Lateral thinking

[Cynical Ninja]

Right you may have heard this one before if you have and know the answer and want to spoil it for the rest of the class that's up to you but anyway here it is.

There are two identical doors. One leads to heaven the other leads to hell. You cannot tell them apart in anyway. There are two identical guards, one guarding each door, you cannot tell them apart in anyway. You are not allowed to come anywhere near each door.
The guard guarding hell always tells a lie, the guard guarding heaven always tells the truth. Assuming you want to go to heaven you are allowed to ask one guard one question. What question do you ask?

If you want to google it go ahead no one can stop you, if your life is that bad you need such a pointless false victory to boost you go right ahead. Dick probably still wouldn't know the answer after I had given him the answer but I digress.

[Duchess]

Damn. Where's my instant recall when I could really use it.

[Maggot]

I would ask if the other door was the way to hell.

[Cynical Ninja]

I would ask if the other door was the way to hell.

No that doesn't work. Even if if you asked both of them.

Ok I'm both guards ask both of me if the other door is the way to hell?

[Maggot]

I would ask if the other door was the way to hell.

No that doesn't work. Even if if you asked both of them.

Ok I'm both guards ask both of me if the other door is the way to hell?

In that case I would be polite and let you go first.

[Duchess]

It's a question about the other guard.

[Cynical Ninja]

In that case I would be polite and let you go first.

Here's why your answer wouldn't work.

Maggotyboo - guard on the left is the other door the door to hell?

Left guard - yes

Maggotyboo - guard on the right is the other door the door to hell?

Right guard - yes

See? You are no further forward.

[crash]

It took me a few hours, but I figured it out, but you've loaded the OP so nobody wants to answer it anyway. You're just going to have your little tanty. You googled it. You spoilt it. You have no life..blah blah

[sally]

Didn't we already go through this once with Dick? Or is that a dream I had?

[Clang McFly]

Fuck it. I'll take the blame for spoiling it.

You ask either twin
"What door would the other twin tell "me" to go through"
Then do the opposite

If you ask the twin that always tells the truth - he would honestly tell you the door the evil twin would say goes to heaven.. and so you do the opposite


If you ask the Evil twin - he would lie directing you to the door to hell - again you do the opposite.

[HairOfTheDog]

The scenario reminded me of this old Far Side cartoon.



Felt like the guy in the cartoon a couple of times this week.

Anyway, I don't know the answer to the OP. Maybe Clang's right?

[Cynical Ninja]

It took me a few hours, but I figured it out, but you've loaded the OP so nobody wants to answer it anyway. You're just going to have your little tanty. You googled it. You spoilt it. You have no life..blah blah

If you say you sat for a while and thought about it and worked it out fair enough go ahead and tell us. I'm not going to have a....“Tanty”...is that aussie slang for tantrum? I want people to solve it and understand it that is the whole point.

[Cynical Ninja]

You ask either twin
"What door would the other twin tell "me" to go through"
Then do the opposite

If you ask the twin that always tells the truth - he would honestly tell you the door the evil twin would say goes to heaven.. and so you do the opposite


If you ask the Evil twin - he would lie directing you to the door to hell - again you do the opposite.

You are along the right lines but you have added a completely unnecessary level of complication to it.

The actual answer is even simpler than your version, in the answer you don't even have to do the opposite of what you are told. In the answer the guard basically tells you what door he's guarding, its that simple.

[Clang McFly]

Yahoo answers complicated it, not me.

CN: Of course the stupid fuck Clang googled the answer. He's not smart enough to find his way out of a paper bag.

[crash]

You really only have to ask either guard how many doors there are. If you ask the truthful guard, he says two. If you ask the guard that must lie, he says anything other than two.

[Cynical Ninja]

Yahoo answers complicated it, not me.

CN: Of course the stupid fuck Clang googled the answer. He's not smart enough to find his way out of a paper bag.

You said that not me and the record will forever reflect that.

There is one question you can ask either guard that will make him (almost inadvertently for the guard guarding hell) tell you the door he's guarding.

What could it be?

[Cynical Ninja]

You really only have to ask either guard how many doors there are. If you ask the truthful guard, he says two. If you ask the guard that must lie, he says anything other than two.

Exactly, its that simple.

What do you know to be true? There's two doors and two guards.

You could ask how many doors are there?, how many guards are there? You could even ask are you a guard?

Sorry if you were expecting something groundbreaking.

[username]

You really only have to ask either guard how many doors there are. If you ask the truthful guard, he says two. If you ask the guard that must lie, he says anything other than two.

I like that. You could ask them any random question (what color are my pants?) and find your answer. It actually has nothing to do with the doors.

[Donovan]

I didn't Google it but it was featured in the Labyrinth movie years ago so I remembered the trick.

Kinda reminds me of a story attributed to Buddha. As he was walking along one day he came across two farmers astride mules, stock still in the road. Passersby had gathered to watch across and both farmers continued to sit on the mules. One of the men watching told Buddha the men had made a crossed bet, each swearing his mule was slower than the other. They had agreed to a race but both men had been completely still for hours and no one knew how to end the race if no one moved. Buddha thought for a moment and told them the answer. Within minutes the race was over, a winner had been declared and Buddha went on his way.

What did he say to the farmers to end the race?

[Cynical Ninja]

Yes I'm pretty sure I've got it. There is a similar puzzle with two Arab princes on camels.

I'll give the rest of the class a chance first though.