Solve this riddle - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

Dutabi84 · 01-19-2006, 03:35 AM

It was the prison warden's birthday. He was feeling generous, so he thought that he might give someone a chance at being free again. He selects 3 prisoners for a little test.

"I have 5 hats in this bag. 3 of them are red, 2 of them are white. Each of you will take one and put it on, without knowing its color," he tells the prisoners.

After all prisoners put a hat on, prisoner #1 looks at the other 2 prisoners, and says to the warden, "I cannot tell you, with any certainty, what color hat I have on."

After that, prisoner #2 says, "I also cannot tell you, with any certainty, what color hat I have on."

Finally, prisoner #3, who happens to be blind, says, "I can tell you, with absolute certainty, what color my hat is."

Riddle: What color is the blind prisoner's hat? Explain.

dawsongirl · 01-19-2006, 03:44 AM

red? because the other 2 were wearing white and there were only 2 white hats in the bag.

don't tell me I'm wrong. -_-

Oh, wait a minute....****. You're mean.

Dutabi84 · 01-19-2006, 03:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dawsongirl

red? because the other 2 were wearing white and there were only 2 white hats in the bag.

don't tell me I'm wrong. -_-

Oh, wait a minute....****. You're mean.

Sorry, this is incorrect. It takes a pretty complicated explanation.

dawsongirl · 01-19-2006, 03:50 AM

I told you not to tell me that. Now I'm gonna go cry in the dumb people corner.

Dutabi84 · 01-19-2006, 03:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dawsongirl

I told you not to tell me that. Now I'm gonna go cry in the dumb people corner.

My math-whiz friend said it took him and a group of people over an hour to figure it out. I'm actually trying to re-figure it out again for myself.

MsOrange · 01-19-2006, 07:52 AM

my head hurts

Dutabi84 · 01-19-2006, 02:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MsOrange

my head hurts

Okay, hint time:

Spoiler: (Highlight this box to see the hidden message.)

It helps if you write down each possible outcome, and eliminate the ones that don't work.

dawsongirl · 01-19-2006, 03:08 PM

You call that a hint?

I'm too dumb for this. I mean, so how is this gonna help the warden pick a prisoner? Maybe it's all a joke and he'll really laugh in their faces and say, "Ha, I was just messin with ya. Now back to your cells." And then maybe he'll wind up dead on the shower room floor and the case will go unsolved and he'll end up on an episode of Cold Case. All because of a riddle.

Dutabi84 · 01-19-2006, 03:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dawsongirl

You call that a hint?

I'm too dumb for this. I mean, so how is this gonna help the warden pick a prisoner? Maybe it's all a joke and he'll really laugh in their faces and say, "Ha, I was just messin with ya. Now back to your cells." And then maybe he'll wind up dead on the shower room floor and the case will go unsolved and he'll end up on an episode of Cold Case. All because of a riddle.

!! The warden just wants the prisoners to think. And, there is an actual answer. It's actually pretty easy to eliminate a couple of the possibilities right off the bat...so KEEP TRYING!

dawsongirl · 01-19-2006, 03:26 PM

Well hell, now I'm drawing stick figures.

Are you sure this isn't a trick question?

Pentimento · 01-19-2006, 03:31 PM

I think he's wearing a red hat. It's difficult to explain, but here goes:

If either of the first two prisoners was seeing two white hats, he would have immediately said he was wearing red. If the first prisoner saw the third prisoner wearing a white hat and the second wearing a red one, he wouldn't know the color of his own hat. He would know that if the second prisoner saw two white hats, he would say so immediately. So even though prisoner #1 wouldn't see two white hats, he'd know he was wearing a red hat, because if he were wearing a white hat, #2 would see #3 and #1 both wearing white hats and would have said his was red. Since #2 didn't know the color of his hat, we know he also didn't see two white hats. All of that, however, is based on the assumption that #3 is wearing a white hat. If so, #1 or #2 would realize after a while that they were wearing red. Since neither of them knew the color of his own hat, #3 knows that he isn't wearing a white hat, so he's wearing a red one.

Of course the whole thing hinges on all three of the prisoners being highly logical people, which I find unlikely. If they were that smart, they probably wouldn't have gotten caught in whatever crime led them to be doing time in the first place.

MsOrange · 01-19-2006, 03:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pentimento

I think he's wearing a red hat. It's difficult to explain, but here goes:

If either of the first two prisoners was seeing two white hats, he would have immediately said he was wearing red. If the first prisoner saw the third prisoner wearing a white hat and the second wearing a red one, he wouldn't know the color of his own hat. He would know that if the second prisoner saw two white hats, he would say so immediately. So even though prisoner #1 wouldn't see two white hats, he'd know he was wearing a red hat, because if he were wearing a white hat, #2 would see #3 and #1 both wearing white hats and would have said his was red. Since #2 didn't know the color of his hat, we know he also didn't see two white hats. All of that, however, is based on the assumption that #3 is wearing a white hat. If so, #1 or #2 would realize after a while that they were wearing red. Since neither of them knew the color of his own hat, #3 knows that he isn't wearing a white hat, so he's wearing a red one.

Of course the whole thing hinges on all three of the prisoners being highly logical people, which I find unlikely. If they were that smart, they probably wouldn't have gotten caught in whatever crime led them to be doing time in the first place.

i'm even more confused now

dawsongirl · 01-19-2006, 03:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pentimento

I think he's wearing a red hat. It's difficult to explain, but here goes:

If either of the first two prisoners was seeing two white hats, he would have immediately said he was wearing red. If the first prisoner saw the third prisoner wearing a white hat and the second wearing a red one, he wouldn't know the color of his own hat. He would know that if the second prisoner saw two white hats, he would say so immediately. So even though prisoner #1 wouldn't see two white hats, he'd know he was wearing a red hat, because if he were wearing a white hat, #2 would see #3 and #1 both wearing white hats and would have said his was red. Since #2 didn't know the color of his hat, we know he also didn't see two white hats. All of that, however, is based on the assumption that #3 is wearing a white hat. If so, #1 or #2 would realize after a while that they were wearing red. Since neither of them knew the color of his own hat, #3 knows that he isn't wearing a white hat, so he's wearing a red one.

Of course the whole thing hinges on all three of the prisoners being highly logical people, which I find unlikely. If they were that smart, they probably wouldn't have gotten caught in whatever crime led them to be doing time in the first place.

Can I steal his answer?

Dutabi84 · 01-19-2006, 03:40 PM

And Pentimento is our winner!

It is hard to explain, especially if you have to type it all out like that..the hardest combination to disprove is prisoners #1 and #2 wearing red, with the blind prisoner wearing white, but this part of your explanation does a good job of doing so:

"So even though prisoner #1 wouldn't see two white hats, he'd know he was wearing a red hat, because if he were wearing a white hat, #2 would see #3 and #1 both wearing white hats and would have said his was red. Since #2 didn't know the color of his hat, we know he also didn't see two white hats. All of that, however, is based on the assumption that #3 is wearing a white hat."

Pentimento · 01-19-2006, 03:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dutabi84

And Pentimento is our winner!

Good. And now I think I need to go and lie down.

01-19-2006, 03:35 AM	#1
Dutabi84 kittens must die Forum Fanatic Join Date: Apr 22, 2003 Location: MN/TX Posts: 11,026	Solve this riddle It was the prison warden's birthday. He was feeling generous, so he thought that he might give someone a chance at being free again. He selects 3 prisoners for a little test. "I have 5 hats in this bag. 3 of them are red, 2 of them are white. Each of you will take one and put it on, without knowing its color," he tells the prisoners. After all prisoners put a hat on, prisoner #1 looks at the other 2 prisoners, and says to the warden, "I cannot tell you, with any certainty, what color hat I have on." After that, prisoner #2 says, "I also cannot tell you, with any certainty, what color hat I have on." Finally, prisoner #3, who happens to be blind, says, "I can tell you, with absolute certainty, what color my hat is." Riddle: What color is the blind prisoner's hat? Explain.

01-19-2006, 03:44 AM	#2
dawsongirl Member Forum Icon Join Date: Jan 04, 2001 Posts: 53,140	red? because the other 2 were wearing white and there were only 2 white hats in the bag. don't tell me I'm wrong. -_- Oh, wait a minute....****. You're mean.

01-19-2006, 03:50 AM	#4
dawsongirl Member Forum Icon Join Date: Jan 04, 2001 Posts: 53,140	I told you not to tell me that. Now I'm gonna go cry in the dumb people corner.

01-19-2006, 07:52 AM	#6
MsOrange Bringin' Sexy Back Forum Veteran Join Date: Dec 27, 2004 Posts: 6,133	my head hurts

01-19-2006, 03:08 PM	#8
dawsongirl Member Forum Icon Join Date: Jan 04, 2001 Posts: 53,140	You call that a hint? I'm too dumb for this. I mean, so how is this gonna help the warden pick a prisoner? Maybe it's all a joke and he'll really laugh in their faces and say, "Ha, I was just messin with ya. Now back to your cells." And then maybe he'll wind up dead on the shower room floor and the case will go unsolved and he'll end up on an episode of Cold Case. All because of a riddle.

01-19-2006, 03:26 PM	#10
dawsongirl Member Forum Icon Join Date: Jan 04, 2001 Posts: 53,140	Well hell, now I'm drawing stick figures. Are you sure this isn't a trick question?

01-19-2006, 03:31 PM	#11
Pentimento Member Forum Regular Join Date: Feb 16, 2004 Location: The Big Valley Posts: 606	I think he's wearing a red hat. It's difficult to explain, but here goes: If either of the first two prisoners was seeing two white hats, he would have immediately said he was wearing red. If the first prisoner saw the third prisoner wearing a white hat and the second wearing a red one, he wouldn't know the color of his own hat. He would know that if the second prisoner saw two white hats, he would say so immediately. So even though prisoner #1 wouldn't see two white hats, he'd know he was wearing a red hat, because if he were wearing a white hat, #2 would see #3 and #1 both wearing white hats and would have said his was red. Since #2 didn't know the color of his hat, we know he also didn't see two white hats. All of that, however, is based on the assumption that #3 is wearing a white hat. If so, #1 or #2 would realize after a while that they were wearing red. Since neither of them knew the color of his own hat, #3 knows that he isn't wearing a white hat, so he's wearing a red one. Of course the whole thing hinges on all three of the prisoners being highly logical people, which I find unlikely. If they were that smart, they probably wouldn't have gotten caught in whatever crime led them to be doing time in the first place.

01-19-2006, 03:40 PM	#14
Dutabi84 kittens must die Forum Fanatic Join Date: Apr 22, 2003 Location: MN/TX Posts: 11,026	And Pentimento is our winner! It is hard to explain, especially if you have to type it all out like that..the hardest combination to disprove is prisoners #1 and #2 wearing red, with the blind prisoner wearing white, but this part of your explanation does a good job of doing so: "So even though prisoner #1 wouldn't see two white hats, he'd know he was wearing a red hat, because if he were wearing a white hat, #2 would see #3 and #1 both wearing white hats and would have said his was red. Since #2 didn't know the color of his hat, we know he also didn't see two white hats. All of that, however, is based on the assumption that #3 is wearing a white hat."