This is closer to the unsolved hat problem I have previously discussed than the solved hat problem I discussed. It made the rounds on a "Math Enthusiasts" mailing list I'm on today ( Read more... )

I got this one from Alasdair months ago, and it's a doozy. However, it's really only intended for the mathematically minded, so feel free to skip if you're not comfortable with introductory probability. It's a multi-part question, but the first parts are intended to be easy, so don't second-guess yourself too much on those.

1. A guy is repeatedly ( Read more... )

Also courtesy of Steamboat Steven. That guy has all kinds of neat puzzles!

There are n prisoners on a train being taken to a prison. Once they arrive there, they will each be put in separate sensory deprivation chambers. They will have no conception of how long they have been in there. However, sometimes a guard will take one of them into a room ( Read more... )

Steamboat Steven gave me this gem. Unlike my previous discussion of a hat problem, this one can be solved in a reasonably short amount of time.

There are n people on a staircase facing downstairs when a hat is placed on each person's head. There are c different hat colors, and each hat has a 1/c chance of being each color (that is to say, the ( Read more... )

Today at work we bandied about an interesting logic puzzle, and understanding the answer totally blew my mind. It goes like this ( Read more... )