In a long hallway, 100 prisoners are given red or blue hats, whose color only the other prisoners can see. At a signal given by the warden the prisoners must walk single file through a door and take their places inside a large room. The room is circular and its wall, ceiling and floor are featureless. Nothing is said, nor are any gestures made to prisoners as they enter the room and take their place. When the last prisoner has taken his place the warden inspects the configuration of their hat colors. If the colors form two monotonic groups separable, say, by some straight line, then all the prisoners are freed. If their hat colors instead are intermingled, they are all executed.
Prisoners are allowed to discuss strategy before receiving their hats. What is their fate?
Let's see, what else? Oh ya, they can't just pass their hats around. They're super-glued on their heads. Ouch. And no one has a magic marker to ... uh ... you know, make a line ... or anything like that.
Question
bonanova
In a long hallway, 100 prisoners are given red or blue hats, whose color only the other prisoners can see. At a signal given by the warden the prisoners must walk single file through a door and take their places inside a large room. The room is circular and its wall, ceiling and floor are featureless. Nothing is said, nor are any gestures made to prisoners as they enter the room and take their place. When the last prisoner has taken his place the warden inspects the configuration of their hat colors. If the colors form two monotonic groups separable, say, by some straight line, then all the prisoners are freed. If their hat colors instead are intermingled, they are all executed.
Prisoners are allowed to discuss strategy before receiving their hats. What is their fate?
Let's see, what else? Oh ya, they can't just pass their hats around. They're super-glued on their heads. Ouch. And no one has a magic marker to ... uh ... you know, make a line ... or anything like that.
Link to comment
Share on other sites
1 answer to this question
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.