Boxes | Imamother

Tamiri

Wed, May 21 2008, 5:33 am

There are three boxes. One is labeled "APPLES" another is labeled "ORANGES". The last one is labeled "APPLES AND ORANGES". You know that each is labeled incorrectly.
What is the minimum amount of "picks" you must do in order to be able to label all three boxes correctly?

smiley:)

Wed, May 21 2008, 8:50 am

I'm terrible at this stuff but I'd say 3 times.

If you pick an apple, you need to pick again from the same one to see if it's apple only or apple and orange. Let's say you get an orange you can label it apple and orange. Then you go on to pick from the second one. If it is apple, you know it's the apple bin, if it's orange you know it's the orange bin.
Regardless you need to pick from the 1st bin twice in order to know if it's just apples, just oranges, or apples and oranges. If you are lucky to find the apples and oranges first, once you pick from the 2nd bin you know the 2nd and 3rd.

smiley:)

Wed, May 21 2008, 8:56 am

Actually I take that back... My answer is 2 picks...
We know each box is labeled incorrectly. Soooo if you go to the box labeled apples and oranges and pick out an orange, then you know it should be the "oranges box" not the apples AND oranges. So you figured that box out.
Then once if you go to the next box and also pick out an orange you know that should be the apples and oranges box, so that leaves the 3rd box to be the apples box.
Follow me??

Tamiri

Wed, May 21 2008, 9:02 am

Smiley your answer is wrong but you got there the right way. Think again: how many picks?

smiley:)

Wed, May 21 2008, 9:16 am

I dont get what you mean. My logic makes sense (to me! lol)

Well the least I could see is 2 picks, so I guess the answer must be one, since it could surely be done in 2 picks... but I cant understand how it could be done in 1 yet....

catonmylap

Wed, May 21 2008, 9:29 am

How to do it in 1 pick-
if you picked from the one labeled 'oranges' and got an orange then that would be the apple and orange one(because it has to be wrong, and the only way it can be wrong if there is an orange in there is if it is the one with both), and then you would switch the labels of the two that are left. ie the one labeled 'apples' would be 'oranges' and the one labeled 'apples and oranges' would be 'apples'.

Tamiri

Wed, May 21 2008, 9:37 am

Caton, what if you picked one from the box labeled "oranges" and got an apple? Then it could be either apples, or apples and oranges, necessitating another pick.
So, though the number of picks is correct, I fear the logic isn't.
Please correct me if I am wrong.

smiley:)

Wed, May 21 2008, 9:42 am

Ah I hear. So if you pick an orange from the one labeled "orange" it should really be labeled "apples and oranges". That is box #1

Then the other 2 ones are mislabeled as "apples" and "apples and oranges." Since none of them are labeled correctly, the one labeled "apples" should be labeled "oranges". It cant be labeled "apples and oranges" bc that is what box #1 is going to be now. It can't really be apples bc it is mislabeled. So it has to be oranges. That is box #2

And then box #3 is the only one remaining so that has to be apples.

smiley:)

Wed, May 21 2008, 9:43 am

Tamiri wrote:

In that case you cant do it in one pick. But caton figured out a scenario different than the one you presented, where she could do it in one pick.

Tamiri

Wed, May 21 2008, 9:51 am

If you know all three labels are wrong and you pick an Orange from the "Apples and Oranges" box, then you know that the "Apples and Oranges" box is actually the "Oranges" box.
You know that the "Apples" and "Oranges" boxes are labeled wrong. Since the "Apples" box cannot be labeled "Oranges" (because the "Oranges" only box is actually the "Apples and Oranges" box) it must itself be the "Apples and Oranges" box.
Finally, the "Oranges" box must be the "Apples" only box.

Tamiri

Wed, May 21 2008, 10:05 am

That was fun. More, more!
Oh, and why did I post it? My dh was on an interview today, and that was one of the questions!

smiley:)

Wed, May 21 2008, 10:47 am

In my head, the answer to such question is "who cares?" But then something compells me to try to figure it out! I am so not one for these logic puzzles but somehow I get trapped in them!

What was this an interview for? lol! Did he get it? (the answer, not the job).

Tamiri

Wed, May 21 2008, 10:49 am

Yes, of course he got the answer. He is a computer "problem solver". This logic puzzle was rated "easy" on the website I found it on (I check up on what the interviewers are using as source material!
So I told him to go over the whole website in case they call him back for another interview Very Happy

We don't care if he gets a job or not, as long as the interviews go well - it's good for the ego Rolling Eyes

smiley:)

Wed, May 21 2008, 10:52 am

"of course he got the answer." lol. Well yasher koach to him! All I can say is my head needs a rest!!!

smiley:)

Thu, May 22 2008, 2:51 pm

I asked my husband this "game" last night. He thought for a minute and got it in no time!!! No fair!