Two problems this week....

First, the answer to the puzzles posed last Saturday.

The first picture was a Dalmation dog, black and white, in a black and white background. Solved almost immediately by everyone. Too EASY! Most people saw the tail first and then identified the dog.

The second probalem about how many were black dots in the picture, was that there were NO black dots. It was an optical illusion which caused the black dots to appear in the white dots.

If you have time try this with different colours - it is great fun. Is it possible to create a multicolour effect of dots?

Puzzles for this week

The first puzzle this week is a very easy one, especially for the kids.

In the picture below are lines sloping or parallel?



The second puzzle is an old Indian one which was brought to my attention by K. George, who was Technical Director of MRF Ltd. till his retirement.

This is one that requires lateral thinking.

Here is the problem:

What should this farmer's daughter do?

Many years ago, in a small Indian village, a farmer had the misfortune of owing a large sum of money to a village moneylender.

The moneylender, who was old and ugly, fancied the farmer's beautiful daughter.

So he proposed a bargain.

He said he would forgo the farmer's debt if he could marry his daughter.

Both the farmer and his daughter were horrified by the proposal.

So the cunning money-lender suggested that they let providence decide the matter.

He told them that he would put a black pebble and a white pebble into an empty money bag. Then the girl would have to pick one pebble from the bag.

If she picked the black pebble, she would become his wife and her father's debt would be forgiven.

If she picked the white pebble she need not marry him and her father's debt would still be forgiven.

But if she refused to pick a pebble, her father would be thrown into jail.

All the villagers were standing on a pebble strewn path in the farmer's field. As they talked, the moneylender bent over to pick up two pebbles.

As he picked them up, the sharp-eyed girl noticed that he had picked up two black pebbles and put them into the bag.

He then asked the girl to pick a pebble from the bag. Now, imagine you were standing in the field.

What would you have done if you were the girl?

If you had to advise her, what would you have told her?

Careful analysis produces three possibilities:

1. The girl could refuse to take a pebble.
2. The girl could show that there were two black pebbles in the bag and expose the money-lender as a cheat.
3. The girl could pick a black pebble and sacrifice herself in order to save her father from his debt and imprisonment.
4. The girl could request to reverse the conditions put on the stone draw.

Ponder over the story.

The above story is used with the hope that it will make you appreciate the difference between lateral and logical thinking.

The girl's dilemma cannot be solved with traditional logical thinking.

Think of the consequences if she chooses the above logical answers.

What would you recommend this Girl do?

Answer next week!