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.

Werebear · Daedalian Member

CrystyB - Did anyone tell you the answer to this puzzle is 4?

Werebear

MacadamiamaN · Intentionally left blank

It could very well be 4. However, why hasn't the puzzle been taken out of the unsolved puzzles category??

edited because "

" was a smiley face for some reason

[This message has been edited by MacadamiamaN (edited 06-18-2002 07:16 PM).]

CrystyB · Misunderstood Guy

WB, i don't have the detector handy but i certainly hope that post was soaked in irony...

MacadamiamaN, it is a well known thing in our forums that puzzles (even those solved in the first post!

) in here get updated kind of irregularly (and i say that to be leanient on the administrators). We just have patience until a new idea comes up (interesting puzzles are not common resource, you know?!

)...

newrone · Icarian Member

A B C D E F G H I J tot
A X X 1 O 1 O 1 O 1 O 4
B X X 1 O 1 O 1 O 1 O 4
C 1 1 X X 1 O 1 O 1 O 5
D O O X X 1 O 1 O 1 O 3
E 1 1 1 1 X X 1 O 1 O 6
F O O O O X X 1 O 1 O 2
G 1 1 1 1 1 1 X X 1 O 7
H O O O O O O X X 1 O 1
I 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 X X 8
J O O O O O O O O X X 0
tot 4 4 5 3 6 2 7 1 8 0

... where A&B, C&D, E&F etc are couples, X is invalid (self or husband/wife), 1 is a handshake & O is no handshake. A&B have the same answers, and, yes, they do agree on which hands to shake, whereas I&J don't see eye-to-eye at all... The pattern changes gradually from one end to the other, & is the only solution. Obviously, the Prof & his wife are A&B. Good work, class.

------------------
NEWRONE

Guy Escarfail · Icarian Member

The answer is 4 handshakes.

4 couples : (A1,A2)-(B1,B2)-(C1,C2)-(D1,D2)
Professor : P
Professor's wife : W

A1 : 8 B1 : 7 C1 : 6 D1 : 5 P : 4
A2 : 0 B2 : 1 C2 : 2 D2 : 3 W : 4

CrystyB · Misunderstood Guy

Until someone edits that, i'll repost newrone's table:

code:

	A	B	C	D	E	F	G	H	I	J	tot


A	XX	XX	1	O	1	O	1	O	1	O	4


B	XX	XX	1	O	1	O	1	O	1	O	4


C	1	1	XX	XX	1	O	1	O	1	O	5


D	O	O	XX	XX	1	O	1	O	1	O	3


E	1	1	1	1	XX	XX	1	O	1	O	6


F	O	O	O	O	XX	XX	1	O	1	O	2


G	1	1	1	1	1	1	XX	XX	1	O	7


H	O	O	O	O	O	O	XX	XX	1	O	1


I	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	XX	XX	8


J	O	O	O	O	O	O	O	O	XX	XX	0


tot	4	4	5	3	6	2	7	1	8	0

(i took the liberty to highlight the X's)

[This message has been edited by CrystyB (edited 06-21-2002 11:08 AM).]

groza528 · No Place Like Home

Sorry, had to post because that spreadsheet has an odd effect on the post hover

Gifthorse · Daedalian Member

Finally something worth Looking at that makes plain sense !!!!!!!

Thank new and crystal B

Man I want a new puzzle!!!

Werebear · Daedalian Member

(looks Gifthorse in the mouth) Why was I always told not to look here?

Werebear

Beartalon · 'Party line' kind of guy

Because horses have bad breath?

So why aren't you supposed to look a gift horse in the mouth? Wouldn't that have saved the people who suffered the attack of the Trojan Horse? I'm confused about the origin of that saying.

The other saying coming from the Trojan Horse era was "Beware of Greeks bearing gifts" (which I now say as "Beware of Geeks bearing gifts"). So which one are we suposed to follow?

Too much thinking at 9AM - it's feeding time.

------------------
The Bear is Grumpy. Feed Him. Feed Him Now.

groza528 · No Place Like Home

Here's an answer to the gifthorse question.
And another.

cha · Daedalian Member

I couldn't get to Groza's first link, and the second one says you can tell how healthy a horse is by looking in its mouth - actually, you can get a pretty good idea about its age.

Werebear · Daedalian Member

...actually, I really did know the answer. (I couldn't get the first link either) One of the first things you do with a horse is check its mouth before you buy it. The mouth is a good general way to get the health and age of a horse. So if you're buying a horse, look it in the mouth. If a horse is being given to you, you do NOT look it in the mouth - that would be like if you were going to be given a car and you asked if you could take it for a test drive first, and could you get it in a different color, and the passenger side lock is sticky, could they fix that first? *Grin*

Werebear

Gifthorse · Daedalian Member

Actually the only reason I chose this name is because the knight is my favorite chess piece

Is there such thing as a cool riddle that doesn't have an answer?

Maybe one that has pattern and symmetry involved?

Maybe I shouldn't ask this question. This is the Professor thread after all.

torben bang pedersen · Guest

The professors wike shoke hand with the four invited couples and probably not with the professor. I.e. she must haveshoke hands with eigth persons.

Torben

joto25 · Guest

answer is 7

CrystyB · Misunderstood Guy

Actually the answer is

code:

        44  


        44  


       444  


      4 44  


     44 44  


     4  44  


    4   44  


   4    44  


   4    44  


  4     44  


 4      44  


44      44  


444444444444


        44  


        44  


        44  


        44  


        44

Cadmium · Heavy Metal

Care to explain why

?

Beartalon · 'Party line' kind of guy

4

No way!

MacadamiamaN · Intentionally left blank

Hey! You have to include the alternate answer!

Oh well, everyone hates it...

Beartalon · 'Party line' kind of guy

MacadamiaMan,

It's not that I (we?) don't like alternate answers. It's the fact that the alternate answers in this case are not provable without making some assumption on the meaning in the puzzle. When it comes to word puzzles, meanings are important. Usually the mathematical puzzles like this one depend on logical proofs. In order to have a logical proof, the problem has to be presented in a a logical manner to eliminate all the extraneous possibilities.

Perhaps the question could have been worded better, but if most people interpreted it the same way logically and got the same answer as a result, doesn't that give a lot of credence to the logic of the presentation?

Also, the puzzle was solved visually, by elimination and by deduction. Also, in each case the solution can be extrapolated - if there were 6 couples, the Professor and his wife would each shake five hands given the same criteria. That makes the proof very rigorous and hard to find a good alternative.

------------------
The Bear is Grumpy. Feed Him. Feed Him Now.

[This message has been edited by Beartalon (edited 06-26-2002 12:45 AM).]

MacadamiamaN · Intentionally left blank

Bear,

I was joking

Beartalon · 'Party line' kind of guy

Sometimes I am way too literal and serious for my own good.

Degenerate · Daedalien Member

I got 7.

CrystyB · Misunderstood Guy

This HAS been solved. Now quit babbling!!!

Werebear · Daedalian Member

ROFL, BearTalon... I loved your post, I'm sure you've seen all mine explaining there is already an answer... I think yours is better. Or at least nicer.

Werebear

Degenerate · Daedalien Member

I still got 7.

CrystyB · Misunderstood Guy

Yes, and i got at least a 100 of the puzzles posted on this lovely site.

But i'll let the light side of me take over... OK, you've got 7... 1) Care to tell us how? 2) Have you found any error(s) in the posted solution?

Gifthorse · Daedalian Member

Visitor Submitted Puzzles

"The Three Idiots"

Gifthorse · Daedalian Member

Visitor Submitted Puzzles

"The Three Idiots"