would make more sense. However, at that point it's not really a brain teaser because it requires specific knowledge of an uncommon nature rather than problem solving skills.

In number 2, his mother's grandson could have a different mother than his wife (thus not fulfilling his wife's wish) and/or could be on a gold swing belonging to someone else (thus not necessarily meaning the man or his father were rich).

In number 1, the answer requires us to assume too much about the soldiers.

[Aoann]

These questions are not an accurate test of ones problem solving abilities, the questions are give with missing information on some, making it rather difficult if not impossible to answer. The few that did have complete information, were fairly simple to answer if you dumbed the questions down to a 3rd grader level.

I would more closely relate this a study in the evolution of thought.

It isn't my web page nor did I name them. ^_^

[Calmat]

In number 1, the answer requires us to assume too much about the soldiers.[/quote]


Actually in number one there is no assumption required. He had them surround him so all of their weapons are pointed at each other and him. No one in their right mind would of fired. He could of also put half behind him and half in front of him and they still wouldnt of fired. There is no assumption. From the text they were the worst shots in the regiment. They would kill each other more than likely before they killed Him.

[Wazdakka]

Assume they put the single socks in a separate pile. In total, they have 6 pairs of red and 6 pairs of white. If they split each pair, they each end up with 6 red and 6 white (3 pairs of each), which is what they had prior to the mix up. It is a method that is not affected by the order in which sorting occurs or who does it.



Got it. That was a visualization failure on my part.

[Drakhon]

Actually in number one there is no assumption required.
...
No one in their right mind would of fired.

It is an assumption that they "are in their right mind" and that all 100 of them would refuse their orders to fire due to the possibility of hitting each other.

Honestly, when I had been thinking about it, I was leaning toward concentric rings of soldiers so the ones in the back would end up shooting the ones in front of them and minimize the number that were actually able to have a clear shot at him. They were limited to one shot, so it's not like the ones who lived would shoot at him again.

[Gisli]

Yeah, I didn't make the "right minds" assumption either. I thought of lining them all up in a row, so that everyone in the back shoots the people in the front, and hoping that the guy in front doesn't hit. I think the circle solution is superior, but only if one allows the unspecified "information" that soldiers can exercise a choice on whether to fire or not.

[Wazdakka]

I imagined that he would make a ring very close to him such that the first row's rifle barrels would be too long to point at him, and would thus point past him, and the others would all have to shoot their fellows in the back.

[Drakhon]

I thought of lining them all up in a row, so that everyone in the back shoots the people in the front, and hoping that the guy in front doesn't hit.

I thought of that too, but I doubt 100 people can fit into a line 20ft or less long (they can't be more the 20ft from the prisoner), so I went with multiple rows that effectively make concentric rings.


I imagined that he would make a ring very close to him such that the first row's rifle barrels would be too long to point at him, and would thus point past him, and the others would all have to shoot their fellows in the back.

That's a better way to avoid that first row's shots; I hadn't thought of that.