Can anyone figure out this riddle?
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Author | Topic: Can anyone figure out this riddle? |
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Infiltrator
Member # 878
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written Friday, June 24 2005 19:06
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If no one can figure it out, I'll post the answer sometime tomorrow: You are traveling in a strange country where half the people lie with every single thing they say, and the other half never tell any lies. You are trying to reach a certain town (call it town A), and you reach a fork in the road. There were signs at each path but they were knocked down in a recent storm so you aren't sure which is from which path, one says it leads to town A, and one leads to town B. A person from this country, who you don't know if he is a person who lies or not, approaches you and tells you he will answer only one yes or no question from you to help you figure out the correct path. How do you find out the correct path from him? -------------------- Warning: Posts may contain misspellinks and typo.s Posts: 409 | Registered: Sunday, March 31 2002 08:00 |
E Equals MC What!!!!
Member # 5491
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written Friday, June 24 2005 19:13
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"If you were the other kind of person, would you tell me that this path goes to Town A?" (sorry to ruin it so quickly. :P ) -------------------- Sex is easier than love. Posts: 1861 | Registered: Friday, February 11 2005 08:00 |
Infiltrator
Member # 878
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written Friday, June 24 2005 19:16
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Actually that wasn't the answer I had in mind. There exists an entirely different way to solve this. -------------------- Warning: Posts may contain misspellinks and typo.s Posts: 409 | Registered: Sunday, March 31 2002 08:00 |
E Equals MC What!!!!
Member # 5491
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written Friday, June 24 2005 19:54
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"If I asked you how to get to Town A, which path would you point me down?" -------------------- Sex is easier than love. Posts: 1861 | Registered: Friday, February 11 2005 08:00 |
Guardian
Member # 2238
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written Friday, June 24 2005 19:54
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"How many fingers am I holding up?" -------------------- The critics agree! Demonslayer is "a five star hit!" raves TIMES Weekly! "I've never heard such thoughtful comments. This man is a genious!" says two-time Nobel Prize winning physicist Erwin Rasputin! Posts: 1582 | Registered: Wednesday, November 13 2002 08:00 |
E Equals MC What!!!!
Member # 5491
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written Friday, June 24 2005 19:56
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But you only get one question. :P EDIT: Wait, that's only the case if he's telling the truth... so just ask him which way, and after he tells you, ask another question. If he answers, pick the other road. I win. [ Friday, June 24, 2005 19:59: Message edited by: Ash Lael ] -------------------- Sex is easier than love. Posts: 1861 | Registered: Friday, February 11 2005 08:00 |
Infiltrator
Member # 878
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written Friday, June 24 2005 20:01
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Yeah, that's what I had in mind. -------------------- Warning: Posts may contain misspellinks and typo.s Posts: 409 | Registered: Sunday, March 31 2002 08:00 |
...b10010b...
Member # 869
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written Friday, June 24 2005 23:52
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Of course, if he is a liar, it's also possible he won't answer any questions at all. In which case you'll just have to wait for someone else to come along. -------------------- My BoE Page Bandwagons are fun! Roots Hunted! Posts: 9973 | Registered: Saturday, March 30 2002 08:00 |
Electric Sheep One
Member # 3431
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written Saturday, June 25 2005 04:50
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I ran a D&D campaign eons ago in which I had two identical guys pop up and declare that one would lie while the other wouldn't, etc. Then the party had to ask them about some dire decision. Of course, in my version, both guys were just lying from the start, and the whole thing was a trap. [ Saturday, June 25, 2005 04:50: Message edited by: Student of Trinity ] -------------------- It is not enough to discover how things seem to seem. We must discover how things really seem. Posts: 3335 | Registered: Thursday, September 4 2003 07:00 |
Law Bringer
Member # 335
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written Saturday, June 25 2005 11:48
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I'm with SoT on this one. If you're told that some people lie and some don't, why do you believe the teller? He could be one of the liars! [Edit: Botched a question.] —Alorael, who has seen an endless series of these truth-lie quesetions. Some of them are lots of fun, and some of them have been seen so often they've lost all meaning. [ Saturday, June 25, 2005 11:48: Message edited by: Fear or Favor? ] Posts: 14579 | Registered: Saturday, December 1 2001 08:00 |
Master
Member # 4614
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written Saturday, June 25 2005 12:52
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It doesn't say that you were told that one group lies and the other doesn't, but it says that just as a fact of the riddle. -------------------- -ben4808 For those who love to spam: CSM Forums RIFQ Posts: 3360 | Registered: Friday, June 25 2004 07:00 |
Infiltrator
Member # 3040
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written Saturday, June 25 2005 13:26
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quote:That reminds me of the two goblins in Erika's Tower. They had a similar logic puzzle, but it was impossible to determine which door to take. All you had to do was slaughter them and take the secret passage they were sitting on. -------------------- 5.0.1.0.0.0.0.1.0... Posts: 508 | Registered: Thursday, May 29 2003 07:00 |
E Equals MC What!!!!
Member # 5491
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written Saturday, June 25 2005 17:49
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And THAT reminds me of Truffle Days. :) -------------------- Sex is easier than love. Posts: 1861 | Registered: Friday, February 11 2005 08:00 |
Mongolian Barbeque
Member # 1528
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written Saturday, June 25 2005 20:58
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I really like this riddle, whichever variation it appears in, mainly because it featured in Doctor Who as the Riddle of the Osirans. Sarah Jane was stuck in some kind of transparent cylindrical death cubicle with two buttons on the side, and two robotic mummies appeared before him. The Doctor was told one would lie, the other tell the truth, blah blah blah, he asked one mummy what the other mummy would say if he asked it which is the death switch on the cubicle, he pushed the other one, and presto, Sarah Jane was let out. Television is very educational! (Also, Christopher Bulis used the "path" version of the riddle in his Doctor Who novel The Ultimate Treasure. Not that anyone cares...) [ Saturday, June 25, 2005 21:01: Message edited by: Icshi ] -------------------- The A.E. van Vogt Information Site My Tribute to the Greatest Writer of the Science Fiction Golden Age Posts: 907 | Registered: Monday, July 15 2002 07:00 |
Veteran*
Member # 5
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written Saturday, June 25 2005 21:07
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This is the last lie I will ever tell, I promise. Posts: 455 | Registered: Tuesday, May 17 2005 07:00 |
Infiltrator
Member # 878
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written Saturday, June 25 2005 21:12
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Anyway, most people would have trouble figuring out the answer I had in mind to this since you tend to take for granted you aren't being lied to about the conditions of the puzzle. -------------------- Warning: Posts may contain misspellinks and typo.s Posts: 409 | Registered: Sunday, March 31 2002 08:00 |
Agent
Member # 4506
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written Sunday, June 26 2005 00:12
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Well, I thought I might as well post this riddle, and see how long it takes you! I am the ruler of Shovels, I am as thin as a knife, I have a wife, I have a double, What am I? For any of THE MAZE beta-testers, you will notice that this is the second riddle. I had a lot of testers saying that it was impossible, so I'm going to see how long it takes the general population to figure this out... :D - Archmagi Micael -------------------- "You dare Trifle with Exile?" - Erika the Archmage -------------------- My Scenarios: Undead Valley : A small Undead problem, what could possibly go wrong? -------------------- Proof of Richard Black's existance: Richard Black - PROOF of his existance (the Infernal one's website). Posts: 1370 | Registered: Thursday, June 10 2004 07:00 |
...b10010b...
Member # 869
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written Sunday, June 26 2005 00:22
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Taking a bit of a stab in the dark here, but is it a scissor blade? Not sure how the shovel thing fits in there, though. -------------------- My BoE Page Bandwagons are fun! Roots Hunted! Posts: 9973 | Registered: Saturday, March 30 2002 08:00 |
Shaper
Member # 5450
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written Sunday, June 26 2005 03:08
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Is it a spork? I'm a bit confused. Thuryl's sounds like a better answer, though. -------------------- I'll put a Spring in your step. Polaris Posts: 2396 | Registered: Saturday, January 29 2005 08:00 |
Shaper
Member # 5437
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written Sunday, June 26 2005 07:31
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I won't answer because I saw the script. No, neither answer is correct. -------------------- Nena Posts: 2032 | Registered: Wednesday, January 26 2005 08:00 |
Electric Sheep One
Member # 3431
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written Sunday, June 26 2005 09:06
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Playing card, king of spades. -------------------- It is not enough to discover how things seem to seem. We must discover how things really seem. Posts: 3335 | Registered: Thursday, September 4 2003 07:00 |
Shaper
Member # 5437
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written Sunday, June 26 2005 09:10
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Yes. -------------------- Nena Posts: 2032 | Registered: Wednesday, January 26 2005 08:00 |
Master
Member # 5977
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written Sunday, June 26 2005 09:15
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what luck my father extually told me the answer to this riddle just yesterday: "What would the other half of the people say, if i'd ask them what road I should take" -------------------- Thralni's almighty Avernum pages: My webpage, containing scenario's and graphics made by me (And maybe someday the homepage of the almighty chicken gods). Click here for more information on Olga's fortune teller kiosk Olga's fortune teller kiosk has been temporarily closed down, but you can contact the prophet with a PM - Was signed by the prophet of the almighty chicken gods, gods of everything that is a chicken. Work has begun on the Nephilian grammar and vocabulary guide! Posts: 3029 | Registered: Saturday, June 18 2005 07:00 |
Off With Their Heads
Member # 4045
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written Sunday, June 26 2005 09:30
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Notice that was the second post in this thread. -------------------- Arancaytar: Every time you ask people to compare TM and Kel, you endanger the poor, fluffy kittens. Kelandon's Pink and Pretty Page!!: the authorized location for all things by me The Archive of all released BoE scenarios ever Posts: 7968 | Registered: Saturday, February 28 2004 08:00 |
Electric Sheep One
Member # 3431
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written Sunday, June 26 2005 09:50
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If flesh were grass, what bone would be; If tears were rain, what moan would be; If clot were ice, what gore would be; Would tell the tale, if four were three. This is a bit unfair in that it doesn't really tell you what the question is -- you have to kind of connect the dots for that. As a compromise between rhyme and riddle, though, I was proud of it. A bit easier, in my opinion: Walks on the water, sinks in the sea. Doesn't have a fellow; doesn't have a shadow. Shadows run away from him. Who is he? [ Sunday, June 26, 2005 09:52: Message edited by: Student of Trinity ] -------------------- It is not enough to discover how things seem to seem. We must discover how things really seem. Posts: 3335 | Registered: Thursday, September 4 2003 07:00 |