06/06/2024
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Recapping last week's math puzzle:

There's an escaping prisoner, he comes to a fork in the road, one way is to freedom, the other will lead to his rearrest.

He doesn't know which is which.

There's a native at the fork, there are two tribes on the island, one tribe always tells the truth but the other always lies. 

He doesn't know which tribe the native is from.

He only has time to ask ONE quick question to get away.
What ONE question do we want him to ask the native?

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Here's the answer to last week's math puzzle :-)

We want him to ask the native, 

"What time is it right now in Helsinki, Finland?"

Huh?

We WANT him to waste his question and get caught again and be dragged back to prison. 

WHERE HE BELONGS!

The guy is a convicted felon, for heavens sakes! 

We don't want to help him get away.

Especilly if he's on Devil's Island, he must have done some REALLY HEINOUS CRIME!

Unless he's Alfred Dreyfus or Richard Kimble, we don't want someone like THAT back loose in society!

Since when have you started helping escaped felons?

What's the matter with you? 

What? Are you STUPID or something! 

There it is! There it is! 

I TOLD you math puzzles were just an excuse to put people down!

Wait, that makes ME the "pompous jerk"!

That can't be right!

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Actually, that isn't the "traditional" answer to this puzzle (even though I think it's the right one :-)

The "traditional" answer is that he should ask the native:

"Which fork would your TRIBE tell me to take?"

If he's from the "truth" tribe it will be the right one.

But if he's from the "lying" tribe, the TRIBE would LIE and tell him the WRONG fork, but the NATIVE would LIE about the LIE - and so tell him the RIGHT fork.

It's a double negative that cancels out.

In math this is called a "tautology" - the answer is always "true". 

Ya, who cares.

I told you it was a stupid, meaningless, contrived riddle.

I still like my answer better :-)



“When you come to a fork in the road, take it!” - Yogi Berra.




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