The Grey Labyrinth is a collection of puzzles, riddles, mind games, paradoxes and other intellectually challenging diversions. Related topics: puzzle games, logic puzzles, lateral thinking puzzles, philosophy, mind benders, brain teasers, word problems, conundrums, 3d puzzles, spatial reasoning, intelligence tests, mathematical diversions, paradoxes, physics problems, reasoning, math, science.

Ghost Post · Icarian Member

I would just like to say that the wording of this puzzle makes no sense. Nowhere does it say that a statement must be about how much money the person gives me. It just says I have to make a true or false statement. Either way I'm getting paid. So I could say the sky is purple and I would get bucks. Am I the only one who was confused by this? (Yeah I probably was)

marldan · Guest

I agree. The statement didn't have to be about money let alone a statement that would make me end up paying a lot of money. I came up with the same conclusion that we shouldn't take Skinny's offer because of the following:
If he made a true statement ie the sky is blue, I would have had to give him back $10. If he made a false statement ie the sky is purple, I could choose to keep it all or just give him even $1. Chances are he would make a true statement in order to get back some of his money (who wouldn't?).
You might as well take B's offer since you are guaranteed of getting more than $10.

Ghost Post · Icarian Member

Ok, for the first poster, ScrtAgnt976, you don't seem to understand that you are the one making the offer, and paying the money if necessary. Skinny is the one who gets to make a statement.

Midculter · Guest

I was confused also. I don't mean to give a spoiler, but chances are, if you're reading this, you've probably already seen the solution. It said that Skinny could make a statement like "You will give me neither exactly ten dollars nor exactly one million dollars." What the heck does that do? So what, to make it a false statement, you give him ten bucks and you keep the dollar out of the eleven that he gave you. You don't have to give him anything else, since it is a false statement. At least you're gaining something. But it seems too easy to say this, I must have missed something.

cha · Daedalian Member

If the statement Skinny made is TRUE, Skinny gets $10. But this statement can't be true, or else Skinny would get $10, making the statement false.

If the statement is FALSE, Skinny gets some amount not equal to $10. In order for this statement to be false, he would either need to get $10 or $1million. Since he's not allowed to get $10, he must get $1million.

Personally, I'd have gone for a billion.

[This message has been edited by cha (edited 05-18-2002 12:36 AM).]

kartelite · Daedalian Member

skinny: you will give me neither $10 or $1 million.
me: was that a true statement?
skinny: uh, you tell me.
me: well so far it's true. that means i have to give you $10. but doing that would make the statement false. so i'll toss in another dollar after you take the first $10.