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Path: utzoo!linus!decvax!decwrl!pyramid!pesnta!peora!codas!bsdpkh!latham
From: latham@bsdpkh.UUCP (Ken Latham)
Newsgroups: net.puzzle
Subject: Re: another puzzle (*SPOILER*)
Message-ID: <164@bsdpkh.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 11-Feb-86 19:21:39 EST
Article-I.D.: bsdpkh.164
Posted: Tue Feb 11 19:21:39 1986
Date-Received: Thu, 13-Feb-86 17:23:27 EST
References: <1645@hound.UUCP>
Organization: AT&T-IS (SDSS), Orlando Fl.
Lines: 49

> 
> 
>      Three men are in a room. The room has no mirrors and the three men
> are in a straight line such that the person in the back of the line
> can see the two people in front of him, the middle person can see
> only the person in front of him, and the person in front can't see
> anyone. Another person walks in with a bag containing 3 black hats
> and two red hats. The man pulls three hats at random out of the bag
> and places them randomly on the three men. He walks out of the room.
> The man in the back says,"I don't know what color hat I'm wearing."
> The man in the middle says,"I don't know what color hat I'm wearing, either."
> Now tell me what color hat the man in the front of the line is wearing
> and why.
> 
> 
>                             *** GOOD LUCK ***

-------------- NOT "GOOD LUCK" ------------ GOOD LOGIC --------------------

if the 3rd man (man in back) doesn't know then the two in front of him
are not both wearing red hats ( else he would know his to be black )

therefore #1 and #2 must be either both black or a red and a black

#2 having figured this out as any intelligent person could (assumed)
would know his hat color if #1 were wearing a red hat.

therefore the man in front (#1) is wearing a black hat!

_______________________________________________________________________________
|                             |                                               |
|        Ken Latham           |     uucp: ihnp4!bsdpkh!latham                 |
|        AT&T-IS              |     uucp: {ihnp4!decvax,peora}!ucf-cs!latham  |
|        Orlando , FL         |     arpa: latham.ucf-cs@csnet-relay           |
|        USA                  |     csnet:latham@ucf                          |
|_____________________________|_______________________________________________|
-- 

  Concerning those who have a great deal of experience:

		" There are those who have many experiences...
		  and those who have one experience many times."
_______________________________________________________________________________
|                             |                                               |
|        Ken Latham           |     uucp: ihnp4!bsdpkh!latham                 |
|        AT&T-IS              |     uucp: {ihnp4!decvax,peora}!ucf-cs!latham  |
|        Orlando , FL         |     arpa: latham.ucf-cs@csnet-relay           |
|        USA                  |     csnet:latham@ucf                          |
|_____________________________|_______________________________________________|