By pyrok
The focus for tonight’s Tanga Times is Logic Problems. In that spirit, the puzzles being linked to are not web-based but must be downloaded. Actually, that wasn’t the intent but it happened to work out that way. Next week I will do another Logic-themed TT and will try to find links that are web-based applications for solving logic puzzles.

If you’re familiar with Dell and Penny Press puzzle books, then you have probably encountered the logic puzzles they usually include in their Variety editions and maybe even the entire editions they have dedicated to just logic puzzles. They range in difficulty and complexity. If you aren’t aware, here is a link to Dell’s weekly puzzle.
But are you familiar with the joys of computer-based logic problems? Two old-school ones are Sherlock and it’s sequel, Dinner With Moriarty. The company who created these is Everett Kaser Software and they have shareware versions for these and other titles for your desktop (or Sherlock is always available as Shareware for use on your pocket pc). Sherlock is a logic puzzle game for the computer developed by Everett Kaser (DOS and Windows versions). The objective is to determine the correct locations of 36 different images in a 6 × 6 array using computer-generated graphical clues which describe adjacency relationships of different images. In Dinner with Moriarity, you must deduce information about people seated around a table from similar adjacency clues.

Now for logic-based fun and the opportunity to earn points!

As has become my usual m.o., the first challenge will be FTP (first-to-post) and the second will be a random drawing where you have the chance to enter anytime between now and when robrizob’s Tuesday Tanga Times posts. You enter by emailing me at: pyroktanga@gmail.com.

1. (FTP % points each = 10 total possible points) You must be first to post both solutions to get all 10 points. If you want to just answer one (or if someone already beat you to one), you can still get 5 points for the one.

Here are two “oldie but goodies” logic problems (in fact, these ore something similar may have already been used in earlier Tanga Times newsletters written by others but they are classics):

1. Based on the following clues, what are the three cards?
There are three playing cards lying face up, side by side. A five is just to the right of a two. A five is just to the left of a two. A spade is just to the left of a club, and a spade is just to the right of a spade.

2. Which of the below statements is true?
A. The number of false statements here is one.
B. The number of false statements here is two.
C. The number of false statements here is three.
D. The number of false statements here is four.

2. (Random Drawing = 10 points)* Send answer to: pyroktanga@gmail.com

This is a logic problem that Einstein supposedly said could not be solved by 98% of the population. (It isn’t believed that Einstein actually created this problem because of the fact that the the Blue Master brand of cigar mentioned in the problem were not around during Einstein’s life. See if you can be part of the 2% and send your answer to pyroktanga@gmail.com

There are 5 houses each with a different color. Their owners, each with a unique heritage, drinks a certain type of beverage, smokes a certain brand of cigarette, and keep a certain variety of pet. None of the owners have the same pet, smoke the same brand of cigarette or drink the same beverage.

Clues:
The Brit lives in the red house.
The Swede keeps dogs as pets.
The Dane drinks tea.
The green house is just to the left of the white house.
The green house’s owner drinks coffee.
The person who smokes Pall Malls raises birds.
The owner of the yellow house smokes Dunhill.
The man living in the center house drinks milk.
The Norwegian lives in the first house.
The man who smokes Blends lives next to the one who keeps cats.
The man who keeps a horse lives next to the man who smokes Dunhill.
The owner who smokes Bluemasters also drinks beer.
The German smokes Prince.
The Norwegian lives next to the blue house.
The man who smokes Blends has a neighbor who drinks water.

Who owns the fish?

Until next week, live long and prosper!

-pyrok