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From: king@kestrel.ARPA (Dick King)
Newsgroups: net.puzzle
Subject: Re: puzzle (liars and truth-tellers)  spoiler
Message-ID: <5161@kestrel.ARPA>
Date: Tue, 25-Feb-86 15:39:25 EST
Article-I.D.: kestrel.5161
Posted: Tue Feb 25 15:39:25 1986
Date-Received: Fri, 28-Feb-86 07:43:14 EST
Organization: Kestrel Institute, Palo Alto, CA
Lines: 21


   From: js2j@mhuxt.UUCP (sonntag)
   Newsgroups: net.puzzle
   Date: 11 Feb 86 18:20:46 GMT

   > You have heard about this place. One of the roads goes
   > straight to a hospital and the other to a alligator-infested
   > swamp. One of these people always tells the truth and the other
   > always lies. You can ask either person one question and only
   > one question in order to determine which way the hospital is.
   > What would be the question and to whom would you ask it?
   > How would this question help you to determine which way to go?

I can do it with no questions, and this will defeat the "deceptive
liar" (See, for example, one of Gardner's books on mathematical
recreations) who tries to figure out what use I intend to make of the
information he gives me and attempts to mislead me.

Punch the guy hard enough to injure him and see which way he goes.


-dick (:->)