32 replies to this topic

[RiddleRookie]

I think I've seen something like this one before... ok ... here goes my logic...
first... ALL the labels are wrong. So I would grab an item from the box labeled both. Whatever you grab Nails or Screws... gets that label.
Because they are ALL wrong, then you move either nails or screws to the box you just removed. and then the label "nails and screws" goes to that one. Clear as mud, right?
N, S, NS pick something from NS, if its S put s on that box, put n on the 2nd box and NS on the first box.
if its N put N on that box, put 2 on first box and put NS on 2nd box.

[bonanova]

RR you have it.

[ash013]

Three boxes are all labeled incorrectly, and you must get the labels right.
The labels on the boxes read as follows:

[box 1] nails
[box 2] screws
[box 3] nails and screws

To gain the information you need to move the labels to the correct boxes,
you may remove a single item from one of the boxes. You may not look
into the boxes, nor pick them up and shake them, etc.

Can this be done? If so, how? If not, why not?

[Edit to add solution.]
[Edit again to explain.]

Spoiler for Solution

Remove an item from box 3.
The item tells you what label to put on box 3.
Move the nails and screws label to the box labeled with the other item, and its label to the remaining box.

Example: you remove a nail from box 3.
Move the label nails from box 1 to box 3.
You can't move the nails and screws label to box 1: that would be a swap, and all three labels must be corrected.
Move it instead to box 2, and the screws label to box 1.

[box 1] screws
[box 2] nails and screws
[box 3] nails

The only way to be suare,that we'll label the boxes correct is to take an item from the box 3 with label"nails and screws".From the item.which we take will depend the name of the lable.
Example:If we take nail,the label on box 3 will be "nails".
We know,that all the boxes are labeld incorrect and we already know the correct label for box 3.Left only to remove leble "nails
from 1 to 3,lable"nails and screws" from 3 to 1 and lable "screws" from 2 to1.Now all boxes are correct labeled.
box 1-screws
box 2-nails and screws
box 3-nails

[djkrys]

You start with
1- nails
2- screws
3- nails & screws
and are told ALL BOXES ARE LABELLED INCORRECTLY.

Therefore there are 2 possible correct answers as we have been told that the list above is INCORRECT. To solve the problem and determine which possibility is the right one do the following.

Pick from box 3 since you know it CANNOT be screws and nails because it is labelled as such INCORRECTLY, therefore it is either Screws or Nails, and whatever you pick out from that box will tell you the answer.

Therefore

If you get a Screw the solution is
1- Nails & Screws (can't be nails because it says its nail and that is incorrect, can't be screws because box 3 is screws)
2- Nails (only option left after 3 & 1 have been determined)
3- Screw (you picked a screw)


If you get a Nail the solution is
1- Screw (only option left after 3 & 2 have been determined)
2- Nails & Screws (can't be screws because it says it's screws and that is incorrect, can't be nails because box 3 is nails)
3- Nail (you picked a nail)

[Bill47]

djkrys,
Thank you. I was about to make pretty much the same point.

It seems many people who responded to this puzzle were overlooking the original statement of the problem, namely that ALL OF THE BOXES ARE LABELED INCORRECTLY. That being the case, then picking an item from the box labeled "nails and screws" tells you what's in the box and the rest of the solution as stated above works fine.

[EPISTAXIS]

NO, IT CANT BE DONE

IF U PULL ONE ITEM FROM ONLY ONE BOX AND ANY BOX. THEN ALL BOXES CAN HAVE BOTH ITEMS OR, IF THAT DIDNT MAKE SENSE...

PULL FROM A BOX IF IT IS A SCREW THEN THE ONLY THING U KNOW IS THAT, THAT BOX DID INDEED INCLUDE A SCREW, BUT THIS DOES NOT CONCLUDE THAT U DONT HAVE NAILS IN IT...THIS IS THE ONLY THING YOU CAN DEDUCE FROM PULLING ANY ONE OBJECT FROM ANY ONE BOX. SO U WILL ALWAYS GET AN ANSWER ON AN OBJECT THAT CAN INDEED BE INCLUDED IN THE BOX BUT THERE IS NO WAY TO BE SURE THAT THE BOX DOESNT INCLUDE THE OTHER TYPE OF ITEM OR NOT. SO YOU WILL NOT KNOW WHAT LABEL TO PUT ON THE BOX. IN THE DIAGRAM THE PART THAT SAYS [BOX 1], [BOX 2] AND SO ON IS JUST FOR LABELING PURPOSES TO BETTER DESCRIBE THE PUZZLE, IT DOESNT MEAN U KNOW BEFOREHAND WHICH BOX IS 1, 2, OR 3 NOR DO U KNOW WHICH BOX IS NAILS, SCREWS, OR NAILS AND SCREWS, ALL U KNOW IS THAT ALL THE LABELS ARE WRONG.

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[EPISTAXIS]

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO, TO DJKRYS MY LAST POST WAS A WASTE THNX FOR THE ANSWER, I DIDNT REALIZE THAT

[patsfan565]

Spoiler for anser

reach into the nails and screws and if you pull out screws then its the screws if you pull out nails its nails

Spoiler for anser

[Sunkissed]

This should be easy since ALL boxes are labeled incorrectly.

Start from box 3. This can only be labeled as nails or as screws since it is incorrectly labeled. Whatever you picked up from here is the correct label.

SITUATION 1:
If you picked up a screw on the 3rd box, label this as “SCREWS”.

With box 3 confirmed as screw, you can move to box 1. Since we have eliminated screws on the option, box 1 can only be nails or nails and screw. However, it is incorrectly labeled so you cannot label it as nails, you can then conclude that box 1 should be labeled as “NAILS AND SCREWS”. The remaining label is “NAILS” so you can then conclude that this belongs to box 2.

SITUATION 2:
If you picked up a nail on the 3rd box, label this as “NAILS”.

With box 3 confirmed as nails, you can move to box 2. Since we have eliminated nails on the option, box 2 can only be screws or nails and screws. However, it is incorrectly labeled so you cannot lable it as screws, you can then conclude that box 2 should be labeled as “NAILS and SCREWS”. The remaining label is “SCREWS” so you can then conclude that this belongs to box 1.

[achia]

This should be easy since ALL boxes are labeled incorrectly.

Start from box 3. This can only be labeled as nails or as screws since it is incorrectly labeled. Whatever you picked up from here is the correct label.

SITUATION 1:
If you picked up a screw on the 3rd box, label this as “SCREWS”.

With box 3 confirmed as screw, you can move to box 1. Since we have eliminated screws on the option, box 1 can only be nails or nails and screw. However, it is incorrectly labeled so you cannot label it as nails, you can then conclude that box 1 should be labeled as “NAILS AND SCREWS”. The remaining label is “NAILS” so you can then conclude that this belongs to box 2.

SITUATION 2:
If you picked up a nail on the 3rd box, label this as “NAILS”.

With box 3 confirmed as nails, you can move to box 2. Since we have eliminated nails on the option, box 2 can only be screws or nails and screws. However, it is incorrectly labeled so you cannot lable it as screws, you can then conclude that box 2 should be labeled as “NAILS and SCREWS”. The remaining label is “SCREWS” so you can then conclude that this belongs to box 1.