Riddles

Thought it would be answered by now, but phon and Sanjay are expressing the language issue that I mentioned (the same wording doesn’t always mean the same thing if from different people).

Answer:[tab]D: “If B is telling the truth, then A or C too.”
If that is a lie, then if B is telling the truth, both A and C are lies.
We know that D is true because if it was false (and B was true) D, A, and C would all have to be lying and that makes 3 liars, not 2.

B: “If C is telling the truth, then either A or D is a liar.”
If that is a lie, then if C is telling the truth, both A or D are true.
Since D is true, then IF B is true, either A or C is also true. But then IF B is false and C is true, A and D are true. We already know that D is true, so we need to look at A for the possibility of being true.

A: “B lies if and only if D is telling the truth.”
If that is a lie, all you know is that B is independent of D.
If A is true, since we already know that D is true, B is required to be a lie. So A can be true IF B is a lie.

Again, if B is a lie and C is true, both A and D must also be true. We know D is true and are confirming if A is. But that is only a concern IF C is true. If C is a lie, B requires nothing further.

C: “E lies, and also A or B lie.”
If that is a lie, either E is true or both A or B are true.
C demands that E is a lie as well as either A or B. We need to confirm if that is possibly true which would mean that A, C, and D would be required to be true.

E: “Among the persons A, C and D is at least one liar.”
If that is a lie, A, C, and D are true.
We know that D is true and are suspecting that A and C are also true. If E is a lie then we have two liars and our suspicions are right about A, C, and D.

Thus by B lying and E lying, we can have two liars only.[/tab]

Well, logically, whenever you have two switches, you have 4 states:
A off B off (that’d be an NOR)
A off B on (that’d be an OR)
A on B off (that’d be an OR)
A on B on ( that’d be an AND)

So when you say that A on B off is a lie, that still leaves you 3 options.

That is absolutely right. =D>

Beside the logic of the statements you have to consider the logic of all statements in reference to each other too, Phoneutria.

And an “or” in a statement can be an “exlusive or” or an “inclusive or”, but which one it exactly is can depend on the context in which the “or” is used.

As I alraedy said:

In addition: James has just given the right answer and the right rationale.

Heh I am not going to read the answer. This is a good puzzle.

Btw, that problem is a good test for one’s “working memory” (very short term memory). If the working memory is having troubles, concentration becomes very difficult and one tends to feel impatient and look for the easy way out of problems (jump to a conclusion), sometimes at the expense of failure and/or frustration. It is caused by a chemical imbalance, usually the result of early viral infections that led to a series of neurological sensitivities and subtle anxiety.

[size=85]{{just FYI}}[/size]

100 Pessimists.

100 pessimists have written 100 senntences on a sheet of paper. Each pessimist has written 1 sentence. The 100 sentences are numbered from 1 to 100. The first pessimist has written: “Exactly one sentence on this sheet is wrong.”. The second pessimist has written: “Exactly two sentences on this sheet are wrong.”. … And so on. Which sentences are wrong, which right?

Did you mean “wrong at the time of the writing” or “wrong by the time all sentences were written”?

in my case it is due to having slept 2h in the past 60.

I won’t ask about the cause of that.

You know from the text that they are 100 pessimists, that they have written 100 sentences, and that each of these 100 pessimists has written one sentence.

[tab]So you should refer to the time after all sentences were written; but if you refered to both the time of the writing and the time after all sentences were written, then it would also be correct. The latter is more important, or, in other words, you just have to and would probably almost automatically consider the time after all sentences were written.[/tab]

[tab]I believe in trinary logic: True, False, and N/A (or “invalid”/“irrational”)

Each sentence is contradicting itself and thus is an invalid statement. Logic doesn’t apply to invalid statements. They are neither true nor false.

“This statement is wrong (“untrue”/“false”)” is an invalid, irrational statement, neither wrong or right.

So actually none are wrong and none are right.[/tab]

lemme have a swing at 100 pessimists

[tab]if dude x says exactly x sentences are wrong, and we are to take the opposite of what he says, them there are 3 alternatives
exactly x sentences are NOT wrong
NOT exactly x sentences are NOT wrong
NOT exactly x sentences are wrong

of the three, only the first one is determinable, since removing the exact portion makes the result indeterminable
so I’m going to go with all sentences are correct[/tab]

That is false.

That is false.

No. It isn’t false, merely not what you were intending. And in that case, the sentences being irrational, I have no idea what imaginary answer you would be looking for.

It is false.

No.

Try to think about it again.

Three Ladies.

Three ladies gather for a meeting: Mrs. Red, Mrs. White, and Mrs. Green. One of the ladies says: “That’s strange, one of us is wearing a red, another one a white, and the third one a green blouse”. “This is really amazing”, said the lady with the red blouse, “because no one of us is wearing the blouse which corresponds to her name”. “That’s right”, Mrs. White adds.

Which lady is wearing which shirt?

[tab]Mrs white - green blouse, Mrs green - red blouse, Mrs red - white blouse.[/tab]

Yes. That is right. Can you also give the rationale? If yes: please use a tab - because of the other ILP members. Thanks.

Yes, why not.

[tab]The lady with the read blouse said that no one is wearing name macching colored blouse. It implies that lady must me either Mrs green or Mrs white. But, the next statement tells that she is not Mrs white but different. Thus, it confirms that Mrs Green is wearing red blouse. Now, as per first statement, we akready know that Mrs white is not wearing the red blouse, and she cannot wear white blose either, thus she must be wearing green blouse. Now, we have only one combintion left; Mrs red - white blouse.[/tab]

with love,
sanjay

[tab]the woman wearing red is not mrs. white because mrs white is the one replying to her, and can’t be mrs. red because her color doesn’t match the name, therefore the woman wearing red is mrs. green.[/tab]