airdvr 200 #1 December 30, 2010 “There are three boxes, one contains only apples, one contains only oranges, and one contains both apples and oranges. The boxes have been incorrectly labeled such that no label identifies the actual contents of the box it labels. Opening just one box, and without looking in the box, you take out one piece of fruit. By looking at the fruit, how can you immediately label all of the boxes correctly?”Please don't dent the planet. Destinations by Roxanne Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dzdiva 7 #2 December 30, 2010 Hmmm...comparing apples to oranges are we? Sorry...had to. "It's not just a daydream if you choose to make it your life..." Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Glitch 0 #3 December 30, 2010 By smelling the boxes...Randomly f'n thingies up since before I was born... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bertt 0 #4 December 30, 2010 I'm going to make three signs that say "Fruit" and slap them on the boxes. Any lawyers want to sue me for mis-labeling them? (actually, the key is that all the labels were wrong)You don't have to outrun the bear. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
billvon 2,462 #5 December 30, 2010 Open the box labeled AO and take out a piece of fruit. It is guaranteed that this is NOT the box with apples and oranges in it, so it is guaranteed to have all one type of fruit. Now you know whether that box is the A or the O box. Now look at the other two. One has the opposite (A or O) the other is the AO box. One label has been "used up" by labeling the formerly-AO box with the correct label. The other (unused) label will still be on a box. This last original is guaranteed wrong, so swap it with the one remaining label. The third box then has whatever label the other two do not have. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
