Deadly Drink-Off: A Mind-Bending Lateral Thinking Puzzle
The Queen's latest diplomatic endeavor has turned deadly, and we need your help to unravel the mystery behind Smith and Jones' unfortunate demise. Two high-profile individuals, the only manufacturers of poison in the land, were invited to a royal ceremony where they would exchange vials of their own concoctions. The twist? They wouldn't know what poison was in each other's vial until after the exchange.
Here are the facts: Smith and Jones produce various types of poison with differing strengths. However, neither party has access to the other's poisons, making it impossible for them to determine which one is stronger. To add insult to injury, there's a catch: if a person ingests a poison that doesn't have an antidote, they'll die within an hour unless they're exposed to an even stronger poison.
With their lives on the line and no way to verify the strength of each other's poisons, Smith and Jones were left with one week to come up with a plan. What could they do? The Queen's instructions were clear: bring your strongest poison and be prepared for the worst. But would either party survive?
This clever puzzle is all about thinking laterally, leveraging basic game theory to outsmart their opponents. Can you figure out what happened during the royal ceremony? The solution will be revealed at 5 pm UK.
In the meantime, we'd love to hear from you. Do you have a favorite lateral thinking puzzle that's left you scratching your head? Share it with us and let's see if we can't stump each other once again.
The puzzle was originally posted by computer scientist Michael Rabin in the late 1980s on an electronic bulletin board at Carnegie Mellon University. It has since been rediscovered, thanks to a puzzle enthusiast who recognized its genius. The solution involves some clever thinking and basic game theory – but we won't spoil it for you just yet!
The Queen's latest diplomatic endeavor has turned deadly, and we need your help to unravel the mystery behind Smith and Jones' unfortunate demise. Two high-profile individuals, the only manufacturers of poison in the land, were invited to a royal ceremony where they would exchange vials of their own concoctions. The twist? They wouldn't know what poison was in each other's vial until after the exchange.
Here are the facts: Smith and Jones produce various types of poison with differing strengths. However, neither party has access to the other's poisons, making it impossible for them to determine which one is stronger. To add insult to injury, there's a catch: if a person ingests a poison that doesn't have an antidote, they'll die within an hour unless they're exposed to an even stronger poison.
With their lives on the line and no way to verify the strength of each other's poisons, Smith and Jones were left with one week to come up with a plan. What could they do? The Queen's instructions were clear: bring your strongest poison and be prepared for the worst. But would either party survive?
This clever puzzle is all about thinking laterally, leveraging basic game theory to outsmart their opponents. Can you figure out what happened during the royal ceremony? The solution will be revealed at 5 pm UK.
In the meantime, we'd love to hear from you. Do you have a favorite lateral thinking puzzle that's left you scratching your head? Share it with us and let's see if we can't stump each other once again.
The puzzle was originally posted by computer scientist Michael Rabin in the late 1980s on an electronic bulletin board at Carnegie Mellon University. It has since been rediscovered, thanks to a puzzle enthusiast who recognized its genius. The solution involves some clever thinking and basic game theory – but we won't spoil it for you just yet!