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This famous puzzle has been updated a little, but the solution remains the same. Getting there, however, is up to the puzzler. You must examine the hints repeatedly, keeping track--in a grid, in most cases--of what is possible and not possible. It can be solved, but it usually takes an hour or so.
The shortest solution we have found on the Web is this one by Johanan Rakkav: |
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01. The Indian lives in the first house.
02. The Indian lives next to the Brown house.
03. The Indian lives next to the second house.
04. The second house therefore is Brown.
05. The owner of the third house prefers cake.
06. The gray house is to the left of the white house.
07. The owner of the gray house prefers sandwiches.
08. The gray house therefore is the fourth house.
09. The white house therefore is the fifth house.
10. The Brit lives in the red house.
11. The Brit therefore lives in the middle house.
12. The Indian’s house therefore is yellow.
13. The owner of the yellow house (the Indian) loves boxing.
14. The man who owns a mouse lives next to the man who loves boxing.
15. The man who owns a mouse therefore lives in the second house.
16. The man who plays ping pong has a neighbor who loves shrimp.
17. The neighbor who loves shrimp must therefore be the Indian.
18. The man who loves ping pong must therefore live in the second house.
19. The owner of the second house therefore cannot love ice cream.
20. The owner of the fifth house must therefore love ice cream and play tennis.
21. The owner of the second house must therefore love grapes (and be French).
22. The German must therefore live in the fourth house (and love conducting).
23. The brazilian must therefore live in the fifth house (and own an owl).
24. The Brit must therefore play the bugle (and own a bird).
25. The man who plays ping pong has a neighbor who owns a pig.
26. The indian must therefore own the pig.
27. And the German must own the fish.
A recent analysis of Albert Einstein's brain indicated that the inferior parietal portion responsible for mathematical and spatial thinking was 15% larger than normal, and that there was a much denser interconnection of neurons in that area. Or maybe hard work contributed to his genius. "I think and think for months and years," he wrote. "Ninety-nine times, the conclusion is false. The hundredth time I am right."
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Here’s a simpler one you can try yourself:
At a small high school in a galaxy far far away, the courses in quantum physics, navigation, aerial combat, spacepol (galactic governments), alien ecologies and Old Corellian are taught by just three men, each of whom teaches two subjects.
The navigation teacher and the spacepol coach live in adjacent complexes out beyond the old rebel power station.
Tallow is the youngest of the three, and the best marksman.
The three men commute together everyday from Janta Village.
Obi Thorn, the quantum physics teacher and the spacepol coach each drive one week out of three.
The quantum physics teacher is older than the guy who teaches Old Corellian.
When the principal is away at a council meeting, the combat teacher, the Old Corellian teacher and Tallow usually spend their lunch hour shooting wombats from the window of the teacher’s lounge.
What subjects does each man teach? |
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