WHILST ON THE SUBJECT OF SOCKS AND SHOES

[tom mcilveen]

THE WINNERSI ARE......drumroll........MARTY=3..................HEATHER AND DAUGHTER HAYLEY=3
FRANK DANIEL= 3 ......................BOB PACEY=3..............MANFRED = 3
VAL WALLA= 3.. ALL WINNERS CONGRATS..YOU HAVE A PROBLEM SOLVING ANALYTICAL ENGINEERING TYPE OF MIND...

Three socks.
If the first sock is black, the second one could be black, giving you a matching pair. If the second sock is white, the third sock will be either black and match the first sock, or white and match the second sock. THEREFORE 3 SOCKS WILL GUARANTEE YOU A PAIR..2 COULD GIVE YOU BlACK AND WHITE...MEANING THE NEXT SOCK WHETHER BLACK OR WHITE WILL GIVE YOU A PAIR...

NOW FOR NEVILLE...YOU FAILED TO SEE THE APPLICATION TO WORDSMITHING...WELL MY POINT IS...THIS IS A GREAT EXERCISE IN READING..COMPREHENSION AND ANSWERING EXACTLY WHAT HAS BEEN ASKED.this could be applied to poetry also....Not to rush through and miss a critical phrase , word or meaning that the writer is trying to convey ..we must be aware of each and every word...THE MODERN DAY SCHOOL AND UNIVERSITY EXAMINERS ARE USING THIS TECHNIQUE TO THROW STUDENTS OFF..It requires 100% comprehension of the actual question..This is not mind games Neville..just pure crystal clear problem solving through firstly full comprehension of the question then the application of logic..You were looking for some sort of trick or innuendo...but don't feel foolish; I have seen this question throw some of the best minds around....I believe you read too much into this question and missed the nitty gritty marrow of the bone..oddly enough some of the most talented creative people give the silliest answers ..I think it has to do with left and right side brain function....This question totally through me the first time ..even though I was a top 'advanced ' grade student in all subjects at school, my less academically minded brothers got it straight off..making me look silly...

EVERYBODY REMEMBER THIS ONE ...IT MAKES FOR A GREAT PARTY QUIZ..AND IT'S INTERESTING TO SEE HOW DIFFERENT PEOPLE'S BRAINS WORK...
ONCE AGAIN..CONGRATS TO MARTY...HEATHER...FRANK...BOB..MANFRED AND VAL


many thanks ..to all who responded..
tom mcilveen













OTHER CONTRIBUTIONS WERE GLENNY PALMER =SAYS MINIMUM NOT POSSIBLE MAX=52...
ROSS MAGNAY ...= SAYS 2.........................MAUREEN CLIFFORD =...9
JEFF THORPE =....SAYS 2...................WILLIAM WILLIAMS=.......SAYS 2
ZONDRAE ...........= SAYS 51

TO THE LOSERS CAN I SAY PLEASE DON'T FEEL BAD...It is amazing how ma

[Maureen K Clifford]

I was sourcing socks for Jake the Peg, with his extra leg and therefore also an extra foot - does that make a difference....Gee hate loosing

[william williams]

Very Very cleaver Tom the word and is very critical to the statement

Bill Williams

[Leonie]

So easy to see when it's explained. I was with the 51 crowd, reasoning that if you weren't allowed to look, although unlikely, you could end up with 50 black or 50 white so to be guaranteed a pair you needed one more. My brain just wouldn't process that if I did end up with 50 black (or white) I would have 25 pair, duh. I must try that on my partner whose job is solving problems, he's a maintenance manager. I'll let you know how he does.

[Zondrae]

I am not a lateral thinker.

I think.... silly people... why didn't they pair them up before they put them in the drawer.

Then I thought I really needed more info. The somehow I thought a black and a white were a pair then I guess I didn't think much at all. Using brain for other things.

[Leonie]

Ok, tried it out on Alan and he got it wrong too. He said 25, and for the last four years he has been working for a company that makes, among a whole lot of other things ...... socks!

Mind you I can't really blame him because for years he hasn't ever had to worry about sorting through socks to find a pair because I always pair them up and tuck them together before they go into the drawer as well.

[r.magnay]

...well Tom, no where does it say or suggest that you are blind, in the dark or have your eyes shut, when I first read it I thought 3, then I re read the question and thought, how stupid, it has to be 2...unless you are a rugby player of course...Heather was right onto it from the start....the correct answer to the question as posed is 2......and I have no idea how high or low my IQ is!

[Leonie]

Yep, have to agree with Ross about the original question not mentioning that you had to take the socks out without looking at them, that is a crucial piece of the puzzle, also I could be wrong but I don't think it mentioned a matching pair either, so my very first thought was 2 as well, it was only when the 'not looking' and 'matching' bits came in it all went pear shaped for me, seemed easy until then. And seemed easy afterwards too, once I knew the answer.

So .. everyone, if you try this out don't forget to tell the victim ..err participant .. that they aren't allowed to look at the socks and it has to be a matching pair. Never fear, I spelt all that out for Alan and he still got it wrong. Maybe I shouldn't be enjoying that quite so much.

[Heather]

I can't take any credit really. At the original question I said 2.

I went out for the day and when I came home my husband and my daughter Hayley had discussed it and Hayley had said the answer was 3. They discussed the question and decided that it was meant to say that you couldn't look. I can't really say if I would have come up with the right answer because I was told it. However, I reasoned with Tom that if my daughter was clever then her mother must be too! I'll take the credit for a clever daughter.

Heather

[manfredvijars]

... and it follows that for TWO matching pairs you need FIVE socks, for THREE matching pairs you'd need SEVEN, for FOUR - nine ... etc, etc ...