JKM

My g/f has some math questions (problem solving) to do , and this was one of them:

wille the animal hunter got lost in the woods. he knows that 2 native tribes occupy the area- the truth tellers and the habitual liars. the truth tellers always tell the truth, the habitual liars always lie and are cannibals. at the end of the day, wille comes to a fork in the road where a native is standing. what is the one question that willie can ask the native so that he is sure to be directed to the truth tellers village


so , what do you guys think? i know you are a smart bunch, i thought of a simple answer right away , but it seemed way too easy, anyone here got any suggestions?

Thanks!

Jayme and Christa

Hoss

I don't see any numbers. This is supposed to be a MATH problem.

JKM

That's what i said , but , like i put in my post , it is PROBLEM solving , which is part of math...


anyone got some suggestions?

Bubba_CTD

Well, I sat here for five minutes trying to think of something... but I was able to shoot each theroy down myself. So now, I'll take another route... it's not math nor really a part of it... it's problem solving. Sure, there may be problem solving in math, but that doesn't mean the two are the same. Is there math involved in C.S.I.? No and that's problem soving... but is math used in the show "Numbers" to solve crimes? Yes. So like I said, it may be a part of it and work together, but it's not the same.

Of course all that was said because I was frustrated and couldn't think of what to ask. lol

jfpointer

Ask him which fork a member of the other tribe would give as the answer, then take the opposite fork.

dssimecek

jfpointer, you got it. Variation of an old question. Not many people can solve it.

NeedMoPower

What if you were talking to one of the natives from the truth telling tribe? I think that willie needs to turn around and go back the way he came.

joel

Then the native would tell you truthfully that a native from the other tribe would tell willie to take the path to the cannibals. So, you still take the other one.

If you came to a native that lies, he'd respond that the truth teller would say this path, which we know is a lie, so again, you take the other one.

And, actually, the question you have to ask is, "which path would a member of the other tribe tell me to take to avoid the cannibals?" If you don't qualify why you're asking for directions... all bets are off.

jfpointer

Your answer would make a better test response; the question itself was assumed in my response because it was in the riddle... But it's best not to assume anything on a test.

JKM

Thank you very much guys! very much appreciated!

I know it isn't really math , but it is part of her university math course , and this was one of her questions.

Thank you again!

Fronty Owner

I think this question was played out on Yu Gi Oh a few weeks ago..

edwinsmith

Actually it's a question in logic which is a branch of mathematics so it truly is a math problem.

I work with computers which are binary logic and math engines. Our standard answer is "It's all ones and zeros."

Edwin

Shovelhead

Our 'Net Nerds' standard answer is "The Help Desk number is.............."

Begle1

"If I go this way, will I get eaten by cannibals?"

12PACK

During dinner, one cannibal says to another, "Your wife makes good soup."