CTRL+V

[Neobaron]

Different approaches to problem solving I guess. I know I am not wrong. The test doesn't lie: Any number can be the correct number.

But Tim assumes that the last question (is or is not 1 in second place) is important, but there are both squares and roots above and below 500 with 1 as the second digit, and the solution works on the premise that Jones got a straight answer that is hidden and can be deduced. ...but it can't with the given information.

*shrug*

Good thing it is extra credit.

[Shadow]

His answer is wrong. He assumes something about the answers given that is not provided in the question statement.

I dunno what he is thinking, but that is not a valid solution.

[Neobaron]

Believe me, I know.

[Shadow]

So my brain spent last night solving this instead of sleeping (thanks jon). I think I got it.

We need to make the assumption that the person asking the questions thinks that he is being told the truth on each of the first three questions. With that, and his reponse, we can infer what the answers to the first three questions must have been for him to make the 4th statement.

1) Is the number less than 500? (lied)
2) Is the number a square? (lied)
3) Is the number a cube? (truth)

4) Based on 1,2 and 3, is the second digit a 1? (truth, presumably)

I will code the answers to the first three questions as a three-character symbol, eg, yyn for  yes yes no.

Case yyy: numbers below 500 which are both cubes and squares: 64. Since there is only one, we would have no need to ask the 4th question if this were the set of answers to the first three, so the three answers were not yyy.

Case yyn: squares less than 500 which are not cubes are: 1, 4, 9, 16, 25, 36, 49, 81, 100, 121, 144, 169, 196, 225, 256, 289, 324, 361, 400, 44, 484
Of these, 1 has a second digit 1, but lots don't, so yyn is not the set of answers given, or else we would have no reason to believe that the 4th question would be of any help

Case yny: cubes below 500 which are not square are 27, 125, 343. None has second digit 1, so there is no reason to ask the 4th question. yny is not it.

Case: nyy: squares and cubes above 500 is only 729. Therefore there is no reason to ask the 4th question, and nyy is not the set of answers.

Case: ynn: far too many numbers below 500 to narrow it down, so this is not it.

Case nyn: squares above 500 which are not cubes are (lots of numbers). The 4th question could not narrow it down enough.

Case nny: cubes above 500 which are not squares: 512 and 1000. Here, the 4th question is able to give us an answer. This is the only case where asking the 4th question is actually useful, so this must be the set of answers given.

Case: nnn. Cannot narrow it down any more either...



So: We know that the answers to the three first questions are nny if the 4th question is to be of any use. If the 4th question were answers in the affirmative, we would think that the number is 512, or 1000 otherwise.

However, we know that the first to answers are false, so the actual answer set must be yyy, which leaves as possibilities only the number 64.

So, he is thinking either 512 or 1000 depending on the answer to the 4th question, but the actual answer must be 64.

Of course, we had to make the additional assumption that he though the answers given were all true.

[Neobaron]

Too many assumptions for me to accept any definitive answer, but I guess I understand it.

Still don't like it. :/

[Shadow]

relevent: http://xkcd.com/169/

[Peace Alliance]

"Amazing your body hasn't exploded from pent up ego"

One for the archive.

[Durza]

siggie it Peace, siggie it

[Pippin]

that was a handy ctrl v

[Kyrolin Zenyar]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1orMXD_Ijbs
Dunno why...
Also, Shadow, nice!

[Camaclue]

Greatest Trolling song in the world.

[Raggon]

Trololololooololooololaaaa...

[Camaclue]

NU
Ungatt is the only troll that's not a troll here, Draggon

[Ungatt Trunn II]

I'm not a troll, I'm just honest.

[Night Wolf]

Monterey bay aquarium, 886 Cannery Row Monterey, CA 93940