August 09, 2005
Critical Thinking
It irritates me when an instructor tells us to do an assignment but that it's not graded. I don't have time for crap that isn't going to be graded. Yes, I know I am responsible for my own learning and anything I do is going to benefit me. But it's still a pain in the ass....
This is the assignment that is worth our thought, but not a grade. Anyone else care to take a stab at it? I'll even give you a grade at the end! :-)
And no, I am not cheating, I've already turned in the assignment. I've even posted my answer in the extended entry! :-P
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In the document, give the solution, time it took you to solve the puzzle, and any comments. Be honest! If you can't solve the puzzle in 10 - 15 min, let it not bother you. Puzzles are just one sort of Problems and one has to develop the techniques to solve them. That is not the goal of our course - it is a logical activity, that will (should) get you started thinking, step by step.
Cuckoo Clocks
Three members of the Boston Horology Society have just returned from a holiday in Switzerland where they each purchased a handmade cuckoo clock.
Can you work out where each person bought their clock, the name of the clockmaker and how much each clock cost, $100, $120, $150?
1. Gloria Greene didn't buy the cheapest clock and it wasn't the one manufactured by Franz Geisser.
2. The clock bought in Geneva was manufactured by Hans Bruckner and was
cheaper than the one bought by Wilbur Watson.
3. Trudie Tipler didn't buy her cuckoo clock in Zurich.
4. The most expensive clock was purchased in Zermatt but wasn't the one
manufactured by Herman Finkel.
| Name | Place | Clock Maker | Price |
| Gloria Green | ??? | ??? | ??? |
| Wilbur Watson | ??? | ??? | ??? |
| Trudie Tipler | ??? | ??? | ??? |
(Damn I hope I'm right or this will be really embrassing)
| Name | Place | Clock Maker | Price |
| Gloria Green | Zurich | Herman Finkel | $120 |
| Wilbur Watson | Zermatt | Franz Geisser | $150 |
| Trudie Tipler | Geneva | Hans Bruckner | $100 |
It took me 8 minutes. Doesn't mean it's right...but that's how long I felt was enough to spend on it.
Took me about four minutes, and I got Gloria and Wilber in opposite places from yours. After checking your deductions, I went back for another four minutes checking our answers, and I've found that we're both right. Neither placement goes against anything that was in the "rules".
Thanks, That was fun.
Posted by: Johnny - Oh at August 10, 2005 12:04 AM4 minutes and I got the same result that you got. (I'll be shocked if that's not right.) LOL
Posted by: Mike at August 10, 2005 01:34 AMJohnny-Oh, you were right on your first assumption. It only works both ways if you make a non-logical leap with statement 1.
Statement 1 says that GG didn't buy the cheapest clock. It also says that "it" -- the cheapest clock -- wasn't manufactured by Franz. However, statement 1 does NOT say that the clock bought by GG wasn't manufactured by Franz.
Posted by: Ogre at August 10, 2005 07:52 AMI didn't time myself, but got what you got. I know it was under 5 minutes. It didn't take long.
I love logic puzzles. I buy books of them. I know... I'm a geek.
Posted by: Boudicca at August 10, 2005 10:56 PMYeah Ogre, you're right. I just fixated on the "cheapest clock", and let the other part of the sentance roll right by.
cut me some slack though, if you check the timestamp there, you'll see it was quite late. I usully start drinking around 6Pm or so. ;^)
Posted by: Johnny - Oh at August 10, 2005 11:14 PMOh, you didn't say that! There's completely different answers to this questions when drinking!
Posted by: Ogre at August 16, 2005 07:50 AM
