Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Only 36 Percent of People Can Solve This Logic Problem. How About You? ... It seems stupidly simple.
https://www.popularmechanics.com ^ | By Katie Dupere Nov 19, 2020

Posted on 11/23/2020 9:24:03 AM PST by Red Badger

A survey found only 36 percent of people could find the right answer to a seemingly simple logic problem, according to economics and math pro Presh Talwalkar of the YouTube channel Mind Your Decisions.

Here's the problem:

"There are three hats, each with an accompanying statement.

Hat One: The cat is in this hat.

Hat Two: The cat is not in this hat.

Hat Three: The cat is not in Hat One.

Exactly one of the statements is true. Exactly one hat contains a cat. Which hat contains the cat?"

The answer options are:

1) Hat One;

2) Hat Two;

3) Hat Three;

4) None of the hats; or

5) Not enough information.

Okay, so maybe this problem isn't as simple as it seems. But thankfully, Talwalkar broke down how to solve the logic problem in a new YouTube video.

Did you solve the problem without cheating?

VIDEO AT LINK.................

So, what is the correct answer?

Well, first, you have to logically consider each case, assuming the cat is in each hat, then seeing if each statement applies to that case. If you end up with one true statement and two false statements, you have the correct cat-in-hat placement.

Let's assume the cat is in Hat One.

Hat One's statement is obviously true in this scenario. But if the cat is in Hat One, the cat would not be in Hat Two, making the second statement also true. This means the cat is not in Hat One because if it was, two statements would be true—and that clearly doesn't satisfy the conditions of the problem.

Well, what if we assume the cat is in Hat Three?

Hat Three’s statement would then be true, while Hat One’s statement would be false. So far, so good for only one true statement in the bunch. But the issue comes when considering Hat Two’s statement: The cat is not in Hat Two. That would also be true, assuming the cat were in Hat Three. With two true statements, this isn’t the right answer.

Spoiler Alert:

The cat is in Hat Two—and here’s why. Assuming the cat is in Hat Two, the statement corresponding with that hat is false. In addition, the first statement is also false, as the cat is in Hat Two, not Hat One. The true statement then is Hat Three’s statement. The cat is not in Hat One. This answer satisfies the confusion conditions of the problem, putting the cat in Hat Two with the correct statement being that of Hat Three.

Trust us: Watching the problem play out in Talwalkar’s video is helpful in understanding this complex logic test. The math pro says most people run into trouble assuming the cat must be in a hat where the statement is true. But that's obviously not the case. The two need to be thought as independent conditions to solve the problem correctly.

That said, we'd just pick up each hat until we found the damn cat, but that’s probably not as impressive.


TOPICS: Education; Health/Medicine; Society; Weird Stuff
KEYWORDS:
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-6061-80 ... 121-127 next last
To: EinNYC

“ Speak for your miserable self.”

The only real animals to have as pets are dogs.
Not cats.
And dogs won’t hide under a hat like a cat would.


41 posted on 11/23/2020 9:45:08 AM PST by HereInTheHeartland (Leave me alone, I have no incriminating evidence on the Clintons)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 33 | View Replies]

To: EQAndyBuzz

I’d hire you.

Seeking more information is a good thing.

I’d have answered,

“I’d have my gorilla carry it out.”


42 posted on 11/23/2020 9:45:57 AM PST by blueunicorn6 ("A crack shot and a good dancer”)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 23 | View Replies]

To: Red Badger
I'm still waiting for one of the hats to move, then I'll tell you.
43 posted on 11/23/2020 9:46:04 AM PST by CommerceComet (Joe Biden: Showing his leadership by cowering in the basement like a scared child.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Red Badger

#2 but let’s think about something else.

A) Democrats usually vote down ballot.

B) Democrats did not vote down ballot millions of times.

If both A & B are true then how did Biden win?


44 posted on 11/23/2020 9:46:25 AM PST by isthisnickcool (1218 - NEVER FORGET!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Red Badger
A survey found only 36 percent of people could find the right answer to a seemingly simple logic problem, according to economics and math pro Presh Talwalkar of the YouTube channel Mind Your Decisions

You could get that number just on guessing alone with only a very few people actually figuring it out.

45 posted on 11/23/2020 9:47:22 AM PST by metmom (...fixing our eyes on Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of our faith....)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Red Badger

46 posted on 11/23/2020 9:48:39 AM PST by Hot Tabasco
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: JBW1949

47 posted on 11/23/2020 9:48:50 AM PST by Daffynition (*Mega Dittoes and Mega Prayers* & :))
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: Red Badger

The real question is: Where are Thing 1 and Thing 2?


48 posted on 11/23/2020 9:49:11 AM PST by Right Brother
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Red Badger

I still hate cats


49 posted on 11/23/2020 9:49:32 AM PST by Jimmy The Snake
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Hot Tabasco

Ha! beat me by a few seconds. GMTA!


50 posted on 11/23/2020 9:50:03 AM PST by Right Brother
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 46 | View Replies]

To: Red Badger

If its Schroedinger’s Cat, its in all 3.


51 posted on 11/23/2020 9:50:17 AM PST by PGR88
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Red Badger

Yeah, well I saw THREE hats and I saw THREE cats.

Don’t ask me why the image shows me the a cat inside each hat, as I did not prepare it.

Looking at the image.

Based on what I saw, #3 is correct, as that cat is clearly not in hat #1 - he’s in #3.

Thanks!


52 posted on 11/23/2020 9:52:33 AM PST by Darteaus94025 (Can't have a Liberal without a Lie)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: polymuser

Whose cat???


53 posted on 11/23/2020 9:52:42 AM PST by JBW1949 (I'm really PC.....Patriotically Correct)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 30 | View Replies]

To: All

Common Core logic.


54 posted on 11/23/2020 9:53:44 AM PST by jackibutterfly (May the 10 just men lacking in Sodom be found in America, for it’s sake of survival.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Red Badger

The cat in hat two was Schrödinger’s cat, but it was both dead and alive... but logic dictated that to me.


55 posted on 11/23/2020 9:54:35 AM PST by Swordmaker (My pistol self-identifies as an iPad, so you must accept it in gun-free zones, you hoplophobe bigot!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Red Badger
All the Biden votes are under hat 1.
There are more Biden votes under hat 2.
There are even more late arriving but completely legal and legitimate Biden votes from disadvantaged voters who somehow could not be bothered to vote in time under hat 3.

How many statements are true?

56 posted on 11/23/2020 9:56:16 AM PST by BitWielder1 (I'd rather have Unequal Wealth than Equal Poverty.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Red Badger
Maybe related?


57 posted on 11/23/2020 9:57:15 AM PST by polymuser (A socialist is a communist without the power to take everything from their citizens...yet.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Red Badger

It’s Schrodinger’s cat. Kill it.


58 posted on 11/23/2020 9:58:35 AM PST by glorgau
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: JBW1949

I looked...


59 posted on 11/23/2020 9:58:37 AM PST by polymuser (A socialist is a communist without the power to take everything from their citizens...yet.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 53 | View Replies]

To: HereInTheHeartland
The only real animals to have as pets are dogs. Not cats. And dogs won’t hide under a hat like a cat would.

That's OK. You're doing a great job of just digging yourself a bigger hole in the firmament of stupidity.

60 posted on 11/23/2020 9:59:15 AM PST by EinNYC
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 41 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-6061-80 ... 121-127 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson