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[kleinfehn]

Riddle help for class

[catherwood]

puzzles like this often involve a delay, such that the last guy knows his color *only* because the other guys didn't respond immediately. I don't know if this is the case with this puzzle, but I know i've seen it before, and the answer is probably on the internet somewhere.

[GuyIncognito]

[kleinfehn]

Alright I got it.

It is the second or third guy because if both the first guys are wearing either a black or white hat he will know his color but if the third guy is quite then the second guy will know that his hat is a different color then the first guys since the third guy wouldn't want to answer with a 50-50 chance. Alright, thanks guys.

[Blue K]

Re: Riddle help for class

[kleinfehn]

Re: Riddle help for class

[Blue K]

Re: Riddle help for class

[thebruce]

On the surface, none of the men have a 100% chance of guessing right.
(solution below!)

If we say #2, he only has a guaranteed correct if #3 (after he guesses right or wrong) has the same colour as #1 which he can see. Otherwise it's a 50-50 guess for him.
If we say #3, he only has a guaranteed correct if #1 and #2 have the same colour. Otherwise it's a 50-50 guess for him.
#1 has a guaranteed correct if he waits until #2 and #3 guess right or wrong, and both have the same colour. Otherwise it's a 50-50 guess for him.

Gotta take it a step further, and be able to 'read people'...

#3 would say his colour with certainty IF #1 and #2 were the same colour.
If #3 doesn't guess right away, or is uncertain in his guess, then the other two guys would know that they must be opposite colours. BUT, only #2 knows the other person's colour, so he'd just guess the opposite.

#1 = white
#2 = white
#3 = knows it's black

#1 = white
#2 = black
#3 = doesn't guess or hesitates

...#3 therefore doesn't have a guaranteed correct

#1 = white
#2 = white
#3 = correctly guesses black
(#2 is safe already because #3 is right)

#1 = white
#2 = black
#3 = doesn't guess or hesitates
(#2 knows therefore that his hat must be black, since #3's colour could be either, it doesn't matter - his hat MUST be black) - guaranteed 100%

So the answer is- the guy in the middle has 100% guaranteed freedom if he deduces #3's certainty: if #3 knows his colour, he doesn't have to guess; if #3 doesn't know his colour, he guesses the opposite colour to the #1's hat.

nifteh!

[Uberg33k]

[Blue K]

#2 looks at #1 and sees that #1's hat is black. He waits what he considers a reasonable amount of time for #3 to speak up, and when #3 says nothing, #2 confidently says to the guard, "My hat is white."

The guard shoulders his rifle and shoots #2 dead.

#3 then proclaims, "My hat is white," to which the guard replies "You are free to go." "Tell me," the guard says to #3, "You could clearly see that both #1 and #2 were wearing black hats, so why didn't you speak up?" to which #3 replies, "I never could stand that son-of-a-bitch."

So much for 100%.

[thebruce]

*tsk*
trick question'd!

foil'd agaaaaaiin!

[Vman]

haha classic, a tricked trick question reversesrever psychology!