Yes/No-question puzzle

mqdar · Post by **mqdar** » Fri Aug 08, 2008 6:36 am

Marinus has given me permission to do my puzzle here, so here it is:

Someone is completely surrounded by others, yet he is safe. How?

Marinus · Post by **Marinus** » Fri Aug 08, 2008 6:41 am

Are the other people his bodyguard?

mqdar · Post by **mqdar** » Fri Aug 08, 2008 6:59 am

Marinus · Post by **Marinus** » Fri Aug 08, 2008 7:30 am

Ok, I tell what I think:

1 The "someone" is the same as the "he"?
2 He is just a normal man?
3 The others are also people?
a men?
b women?
c both?
4 If he was not surrounded by others, there was danger?
5 The danger is caused by:
a people?
b animals?
c nature?
6 The story could be really happened?
7 There are some kind of weapons involved?
8 They or some of them are:
a standing still?
b walking?
c sitting?
d laying?
e being in some kind of vehicle?

mqdar · Post by **mqdar** » Fri Aug 08, 2008 7:39 am

Lots of interesting questions Marinus.

1. Yes.
2. He is a man, but not a normal (or ordinary) man.
3. Yes.
a. Doesn't matter.
b. Doesn't matter.
c. Doesn't matter.
4. It depends. You could go into this more.
5:
a. Yes
b. No
c. No
6. No
7. I don't know, so it doesn't matter.
8:
a. Yes
b. No
c. No
d. No, and by the way, it's "lying."
e. No

Marinus · Post by **Marinus** » Fri Aug 08, 2008 8:42 am

Thanks

At least I know the story could not really be happened so that makes it pretty difficult

1 Is it such as a story from a book, movie or legend, by example, like the stories of Muzozavr about Superman and the Greek mythology?
2 If 1=yes, book? movie? legend? game? something else?
3 Do I need special knowledge about those things?
4 Is the way the man is not ordinar also impossible in real life?
5 Are the others also not ordinar?
6 Is the exact kind of danger possible in real life
7 Is the number of the other people and/or the distance between them important to this riddle?
8 If 7=yes, by several Y/N questions I can find out their number and distance, but to make a long story short, please tell me.
9 Is the danger caused directly by the other people?
10 Are there more people involved in the story beside:
- the man
- the surrounding people
- the danger-causing people
11 If there should be danger if the surrounding people weren't there depends. It depends:
a on the man?
b on how the man acts?
c on the environment?
d on the danger-causing people?

mqdar · Post by **mqdar** » Fri Aug 08, 2008 9:09 am

1. No.
2. Game: yes!
3. Yes
4. Partly
5. Yes
6. No
7. Number: yes. Distance: do you mean the distance between the others themselves, or the others and the man?
8.

I don't understand this one. Could you explain more?
9. Yes
10. There may be.
11. There are two different types of 'there.'

Anyway:
a. No
b. Yes
c. No
d. Yes

Marinus · Post by **Marinus** » Fri Aug 08, 2008 9:51 am

Well, since it's about a game and I need knowledge about it, I hope the game is Wonderland, otherwise it may be (almost) impossible for me to guess the answer, isn't it?

In that case I guess the man is Stinky, Loof or Peegue, (For they say Qookie is a woman) the other people are blue shadowstinkers and the danger-causing people are such as ghosts, rainbow spirits, coiley's, chompers, kabooms, Zbots ..... did I forget one?

About lying and laying, that's always confusing to me for I thought lying also means: telling a lie. And as far it's only confusing between laying something on a table or lying (myself) on the floor or a bed it's no big deal.

With distance I actually meant both: between the man and the others and between the others theirselves

About question 8 I meant, if you have a number in your mind, let's say 283, I can always find out what the exact number is by asking Y/N questions:
>10 y
>100 y
>1000 n
>500 n
>250 y
>400 n
>300 n
>275 y
>287 n
>280 y
>283 n
>282 y

So instead of a very long and boring story with Y/N questions I think a question like: How many people, or how many meters, is a better alternative for that. So my question was: how many people are there and how many meters from each other. But since it's about a game, it's the question if there are meters.

mqdar · Post by **mqdar** » Fri Aug 08, 2008 6:56 pm

So, what are the questions you're going to ask? You've wondered, but not asked.

Marinus · Post by **Marinus** » Fri Aug 08, 2008 7:39 pm

Well let me say, everything I'm wondering is a question, especially:

1 Is it about Wonderland?
2 If 1=y, Is it about/almost/sort of what I described?
3 If 1=n,
a Is it about a game most people are supposed to know?
b If I don't know, is it almost impossible to find out?

mqdar · Post by **mqdar** » Fri Aug 08, 2008 10:58 pm

1. No
2. It is an interesting and creative idea, but no.
3. Yes
a. I hope so
b. What sort of "find out" do you mean?

Marinus · Post by **Marinus** » Sat Aug 09, 2008 8:45 am

mqdar wrote:What sort of "find out" do you mean?

To get the answer of your riddle of course.

Please try to be a bit more flexible.

Just in case you should have a riddle about Wonderland like my example. I think it's impossible for someone who've never heard about Wonderland, to find out how the story goes. Allright? For Stinky can jump 10 times his own height and when he lands on the floor there's nothing wrong, but if he makes a small jump and he lands on water or on a wall, then he's dead. For someone who doesn't know Wonderland that's completely un-imaginable.

However, the Superman-kryptonite story is even for someone who never heard of that story almost solvable. For everyone knows something about radioactivity, so they can guess so far that there's a man very ill and unconscious, because there is a stone that sends radioactive radiation. You see?

So if it's (almost) impossible for me to find out the story because I don't know about that game, I'm gonna quit with it.

Muzozavr · Post by **Muzozavr** » Sat Aug 09, 2008 8:49 am

Is it a level 99 hero surrounded by monsters on the first level, and they can't even hit him, let alone damage?

mqdar · Post by **mqdar** » Sat Aug 09, 2008 8:18 pm

Muzozavr wrote:Is it a level 99 hero surrounded by monsters on the first level, and they can't even hit him, let alone damage?

So instead they hit each other then, while the hero watches in astonishment?

Marinus:
3b. No

You can definately find out.

Marinus · Post by **Marinus** » Sun Aug 10, 2008 8:09 am

Ok let's go on.

1 Is it a computergame?
2 Are those people charactars in that game?
3 Is the man the main character who is controlled by the player?
4 Is there only one character controlled by the player?
5 Are there other characters controlled by the computer?

mqdar · Post by **mqdar** » Sun Aug 10, 2008 8:39 am

1. Can be
2. Yes
3. Yes
4. No
5. Possibly

"Yes/No question" is equivalent to the question being a boolean variable. Does this exclude fuzzy logic?

Marinus · Post by **Marinus** » Sun Aug 10, 2008 8:41 am

Is it chess?

mqdar · Post by **mqdar** » Sun Aug 10, 2008 8:43 am

Marinus · Post by **Marinus** » Sun Aug 10, 2008 8:45 am

That was a good riddle though!

Thanks.

I don't know a good one at the moment.

mqdar · Post by **mqdar** » Sun Aug 10, 2008 8:54 am

You have checkmated me!

Even though you know now, I'd still like to explian fully:

The man is the white king. The surrounding people are the black pieces.

Code: Select all

RBN
PKB
RNP

When you asked, "Would there be danger if the surrounding weren't there?" I had two meanings for that. One, they weren't there at all (so no). Two, they weren't surrounding, but were still on the board (so yes).

Who would like to go next?

BTW, this puzzle came from my current 'addiction' to chess. Do any of you on here like chess at all? I know an online chess website.

Marinus · Post by **Marinus** » Sun Aug 10, 2008 9:28 am

Actually I had in mind, the surrounding people are the other white pieces and the danger-causers are the black ones.

I don't quite understand the meaning of that position. And for I'm Dutch I'm not quite sure which symbol is which piece. I think:
R=Rook (tower or castle)
N=kNight (horse)
B=Bishop (diagonal walker, in Dutch called "walker")
P=Pawn
Right?

I also like chess, I used to play it a lot in earlier days, but is it necessary both players are online at the same time, and have to finish the game at once?
If we can take time quietly it's allright with me to play a game chess with you.

mqdar · Post by **mqdar** » Sun Aug 10, 2008 9:32 am

Yes, you got the letters right.

Sorry, I'd love to play you Marinus, but it's bed-time for me. Here's the site:
http://www.caissa.com

You have to sign up if you want to play. It's free.

Dizzy1 · Post by **Dizzy1** » Wed Aug 13, 2008 12:58 am

Ok Romeo, you don't get a turn because you took too long to post the question. It's my turn now!

You have a string-like fuse that burns in exactly one minute. The fuse is inhomogeneous, and it may burn slowly at first, then quickly, then slowly, and so on. You have a match, and no watch. How do you measure exactly 30 seconds?

(this might not be a yes or no question, but you may ask yes or no questions)

Muzozavr · Post by **Muzozavr** » Wed Aug 13, 2008 11:14 am

This is far too simple to be here! In Tricky Puzzles, it might have been alright, but in this case...

Answer: Light BOTH ends of the fuse. Homogenous, inhomogenous, it will still burn in exactly 30 seconds.
UNLESS it's also unisotope, and burns with different speed from different ends. (i.e. one of the ends can be 1 minute, the other can be 1 minute and 10 seconds) Then it won't work.

And if you want a sure answer, find someone else and exchange the fuse for a watch.

Dizzy1 · Post by **Dizzy1** » Wed Aug 13, 2008 1:35 pm

Correct (ofcourse)!

Your turn now.

PS. So tell me, how are we supposed to find a question that you, Lutz or Marinus can't get?

Should I start a new thread titled, 'Easy as pie puzzles' for the rest of us?

Muzozavr · Post by **Muzozavr** » Wed Aug 13, 2008 3:34 pm

A genuine yes/no question:

He is a cripple, yet steals millions. Who is he?

(Warning: big lateral thinking involved!)

Marinus · Post by **Marinus** » Wed Aug 13, 2008 4:14 pm

I have an idea, and maybe it's very wrong, but just in case it's right at once, it's no fun so I send you a PM

Muzozavr · Post by **Muzozavr** » Wed Aug 13, 2008 4:20 pm

You're right!!

Marinus · Post by **Marinus** » Wed Aug 13, 2008 4:23 pm

Ok, but maybe someone else will guess too.

Dizzy1 · Post by **Dizzy1** » Wed Aug 13, 2008 6:41 pm

My lateral thinking tells me it isn't money he's stealing, so:

1. Does he steal our hearts?
2. Is he physically crippled?
3. Does he steal our time?
4. Is he mentally crippled?