Four logicians in a restaurant have just finished lunch
when the waitress comes by and asks "Do all of you want coffee?"
The first logician answers "I don't know".
The 2nd and 3rd logicians also answer "I don't know".
The 4th logician answers "No"
Assuming all 4 responded with correct answers ,
how many want coffee and which ones , if any , want coffee.
.. I have a feeling I missed something
The 4th doesn't want coffee.
The first three want coffee.
Posted By: BobH
Re: Coffee? - 07/08/13 06:02 PM
Nell, by my logic, you got it right. They take the waitress literally when she asks if they ALL want coffee. If the first one didn't want coffee, he would know that they then couldn't ALL want coffee so he would say no. It is only if he wanted coffee that he would have to answer, "I don't know" because he wouldn't yet know if every one of them wanted coffee.
The same goes for the second and third logicians until finally the fourth can say with certainty that they don't ALL want coffee because he doesn't.
Posted By: CanukDenis
Re: Coffee? - 07/08/13 06:12 PM
Ya'll got it!
The 4th logician could instead have said:
"bring 3 coffees"
Posted By: Redz
Re: Coffee? - 07/08/13 06:23 PM
, BobH. Hope you have a great day
Joan
Posted By: BobH
Re: Coffee? - 07/08/13 06:43 PM
Thanks for the birthday wishes!
Oh good, that was also my line of thought.
A Happy Birthday from me as well
Posted By: soot
Re: Coffee? - 07/09/13 01:59 AM
Welcome to the Garden Nell
Thank you soot
I'm sure I'll come here again