Lateral Thinking Puzzles - Reborn!

DentyneIce408 · January 31, 2010, 08:05:59 PM

Credits goes to Jun-W.

Most of you already know how to play this but for the new members I'll post the instructions from the original creator.

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A lateral thinking puzzle is basically a cross between a puzzle, and story-telling. I'll type a scenario, but I won't give the whole story. What you're supposed to do is ask "yes" or "no" questions to gain clues to solve the rest of the story.

Though, I should warn you that most of these puzzles are morbid and unlikely-- but they're still realistic. I won't give any answer other than "yes", "no", or "doesn't matter". They'll all be honest answers, but I won't promise that they can't be misleading. If you can solve it with the information you have, go for it and type what you think the answer is. When at least 5 people want to give up, I'll ask if you want me to give you the answer.

EDIT: If you've done the current puzzle, before, don't spoil the answer to those who haven't.
EDIT II: You can ask as many questions as you want at a time.
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Here's the first puzzle, should be easy:

A man is sitting in a chair while facing a group of people. A few seconds later he dies of shock. Why did the people didn't even bother to help him?

Liquid · February 01, 2010, 01:42:26 PM

From the information you provided, I believe the people did not help him because he was a criminal being put to death via electric chair. Am I correct?

DentyneIce408 · February 01, 2010, 02:53:55 PM

Quote from: Liquid on February 01, 2010, 01:42:26 PM
From the information you provided, I believe the people did not help him because he was a criminal being put to death via electric chair. Am I correct?

Bingo!

Would you like to post the next puzzle?

Liquid · February 01, 2010, 03:11:14 PM

"John is on a raft, adrift in the ocean with several other survivors of a shipwreck. The others are too weak, so he or Mike will swim to a nearby island to look for help. It is almost certainly suicidal, due to the circling sharks, but they have little else to hope for. Mike takes the loose change from his pocket and puts two pennies in a hat. He tells John that one is a 2005 penny and the other 1975. If John picks the newer penny he can stay on the raft and Mike will risk his life. If John picks the older penny, he must go. John has seen that both pennies were actually dated 1975, but he doesn't want to say anything because Mike is a big guy. How does he win,and get Mike to go, without exposing him as a fraud in front of the others?"

DentyneIce408 · February 01, 2010, 04:11:36 PM

Is one penny cleaner then the other?

Liquid · February 01, 2010, 04:15:33 PM

Doesn't matter.

DentyneIce408 · February 01, 2010, 04:39:47 PM

Can John change the rule for his own advantage?

Liquid · February 01, 2010, 05:44:01 PM

No.

PyronIkari · February 01, 2010, 05:54:58 PM

Quote from: DentyneIce408 on February 01, 2010, 04:11:36 PM
Is one penny cleaner then the other?

You shouldn't have asked "cleaner" but "more expensive"

DentyneIce408 · February 01, 2010, 08:29:15 PM

What if John drops one of the penny, then telling Mike that the one he has dropped was the 2005 penny at the same time telling him the one in the hat must be the 1975 penny. Without the other penny that was lost Mike won't have any proof that it was the 2005 penny. Which resulted in John winning.

Does that make sense?

Liquid · February 02, 2010, 10:22:42 AM

Quote from: DentyneIce408 on February 01, 2010, 08:29:15 PM
What if John drops one of the penny, then telling Mike that the one he has dropped was the 2005 penny at the same time telling him the one in the hat must be the 1975 penny. Without the other penny that was lost Mike won't have any proof that it was the 2005 penny. Which resulted in John winning.

Does that make sense?

You pretty much got it. You get to post the next one.

DentyneIce408 · February 03, 2010, 12:59:08 PM

Harrison a father who keeps a picture of his family inside his wallet placed it where it belongs. And his son George a man in his 20's, were arguing on the deck of their home. Angry, the son refuses to sell their home, then immediately stabs his father in the heart. In a panick Harrison jumped off the deck. Minutes later, the father is found alive by a jogger 5 miles away from his home. How is it possible for Harrison to survive and able to escape his from George?

Liquid · February 03, 2010, 01:20:47 PM

*Guessing*

The wallet belonged in his shirt's front pocket, just over his heart. The wallet blocked the knife. Their home, I assume, is a house boat. (I'd have gone with mobile home, but typically those don't have decks. Only the non-mobile homes (trailers) have those and they are built beside the home itself.) The jogger found Harrison 5 miles from his home. This either means that he drifted down 5 miles, the house boat drove away 5 miles, or Harrison was 5 miles from the jogger's house. Regardless, the jogger would have found him as he came ashore after jumping off the deck of the house boat.

Am I correct?
If I am not correct, am I close?

DentyneIce408 · February 03, 2010, 02:24:07 PM

You got it right. You're really good at this.

Liquid · February 03, 2010, 02:30:37 PM

Quote from: DentyneIce408 on February 03, 2010, 02:24:07 PM
You got it right. You're really good at this.

Thanks! ;D

"A man came to visit at a convent while the superior mother was out of town. He left before she returned, and was careful to leave nothing behind. The nuns said nothing about his visit, so how did the superior mother figure out that a man had been there?"

DentyneIce408 · February 03, 2010, 06:53:01 PM

Does the man have a habit?

BrightHeart76 · February 03, 2010, 07:19:06 PM

Quote from: Liquid on February 03, 2010, 02:30:37 PM
"A man came to visit at a convent while the superior mother was out of town. He left before she returned, and was careful to leave nothing behind. The nuns said nothing about his visit, so how did the superior mother figure out that a man had been there?"

Oh!! I know this one!! He had to pee while he was there and he left the toilet seat up. I always imagined that the Mother Superior probably found out at 3 a.m. when she went to relieve her bladder and fell in. :P

Liquid · February 04, 2010, 12:20:50 PM

Quote from: BrightHeart76 on February 03, 2010, 07:19:06 PM
Oh!! I know this one!! He had to pee while he was there and he left the toilet seat up. I always imagined that the Mother Superior probably found out at 3 a.m. when she went to relieve her bladder and fell in. :P

lol, you got it, but you aren't supposed to answer if you have already heard it. :P

Who wants to post the next one?

BrightHeart76 · February 04, 2010, 06:07:09 PM

sorry. once again I screwed up. I appologize.

Liquid · February 05, 2010, 12:20:45 PM

Quote from: BrightHeart76 on February 04, 2010, 06:07:09 PM
sorry. once again I screwed up. I appologize.

lol, no problem. :)

I'll go ahead and post another one.

"There are three switches outside a closed room. There are three lamps inside the room. You can flip the switches as much as you want while the door is closed, but then you must enter just once and determine which switch is connected to which lamp. How can you do it?"