Brain Teasers

[Roy Hobbs]

It took me a little while to read through all these. Some real crackers, the only one I really struggled to get was the bird in Alaska one, and having seen the answer I'm not surprised I didn't get it!

I gave TP's to everyone who posted one i enjoyed.

Here's another:

A man having a meal asked the waiter for a glass, a plate, some water, a match and a lemon wedge.

When the man got them he poured enough water onto the plate to cover it.

"If you can get the water on the plate into the glass I'll give you $100" the man said to the waiter. "The only trick is, you must do it without touching or moving the plate. You're allowed to use the match and lemon to do it though."

After a while, the waiter walked away with $100 in his pocket.

How did he get the water into the glass?

I think I read the answer to this one in Maxim at one point.  It sounds like a pretty cool trick, that I have yet to experiment with.

(Since I wouldn't have gotten the answer on my own, I'll leave it to others to guess.  I'm guessing the non-science majors are going to struggle with this one, though.  Hint.)

[FatKidsDad]

I'm not sure,but I think this might work.

Place the lemon wedge in the center of the plate as a holder for the match, which you stick in to the lemon, head side up.

Light the match, and place the glass upside down over the burning match.

As the match uses up the air in the glass, it creates a vacuum, which sucks in the water seals the plate to the glass.

Turn the glass upright, and it contains the water, lemon and match.

How'd I do?

[celticmaestro]

I'm not sure,but I think this might work.

Place the lemon wedge in the center of the plate as a holder for the match, which you stick in to the lemon, head side up.

Light the match, and place the glass upside down over the burning match.

As the match uses up the air in the glass, it creates a vacuum, which sucks in the water seals the plate to the glass.

Turn the glass upright, and it contains the water, lemon and match.

How'd I do?

TP, good effort. I haven't tried this yet, but I will. Neat party trick.

[Roy Hobbs]

I'm not sure,but I think this might work.

Place the lemon wedge in the center of the plate as a holder for the match, which you stick in to the lemon, head side up.

Light the match, and place the glass upside down over the burning match.

As the match uses up the air in the glass, it creates a vacuum, which sucks in the water seals the plate to the glass.

Turn the glass upright, and it contains the water, lemon and match.

How'd I do?

TP, good effort. I haven't tried this yet, but I will. Neat party trick.

I'd like to see somebody try the "turn the glass upright" part.  I'm a bit skeptical of that.

[FatKidsDad]

I'm not sure,but I think this might work.

Place the lemon wedge in the center of the plate as a holder for the match, which you stick in to the lemon, head side up.

Light the match, and place the glass upside down over the burning match.

As the match uses up the air in the glass, it creates a vacuum, which sucks in the water seals the plate to the glass.

Turn the glass upright, and it contains the water, lemon and match.

How'd I do?

TP, good effort. I haven't tried this yet, but I will. Neat party trick.

I'd like to see somebody try the "turn the glass upright" part.  I'm a bit skeptical of that.

My theory is that the same suction that drew in the water will hold the plate in place as a lid, enabling a clean flip.  Sounds good on paper, but I haven't tried it.

[fairweatherfan]

The question may not have been perfect, but what's another reasonable answer in that case?

I don't know, but I'm not happy with the proposed answers so far.  I have a feeling I won't be terribly happy with the "official" answer, either, but I'll wait for it to be given.

My guess is that the prisoner tricked the judge with some faulty logic / induction.

And...  looks like I was right.  See here.

A murderer had been found guilty of a particularly heinous crime. The judge sentencing the murderer decides that death is too good for him; he wants to make him suffer. He passes his sentence, "You will be taken from this place, and hanged from the neck until you are dead. Before that, though, you will suffer anguish, waiting, never knowing whether this will be the day that you will die. One morning, sometime in the next week, it will happen, but until it does you will live in fear."

The murderer leaves the courtroom with a light heart, knowing that the sentence handed down to him cannot be carried out.

He reasons like this:

Suppose that on the seventh morning I am alive. I will know that that is the day that I am to die. But the judge said that I would not know the day that I am to die. Therefore I will not be hanged on the seventh day. The sixth day is the last day that it could be.

But in that case, if I am alive on the sixth morning then I will know that it is the sixth day on which I am to be hanged. But the judge said that I would not know the day that I am to die. Therefore I will not be hanged on the sixth day.

He continues, applying the same reasoning to the fifth day, and then to the fourth, and so on, concluding that he cannot be hanged on any day according to the judge’s instructions. The sentence handed down to him cannot be carried out.

He is hanged on the morning of the third day, much to his surprise.

So, the prisoner simply used the above reasoning with the judge, and he fell for it.  Therefore, faulty induction.  Apparently, this is a famous paradox called "the unexpected hanging".

Oops, didn't realize this thread was still going - Roy, that's the correct answer.  No TP for looking up, and because of the principle of diminishing marginal utility.