On a small island in the middle of the ocean, there lives a tribe of people. The number of people does not matter - let's say fifty. Each person in the tribe has either blue eyes or green eyes. However, there are no mirrors on this island and the ocean is too murky so the tribesmen have NO way of knowing what color their eyes are. Furthermore, the capriciousgod the islanders worship has forbidden them to reveal to each other what color eyes they have. The islanders are devout and thus far have obeyed their god's command, so none of them know what color eyes they have. One day their god tells them that all blue eyed people must kill themselves and if they do, all the islanders will go to heaven. However, if a blue-eyed person doesn't commit suicide, or if any green eyed person commits suicide or is harmed in any way, or if, during the process, any islanders communicate in any way, all the islanders will go to hell. The islanders believe their god, and after a time, they succeed in carrying out his command. Keeping in mind that the exact number of islanders is irrelevant, how do they do it? Hints: 1) No, this is not a trick question. 2) The answer does not rely on a play on words. 3) The answer has nothing to do with genetics or reproduction 4) No, they can't just gouge out their eyes and look (green-eyes can't come to harm) 5) No, there is not just one blue-eyed islander (that would be a trick question) 6) Many people have suggested that the islanders could look at their own reflection in each other's eyes to determine what their own eye color is. Try this. It is not possible.
Please do not look it up on the internet, or tell the answer if you had already figured it out before.
The greens give all the blues a knife. Its not communicating, its providing a means to perform the ritual.
You know, I'm going to change my riddle. I'm going to use this one, as this is the one I solved. The one I posted I thought was the same, and while it is, it makes for wildly varying answers.
well, if everyone can see everyone else's eyes then they will all eventually leave. If you have a couple people with blue eyes each will see the other still on the island after midnight and assume that each have the blue eyes and leave. Or something of that sort.
I want to know when you think they will leave. 'Eventually' isn't really an option. *smile*
After midnight I suppose.
After how many days?
This one isn't so easy. Best riddle I've ever seen.
Well, if there are 100 blue-eyed people, then it would take 100 days. I think that would work for any number of people. If there are x blue-eyed people it would take x days.
I tried to simplify the riddle and thought, what if there was 1 brown eyed person and 1 blue eyed person on the island.
"I see someone with blue eyes."
The blue eyed person would have to conclude, since s/he is a perfect logician, that s/he is the blue eyed person, and leave at midnight on first day. The brown-eyed person doesn't leave, but s/he knows his/her eyes aren't blue, since the blue eyed person left immediately, on the first day. The brown eyed person knows that the blue eyed person figured out that his/her eyes were blue by examining the brown-eyed person. Bah, what a mouthful.
I'm trying to figure out how to do it with two people of each color.
If there are two blue eyed and two brown eyed people on the island...
brown1, brown2 see 1 brown, 2 blue.
blue1, blue2 see 1blue, 2 brown. As a result, none of them leave, because none of them need to think that they have blue eyes.
Midnight hits on the first day.
blue1 and blue2 have not left the island. So, blue1 thinks that blue2 sees another blue eyed person, and since the other two are brown, s/he is the only possibility. If blue2 thinks the same way, both of them have to leave at midnight on the second day.
I walk on all fours in the morning, two in the afternoon, and three in the evening. What am I?
A person. Baby, adult, elder (with a cane).
Correct. If I remember correctly I saw this on an old Ghostbusters episode years ago, haha. Something about the mythical Sphynx that plagued Egypt, he would kill the people if they could not answer the riddle correctly.
I walk on all fours in the morning, two in the afternoon, and three in the evening. What am I?
A person. Baby, adult, elder (with a cane).
Correct. If I remember correctly I saw this on an old Ghostbusters episode years ago, haha. Something about the mythical Sphynx that plagued Egypt, he would kill the people if they could not answer the riddle correctly.
It's from Greek mythology. A sphinx terrorized a city, swooping down and asking any traveler it found a riddle. If the person couldn't answer it would kill them Oedipus (of the mother-marrying fame) correctly answered this riddle and the sphinx killed herself in shame.
New riddle:
A father and son go on a trip together, and get in a terrible car accident. Two ambulances come and take them to two seperate hospitals. When the child is brought into the operationg room, the doctor exclaims 'I can't operate on this person, it's my son!" How is this possible?
I walk on all fours in the morning, two in the afternoon, and three in the evening. What am I?
A person. Baby, adult, elder (with a cane).
Correct. If I remember correctly I saw this on an old Ghostbusters episode years ago, haha. Something about the mythical Sphynx that plagued Egypt, he would kill the people if they could not answer the riddle correctly.
It's from Greek mythology. A sphinx terrorized a city, swooping down and asking any traveler it found a riddle. If the person couldn't answer it would kill them Oedipus (of the mother-marrying fame) correctly answered this riddle and the sphinx killed herself in shame.
New riddle:
A father and son go on a trip together, and get in a terrible car accident. Two ambulances come and take them to two seperate hospitals. When the child is brought into the operationg room, the doctor exclaims 'I can't operate on this person, it's my son!" How is this possible?
The father and son in the acident are father and son but in different families and are not related to eachother.
A father and son go on a trip together, and get in a terrible car accident. Two ambulances come and take them to two seperate hospitals. When the child is brought into the operationg room, the doctor exclaims 'I can't operate on this person, it's my son!" How is this possible? that ones easy. The doctor is the father's father.
I love it when people say "that one's easy," and then they get it dead wrong.
The real answer: The doctor is the boy's mother, the father's wife. Shame on all of you for assuming the doctor is male... sexist bastards.
_____________________________________ "Io rido, e rider mio non passa dentro; Io ardo, e l'arsion mia non par di fore." -Machiavelli
A father and son go on a trip together, and get in a terrible car accident. Two ambulances come and take them to two seperate hospitals. When the child is brought into the operationg room, the doctor exclaims 'I can't operate on this person, it's my son!" How is this possible? that ones easy. The doctor is the father's father.
I love it when people say "that one's easy," and then they get it dead wrong.
The real answer: The doctor is the boy's mother, the father's wife. Shame on all of you for assuming the doctor is male... sexist bastards.
Explain using the logic of the riddle how he is wrong. Especially "dead" wrong.
Just because it may not be the given answer on the riddle site you took it from does not make him wrong, as his answer, obviously, could be correct also. Which if anyone cared, is the reason most riddles suck *****, as they are not generally based on logic, although they purport it.
I would agree with that, 'father's father' is a valid answer. Of course, it kind of detracts from the point of that riddle, which is to be an ass and bitch at people because they're supposed to choose the sexist answer.
Comments
The greens give all the blues a knife. Its not communicating, its providing a means to perform the ritual.
You know, I'm going to change my riddle. I'm going to use this one, as this is the one I solved. The one I posted I thought was the same, and while it is, it makes for wildly varying answers.
There is an island that is considered to be paradise. All the inhibitants of the island are Perfect Logicians, and every knows of every that they are Perfect Logicans. Exactly 100 of these persons have blue eyes, 100 have brown eyes, and 1 has green eyes. The inhibitants do not know what his/her color eyes is. Everyone is constantly aware of everyone elses eye color but no person knows that there are 100 blue eyed, 100 brown eyed, and 1 green eyed person on the island. If a person finds out his/her own eye color she/he must leave the island at midnight of the day she/he finds out! There are no mirrors or reflections of any kind on the island. Also, nobody on the island ever speaks except the Guru, who is the person with the green eyes, (she does not know her eye color and if she found out she would have to leave the island at midnight). The Guru says one sentence every fifty years. One day the Guru arrives and tells everyone on the island the following: I SEE SOMEONE WITH BLUE EYES. Who (if anyone) leaves the island and when?
well, if everyone can see everyone else's eyes then they will all eventually leave. If you have a couple people with blue eyes each will see the other still on the island after midnight and assume that each have the blue eyes and leave. Or something of that sort.
I want to know when you think they will leave. 'Eventually' isn't really an option. *smile*
After midnight I suppose.
I walk on all fours in the morning, two in the afternoon, and three in the evening. What am I?
A person. Baby, adult, elder (with a cane).
After midnight I suppose.
After how many days?
This one isn't so easy. Best riddle I've ever seen.
I have an easy one.
What's infront of a woman and behind a cow?
Power doesn't come from the weapon, but from the warrior wielding it.
After midnight I suppose.
After how many days?
This one isn't so easy. Best riddle I've ever seen.
Well, if there are 100 blue-eyed people, then it would take 100 days. I think that would work for any number of people. If there are x blue-eyed people it would take x days.
w
was for badaxe.
www.draftgore.com
Gore '08
I tried to simplify the riddle and thought, what if there was 1 brown eyed person and 1 blue eyed person on the island.
"I see someone with blue eyes."
The blue eyed person would have to conclude, since s/he is a perfect logician, that s/he is the blue eyed person, and leave at midnight on first day. The brown-eyed person doesn't leave, but s/he knows his/her eyes aren't blue, since the blue eyed person left immediately, on the first day. The brown eyed person knows that the blue eyed person figured out that his/her eyes were blue by examining the brown-eyed person. Bah, what a mouthful.
I'm trying to figure out how to do it with two people of each color.
www.draftgore.com
Gore '08
Acutally, if you think about it...
If there are two blue eyed and two brown eyed people on the island...
brown1, brown2 see 1 brown, 2 blue.
blue1, blue2 see 1blue, 2 brown. As a result, none of them leave, because none of them need to think that they have blue eyes.
Midnight hits on the first day.
blue1 and blue2 have not left the island. So, blue1 thinks that blue2 sees another blue eyed person, and since the other two are brown, s/he is the only possibility. If blue2 thinks the same way, both of them have to leave at midnight on the second day.
Yeah, 3 is giving me a lot of trouble.
www.draftgore.com
Gore '08
A person. Baby, adult, elder (with a cane).
Correct. If I remember correctly I saw this on an old Ghostbusters episode years ago, haha. Something about the mythical Sphynx that plagued Egypt, he would kill the people if they could not answer the riddle correctly.
A person. Baby, adult, elder (with a cane).
Correct. If I remember correctly I saw this on an old Ghostbusters episode years ago, haha. Something about the mythical Sphynx that plagued Egypt, he would kill the people if they could not answer the riddle correctly.
It's from Greek mythology. A sphinx terrorized a city, swooping down and asking any traveler it found a riddle. If the person couldn't answer it would kill them Oedipus (of the mother-marrying fame) correctly answered this riddle and the sphinx killed herself in shame.
New riddle:
A father and son go on a trip together, and get in a terrible car accident. Two ambulances come and take them to two seperate hospitals. When the child is brought into the operationg room, the doctor exclaims 'I can't operate on this person, it's my son!" How is this possible?
A person. Baby, adult, elder (with a cane).
Correct. If I remember correctly I saw this on an old Ghostbusters episode years ago, haha. Something about the mythical Sphynx that plagued Egypt, he would kill the people if they could not answer the riddle correctly.
It's from Greek mythology. A sphinx terrorized a city, swooping down and asking any traveler it found a riddle. If the person couldn't answer it would kill them Oedipus (of the mother-marrying fame) correctly answered this riddle and the sphinx killed herself in shame.
New riddle:
A father and son go on a trip together, and get in a terrible car accident. Two ambulances come and take them to two seperate hospitals. When the child is brought into the operationg room, the doctor exclaims 'I can't operate on this person, it's my son!" How is this possible?
The father and son in the acident are father and son but in different families and are not related to eachother.
I love it when people say "that one's easy," and then they get it dead wrong.
The real answer: The doctor is the boy's mother, the father's wife. Shame on all of you for assuming the doctor is male... sexist bastards.
_____________________________________
"Io rido, e rider mio non passa dentro;
Io ardo, e l'arsion mia non par di fore."
-Machiavelli
I love it when people say "that one's easy," and then they get it dead wrong.
The real answer: The doctor is the boy's mother, the father's wife. Shame on all of you for assuming the doctor is male... sexist bastards.
Explain using the logic of the riddle how he is wrong. Especially "dead" wrong.
Just because it may not be the given answer on the riddle site you took it from does not make him wrong, as his answer, obviously, could be correct also. Which if anyone cared, is the reason most riddles suck *****, as they are not generally based on logic, although they purport it.
- Burying Threads Since 1979 -
I would agree with that, 'father's father' is a valid answer. Of course, it kind of detracts from the point of that riddle, which is to be an ass and bitch at people because they're supposed to choose the sexist answer.