drlove 37204 Report post Posted April 10, 2012 A man wanders in the woods on his way home. After awhile, he realizes he is lost. He comes to a fork in the road, where one path leads to the truth tellers village, and the other leads to the liars village. At the start of each path, there is a representative from the corresponding village available to answer any questions he may have. The truth teller's rep will always tell the truth, and the liar's rep will always lie. The problem is, he doesn't know who is the truth teller and who is the liar. He knows that in order to make it safely home, he must get to the truth tellers village where he will be provided with help. What does he do in order to ensure he will end up at the truth teller's village? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
backrubman 64800 Report post Posted April 10, 2012 and the liar's rep will always lie. Well you did say any question, so how about one he already knows the truthful answer to? :) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest W***ledi*Time Report post Posted April 10, 2012 ha ha ... this brings back a great memory. A similar question was asked in my second-year logic seminar thirty-odd years ago. There were about six students in the class, and it took about fifteen minutes for one of us to come up with the answer - and it wasn't me. One possible trick is to ask a hypothetical question, so the liar has to double-lie - therefore winding up telling the truth after all. Something like: "If I were to ask you if this was the road to the truth-teller's village, what would you say?" Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Grizzly Slushie 1487 Report post Posted April 10, 2012 He asks both of them "Point for me where your Village is??". The one who always says the truth will point him to the Truth Village, and the one who lies will also point to the Truth Village because he has to lie about his own Village. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
drlove 37204 Report post Posted April 10, 2012 Exactly - It's definitely a problem you have to think about for awhile, but when you hear the answer, it seems so obvious! It's one of those questions where you go, "now why didn't I think of that?" Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Grizzly Slushie 1487 Report post Posted April 11, 2012 It is easy when you think like a child ha ha, adults usually lose this ability where we see basic, neutral facts of life in books, around us and with our families. Kind of just stuck with me as I never grew up. There is one riddle I have to find, pretty interesting, it is about Animals. Look forward to Mind Puzzle # 3..... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
NotchJohnson 214123 Report post Posted April 11, 2012 The question I would ask to either one of them would be "If I was to ask the other representative which road leads to the truth village which road would he point me to" therefor the liar would tell a lie about the truth teller and the truth teller would tell the lie that the liar would say, So simply take the other road. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
drlove 37204 Report post Posted April 11, 2012 Or, since he doesn't know who is the truth teller and who is the liar, he could ask each of the two reps "Which way is it to your village?" Both will point toward the path of the truth teller's village. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest S**a*Q Report post Posted April 11, 2012 Wasn't this question, or something similar in the movie Labyrinth? (Where she gets to the two doors or something...?) Found it... :D These guys. Sarah's Certain Death Riddle. (Ha, Sara.) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
drlove 37204 Report post Posted April 11, 2012 Wasn't this question, or something similar in the movie Labyrinth? (Where she gets to the two doors or something...?) Found it... :D These guys. Sarah's Certain Death Riddle. (Ha, Sara.) Interesting... I never saw the movie. Thanks for sharing! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites