[Guest]

One king was waiting so long to have a son and when this happened he was so happy,that he published a new law.According to it the sentences to all prisoners were decreased to half.For the courtiers were easy to count for these who had some years,but how to do it for those who had life sentanses.The order is order and they started to think till they found the solution every prisoner with life sentence to serve exactly the half of it.How this happend?

[Brandonb]

But this has the same flaw, because if they died on the inside they'd spend more than half their life-sentence in jail.

Not quite, the statement says that they had to serve half their life sentence, not that they had to spend half of their life outside of jail. This satisfies them serving half a life sentence without allowing them out of the jail.

[itachi-san]

Not quite, the statement says that they had to serve half their life sentence, not that they had to spend half of their life outside of jail. This satisfies them serving half a life sentence without allowing them out of the jail.

Ah, yes. my bad.

[Guest]

I don't know if Barnes Wallis could calculate the normal (natural)lenght of his life,maybe he really could,but I doubt that he could calculate the probability one brick to fall over his head and kill him,when he was making this calculations.Obviously,he was lucky and this didn't happen,but could.

Bonanova - does this have any thing to do with the undulating self rotating endless double helix goedetrically modified self optimising parabolic structured quadnophenical plasma aligned Patulamarario IV, (aka Widget 9000i+ with all the new touch sensitive pad multifunctional celular gameboy/gear/ps2 n 3d inclusive of WII - blue tooth-ray flux capicitor with return function on the delux version.. that comes in white, very very very light grey, blanche, wit, witte)

Edited to add - can't believe I did that!

Edited April 10, 2008 by Lost in space

[Brandonb]

Bonanova - does this have any thing to do with the undulating self rotating endless double helix goedetrically modified self optimising parabolic structured quadnophenical plasma aligned Patulamarario IV, (aka Widget 9000i+ with all the new touch sensitive pad multifunctional celular gameboy/gear/ps2 n 3d inclusive of WII - blue tooth-ray flux capicitor with return function on the delux version.. that comes in white, very very very light grey, blanche, wit, witte)

Edited to add - can't believe I did that!

you just hurted my head

[Guest]

you just hurted my head

not at my best yet, when i'm well, i'll probab;y give every body an anal headache

[Guest]

On commuting half of a life sentence ....

Set them free for a day and have them come back to prison for a day.

Repeat until dead.

Congratulations,you just commute life sentance to half.Do not forget imram also,who almost got it and sorry for the deley.

[Guest]

My humanity is intact. If someone gets the death penalty, why does it need to be painless? If someone commited a crime against me or my family that warranted the death penalty I'd hope that they would suffer a little before the punishment was complete. I'm all about feeding them to hungry animals (preferably lions or crocodiles) or dropping them off in the middle of the Sahara.

Besides I'm not saying that someone should beat them almost to death, I said "beat them half to death, and then release them". I've heard a variation of this riddle with that answer.

Don't take it so hard.I was kidding you,although if somebody hurt you or your family beating or killing him won't change what happen.aAso I'm interesting to tell me how you can "beat them half to death"?What mean to beat somebody to half dead and how you'll know when to stop?Just curious.

[Guest]

Just being a little nit picky (especially cause you always do it to me)

What if he went out on Day 1, Came back day 2, Left Day 3, and died. He was out for 2 days, and 1 day was inside. Not exactly half.

However, without going to 1 second in, 1 second out (quite pointless, since checking in and out would take longer than that, my assumption would be this probably the best solution.

Do you really think 1 day is such a big deal?Just because nobody knows how lomg will live this is the best and most correct solution for me.I'm open for somethig better.

[Guest]

A little more thought to this;

Wherever the first time is spent cannot be the place where he dies, because then it will not be 50%

ie; Day 1 - Outside

Day 2 - Inside

Day 3 - Outside, dies

However,

If he dies in the opposite place of where he starts it will be perfect halves.

So thus my answer is; Start the inmates on the inside. They should know if they die on the outside, they will have 50% in & out. If they die inside, then they won't. Since the inmates would rather have a tie than the jail have the advantage most would die on the outside, and thus also reduce the workload of the jail for dealing with the bodies.

I think you becoming a little bit fussy.The question was to find general solution to the problem,not to stuck with 1 day more or less,because even if we fallow your suggestion again can't be sure that will be exactly 50%."If he dies in the opposite place of where he starts it will be perfect halves."-not for sure,that depends when the prisoner will die-at the morning,noon or at the evening.That's way let do not be fussy.

[Guest]

I think you becoming a little bit fussy.The question was to find general solution to the problem,not to stuck with 1 day more or less,because even if we fallow your suggestion again can't be sure that will be exactly 50%."If he dies in the opposite place of where he starts it will be perfect halves."-not for sure,that depends when the prisoner will die-at the morning,noon or at the evening.That's way let do not be fussy.

Sorry if it sounds I am becoming a little bit fussy, but when your original post says exactly I assume its not general. Also, like I said in the first post, unless you are doing 1 second in, 1 second out (which is unresonable) the 1 day in 1 day out was the best answer so I was just pointing out the flaws. The second post was to elaborate on the best answer to have it swing in the jail's favor.

Just an fyi, I know in arizona they have a system where people spend 6pm-6am in jail, go to work from 6am-6pm and come back, this is for less serious crimes like DUIs.

[Guest]

Sorry if it sounds I am becoming a little bit fussy, but when your original post says exactly I assume its not general. Also, like I said in the first post, unless you are doing 1 second in, 1 second out (which is unresonable) the 1 day in 1 day out was the best answer so I was just pointing out the flaws. The second post was to elaborate on the best answer to have it swing in the jail's favor.

Just an fyi, I know in arizona they have a system where people spend 6pm-6am in jail, go to work from 6am-6pm and come back, this is for less serious crimes like DUIs.

Actualy in some countries in Europe this system works too.For the puzzel i was saing,that even your system doesn't work exactly.Read again and you'll understand what i mean.

[Guest]

One king was waiting so long to have a son and when this happened he was so happy,that he published a new law.According to it the sentences to all prisoners were decreased to half.For the courtiers were easy to count for these who had some years,but how to do it for those who had life sentanses.The order is order and they started to think till they found the solution every prisoner with life sentence to serve exactly the half of it.How this happend?

maybe we are all misled by the incorrect definition of "life sentence", specifically, the definition of "life". Since those prisoners who have life snetanses have to be executed at a certain time, then his life, or his age is determined, rather than bothering studying whether to do it on a 1-day-outside-and-1-day-inside basis 1-sec-outside-and-1-sec-inside basis.

for example,if the guy is 30 years old now, and he is going to serve his life sentence in 2 years, then his life span is determined, just simple addition, 30+2=32 (years). and now, we have to cut his "life sentence" to half, which suggests cutting 32 to half, and the answer is 16(years). so from now on, the lucky guy will spend his 16 years in prison, and live happily afterwards.

you may say gosh! what if he lives 100 years, then we should have him in prison for (100-30)/2=35 (years) rather than 16!!!! but take a second thought before asking that question. just like what life sentence suggests(it's going to reap this guy's life in exactly 2 years no matter how much time he may live), we are talking about his life for the very moment, not his potential vigorous vitality.

universe saved again.

[Guest]

Just to add another picky comment, whilst the solution given would reduce the "time spent in prison" by a half, it is debatable as to whether it reduces the "sentence" by half, if you think of a sentence as a punishment.

For example, someone who was always expecting to go free one day being allowed to go free earlier will think of this as less of a reduction to their sentence than somebody who thought they were never going to go free now being told that they will.

A more precise example: would you prefer to be someone who was intended to serve 50 years (now reduced to 25) or someone who was intended to serve life who now gets to go free every other day. I know which one I'd take.

Also, as the lifers are most likely serious criminals, would you really expect them to hand themselves in again each day?

The puzzle idea is a good one, as you have to think outside the box to solve it, but maybe a scenario other than prisoners and life sentences could be thought up. (I have no ideas though).

Finally, the word "exactly" should definitely be removed as the solution doesn't meet this criteria.

[Guest]

I won't flog dead horse and be picky too. But we are all fair game when it comes to topic starting ash013. It's been said to many people new and old - 'be prepared to accept critique over your post/topic.' What you say, what you write will be pulled apart if in accurate, or even 1mm from the target - but that's the fun of it on both sides...

So, we can't guarantee half.. Impossible in human terms. Who would be mad enough to let many life prisoners (seriously very naughty people) out of jail - Has happened for an odd one historically, but I think that was with conditions.

Regarding Beating someone half to death, beat them within an inch of their life - these are expressions, which means punish them severly but don't kill them (to kill s slave would be fiancially unsound)

Conclusion - keep them locked up! reduce the others to a lesser sentance - say 1/3 or 1/4

Edit for.. Good topic MAths and Psychology with a humanitarian twist - 4 pages in no time at all

Edited April 11, 2008 by Lost in space

[Guest]

Just thought that another way to look at a life sentence is to acknowledge that a life sentence isn't "until you die", but is actually for an infinite period. For example, if someone is killed and then revived, they aren't released. Similarly if a very rich prisoner was to have themselves frozen for revival at a later date, there would be no date in the future at which they could be revived and set free.

So, if the term is infinite, then half the term is also infinite. So the lifers remain lifers although technically have their sentence halved.

(Another way to look at this is to say that if you halve the sentence, you multiply the number of days of freedom the prisoner would have. If a life sentence means the prisoner should have 0 days of freedom, then whatever you multiply this by you will still have 0 days of freedom.)

Clutching at straws here a bit, but this answer would actually satisfy the OP entirely (including the word "exactly").

[Guest]

Well off the math side infinitely rich????

Life is a variable no exact number.

Exact is for equations with finite answer or to prove disprove infinity

All good points but the idea and consensus seems tobe in/out/in/out on what ever time scale - that's the bit that is missing T x 1/2

Throw away the key - life means life (in this case anyway)

[Guest]

Couldn't you just chop them in half or even drain out half their LIFE force(blood)?

[Guest]

I still wonder why some people trying to convert this practical logical problem into math problem.Here we talking about human life,which duration can't be predict,hence is pointless to continue with the calculations.For me the givven solution is good and logical.If somebody don't agree with me I have sugestion-you can go and ask a fortune-teller,than is easy to do the math.

Edited April 11, 2008 by ash013