another "figure it out thread" again

[Robert L E]

This is one that I heard many years ago.


There once was a king who wanted to know which of his three top advisors was the most intelligent. He devised a test to see which man it was.

He called the three men together and showed them five derby hats. The king explained and showed them that three of the hats each had a red feather in the hat band and two had a white feather. These feathers could not be seen by the wearer while the hat was being worn. He blindfolded the men and put one of the hats on each man's head and the remaining two into a sack.

He told the men to remove their blindfolds and told them that two hats were in the sack but specifically did not tell them which two.

He then asked the first man to only look at the other two men and asked him what the color of feather on his own hat was. The first man could not do it.

He asked the second man the same question. The second man also did not know.

He then asked the third man if he knew the color of the feather that was on his hat. The third man said the he DID know.

What color was the third man's feather? (By the way, the third man was blind.)


Bob

P.S.- Please explain your answer.

[PABuck_HNTR]

If you hadn't said feathers in your post, this would have nothing to do with bowhunting

[grneyemonstr]

could it be that he heard the other men state that they observed him wearing a red feather in his hat or he heard the other two comment how the other had a white feather in thier hats.

[Brian/MI]

The only way the first man would know what color feather he had would be if man 2 and 3 had white feathers. The only way the second man could know what feather he had was if man 1 and 3 had white feathers. Since man 1 and 2 could not tell, that means that they both had white feathers or they all had red feathers. Regardless man 3 (the blind one) could have made this assumption from hearing man 1 and 2 say that they did not know and could draw the conclusion that he had a red feather.[/b]

[Robert L E]

ORIGINAL: PABuck_HNTR

If you hadn't said feathers in your post, this would have nothing to do with bowhunting

I guess that I sould have made it about fletchings on an arrow in a quiver on each man's back ; the quivers positioned so that each man could not see his own arrow. [&o] In any case, the only thing that the first two men have to go on is the color of the feathers that they can see in the hats on the other heads. The third man, the blind man, does not even have that (except by logic). He does not guess though, he knows the color of his own feather.

Edit- Brian posted while I was posting this and he is correct as far as he goes but is a bit off in the logic of the second man. The second man looks at the blind man first. In fact, he can be positioned so that he cannot see the first man. Why does he look at the blind man first?