I have a bag containing the digits 0 through 9, and used six of them to stick two different three-

digit perfect squares on the foreheads of Paul and George !oth Paul and George know this fact, but
each one can see onl" the other#s number
I ask Paul, $%ow man" of the digits remaining in m" bag can "ou exactl" tell me&$
Paul replies, $'hree$
If I now ask the same question to George, what should he repl"&
(ubmitted b" pcbouhid
)ating* 4.2500 +, votes-
Solution: (Hide)
'he squares are 169, 196, 256, 289, 324, 361, 529, 576, 625, 729, 784, 841, 961.
(ince 0 isn#t used in an" of the squares, it must be one of the four digits left in the bag
Paul has to conclude knowledge of two digits from George#s forehead
+---------------------------+------------------------------+
| If Georges | Pauls number |
| forehead shows | can be |
+---------------------------+------------------------------+
| 169 (or 196, 961) | 3!, "#! |
+---------------------------+------------------------------+
| $6 (or 6$) | "#!, #!1 |
+---------------------------+------------------------------+
| #9 | 361, $"6 |
+---------------------------+------------------------------+
| 3! | 169 (196, 961), $"6 |
+---------------------------+------------------------------+
| 361 | #9, $9, "9, "#! |
+---------------------------+------------------------------+
| $9 | 361, "#!, #!1 |
+---------------------------+------------------------------+
| $"6 | #9, 3!, #!1 |
+---------------------------+------------------------------+
| "9 | 361, #!1 |
+---------------------------+------------------------------+
| "#! | 169(%%%), $6(6$), 361, $9 |
+---------------------------+------------------------------+
| #!1 | $6(6$), $9, $"6, "9 |
+---------------------------+------------------------------+
.rom that list, onl" if George/s forehead shows 012 +or 201- can Paul know three digits 3, , must
be on his head and 0, 4 , 5, 6, 9 ma" be in the bag %e doesn#t know if 63, or 3,4 is on his head,
therefore he doesn#t know if 4 or 6 is in the bag 'he digits he knows are in the bag are 0, 5, and 9
George, of course, being equall" intelligent, figures this out7 figures he must have 012 on his head
for Paul to answer $three$
8nd can piece together the digit pu99le from what he can see on Paul#s forehead %e#ll know all four
digits in the bag * 0, 5, 9 and either 4 or 6 depending on what Paul/s forehead shows
(o, George/s answer is "ou!."
Si! "e#i$u%, one evening, rather unwisel", announced at dinner that he was cutting someone out of
his will (ure enough, the next morning, Si! "e#i$u% was found slumped over the desk in his stud",
having been fatall" stabbed with a paper-knife
He!loc$ Shol&e%, renowned private investigator, immediatel" began questioning all the suspects
to discover who had seen the victim last
%ere are their statements, all of which are true*
a- %is long-time friend, '(!tin, said * "I went to the study to show Sir Levikus a first edition I
bought yesterday. He kept it to examine more closely."
b- "(d) *(ne +m" sweet :ad" ;ane-, (ir :evikus/s wife +now widow-, said * "I borrowed the
evening newspaper from my husband. There was no paperknife present at that time! I would have
remembered it."
c- +(th(n, the son of the deceased, said* "I did not have coffee with my father. "hen I went to
the study he was reading the newspaper and smoking a cigar. He showed me #artin$s first
edition."
d- "i%(, (ir :evikus/s daughter, said * "I went to return the newspaper mother had borrowed."
e- ,o&, the butler, said* "%s was usual after dinner& I brought the coffee service to the study. Sir
Levikus was at his desk reading the evening newspaper."
f- -en), the maid, said* "I only went in to clear the coffee service. I did see that four cups had
been used."
g- .!i%ti(n, the brother of the murdered man, said* "Since there was no coffee when I went to the
study& we had brandy together. I wanted to look at the newspaper& but it was not in the room."
h- Si&one, (ir :evikus/s niece, said* "'ertainly I recogni(e the paperknife. #y uncle brought it
out when we were having coffee together. I noticed that one other cup had been used."
He!loc$ Shol&e%/s incisive brain immediatel" determined who was the last person to visit (ir
:evikus and thus, was his murderer
/ho 0(% the $ille!1 .(n )ou li%t Si! "e#i$u%2% ei3ht #i%ito!% in o!de!1 Sho0 )ou!
!e(%onin34
(ubmitted b" pcbouhid
)ating* 3.7857 +4, votes-
Solution: (Hide)
'he order in which the suspects entered the stud" is * 'om, :ad" ;ane, (imone, <artin, )en",
=ristian, :isa and >athan 'hus, +(th(n 0(% the &u!de!e!.
'he ke" is the coee
.our cups were used, so three people drank with the victim 'he second was Si&one, but the first
and the third are unknown
(ince .!i%ti(n and +(th(n didn/t drink coffee, "(d) *(ne, "i%( and '(!tin are the onl" other
possible coffee drinkers
.!i%ti(n saw no coffee If he entered before ,o& had brought the coffee in, then "(d) *(ne must
have entered still earlier +to take the paper she wanted to see- 8nd "i%( must have returned the
paper after .!i%ti(n, but before ,o& brought the coffee +since he saw it- 'hat would leave onl"
one coffee drinker of the three - '(!tin - which is impossible 'herefore, .!i%ti(n entered after
-en) had cleared the coffee
(ince "i%( returned the paper after .!i%ti(n, she was too late for coffee 'he coffee drinkers must
be "(d) *(ne and '(!tin, and since "(d) *(ne saw no paper-knife, she must entered before
Si&one, and '(!tin entered after
+(th(n entered after '(!tin +the first edition-, and after "i%( +the newspaper-, and so must have
been the last person in the stud", and therefore the murderer
'hree cars entered the parking lot at the same time, and the attendant isn#t quite sure about whose
car is which %owever, he knows that*
a =uthbert drove the !<? if and onl" if <r =ooper drove the 8udi
b 8lbert drove the =adillac if and onl" if <r =ooper drove the !<?
c =uthbert is <r !rown if and onl" if <r 8ndrews drove the !<?
d !ert is <r 8ndrews if and onl" if =uthbert drove the !<?
e <r =ooper drove the 8udi if and onl" if 8lbert is <r !rown
f =uthbert is <r !rown if and onl" if 8lbert drove the =adillac
?ho arrived in which car&
(ubmitted b" 5ld 5!i3in(l 5%$(!4
)ating* 2.0000 +4 votes-
Solution: (Hide)
!ert !rown drove the !<?
8lbert 8ndrew#s drove the 8udi
=uthbert =ooper drove the =adillac
8 dumb wa" of solving this* @ust assume ever"thing is wrongA .or example, from +a- <r =ooper
BIB>#' drive the 8udi7 from +b- he BIB>#' drive the !<? either, so he drove the =adillacAA 7--
(ubmitted b" 5ld 5!i3in(l 5%$(!4
)ating* 2.0000 +4 votes-
In the pu99le .our people on a !ridge we met four people who needed to cross a bridge at night In
this pu99le, there are five people who must cross two sequential bridges at night 8s in the original
pu99le, there are some hindrances*
'he bridges can onl" support two people crossing at a time
Cach person has a different speed in which the" can cross* 40 minutes, 6 minutes, 1 minutes, 0
minutes, and 4 minute
'he" have onl" two flashlights to share among them
?hat is the shortest amount of time it will take for all five people to cross both bridges&
(ubmitted b" 6!i$ 5.
)ating* 3.8000 +1 votes-
Solution: (Hide)
06 minutes
'+0--'+0- 4, 0 cross the first bridge
'+0--'+40- 6, 40 cross the first bridge
'+0--'+,- 4, 0 cross the second bridge
'+,--'+1- 4 returns to the middle
'+40--'+00- 6, 40 cross second bridge
'+40--'+45- 4 returns to the starting point
'+45--'+43- 4, 1 cross the first bridge
'+00--'+06- 4, 1 cross the second bridge