By Israel Zwick, CN Publications

Author’s Note: The following story was adapted from Classic Logic Puzzles (Sterling Publishing Co., 2003). The story is entirely fictional. Any resemblance to real persons, places, or events is completely coincidental.

Once upon a time there was a little town in the desert called Greenfield. The Greenfielders were mostly poor immigrants who were struggling hard to build better lives for themselves and their families. They succeeded in developing their small desert town into a flourishing community.

However, near Greenfield was a small strip of land called Azan. The people of Azan believed that Greenfield was rightfully their land so they decided that they would drive out the Greenfielders by force. To do that, they started shooting rockets at Greenfield on a daily basis. The rockets were specifically aimed at the civilian population: at schools, homes, and businesses.  Some of the rockets fell harmlessly, some caused property damage, some caused injuries, and occasionally they caused deaths.

The Greenfielders were frightened of these rockets because they never knew where they would land, they could land anywhere. They had only 15 seconds to seek shelter once a rocket was detected. Their lives were in constant turmoil. Children were afraid to play outdoors and mothers were afraid to go shopping. Many Greenfielders fled the town for a safer environment.

Finally, the Greenfield Town Council decided to have a meeting to decide what to do about the incessant rockets. They decided to hire three tanks that would go into Azan and finally destroy the rocket launchers. So the next week, three tanks lined up on the Azan border ready to attack Azan as soon as they received the orders. The tanks were named Emunah, Chochmah, and Gvurah. However, as soon as the international community detected the tanks, there was a big outcry of protest.

An aging, former leader of the country Yoo-Essay, went to visit the Azan leaders and came back saying, “The Azan people want peace with the Greenfielders. The only reason that they are shooting rockets is because the Greenfielders are constantly harassing and irritating them. So if the Greenfielders stop their harassment, the Azans will stop their rockets. If the Greenfielders attack the Azans with their tanks, that would constitute collective punishment against an innocent civilian population so they must not be allowed to do that.”

The leader of a peace organization called the Yoo-Enn, said,” If the Greenfielders attack the Azans it would be a violation of international law and result in unlawful occupation of Azan territory. They cannot do that”

The leader of the Eey-Yoo said, “If the Greenfielders attack the Azans with three tanks it would be considered disproportionate and excessive retaliation against mostly harmless rockets. The Greenfielders must show restraint.”

The Azan leaders warned the Greenfielders, “If you attack us with your three tanks, we will retaliate with our most advanced weapons – our digital video camera with video imaging software. We will produce a video showing children and goats lying in pools of blood with wailing women kneeling over them. We will use Yoo-Toob to distribute this video to millions of people around the world. All the human rights organizations and trade unions will condemn, vilify, and boycott you. You will be finished.”

The Greenfielders were very concerned about these threats so the Town Council decided to meet again. After a lengthy debate, they decided that they would show restraint to the international community. They resolved that they would attack with only one tank, leave another tank at the border for backup, and send the third tank back to the military base.

Using the information below, determine which of the three tanks would attack, which would stay at the border, and which would withdraw to the base.

1. If Gvurah attacked, then Emunah would stay at the border.
2. If Emunah attacked, the Gvurah would go back to the base.
3. If Gvurah went back to the base, then Chochmah would stay at the border
4. If Chochmoh stayed at the border, then Gvurah would attack
5. If Emunah stayed at the border, then Chochmoh would attack.

For solution, click on the link below.

Solution:

From statement 1, if Gvurah attacked, then Emunah stayed at the border. If so, Chochmoh went back to base. However, from statement 5, if Emunah stayed at the border, then Chochmoh would attack. Therefore, Gvurah did not attack.

From statement 2, if Emunah attacked, Gvurah went back to base. If so, Chochmoh stayed at the border. However, from statement 4, if Chochmoh stayed at the border, then Gvurah attacked. Therefore, Emunah did not attack. Chochmoh must have been the tank that attacked.

From statement 3, if Gvurah went to base, then Chochmoh stayed at the border. However, since we know that Chochmoh attacked, then Gvurah did not go back to base. Therefore, Gvurah stayed at the border, and Emunah went back to the base and did not participate at all.

Summary:

Chochmoh attacked

Gvurah stayed at the border for backup

Emunah went back to the base and did not participate.

(Editor’s Note: The following story is fictitious. It is presented as a mental exercise for amusement only.)

Acting on a tip from an informant, Israeli troops invaded a school building in Ramallah operated by UNRWA, and seized nine schoolbags. Eight of the nine bags had schoolbooks but the ninth had a bomb in it. The task for the troops was to quickly identify the bag with the bomb and return the other bags to the children. The bags couldn’t be opened because that would risk detonating the bomb. However, the soldiers brought a scale with them. Let’s assume that the eight bags with schoolbooks had identical weights but the bag with the bomb weighed more.

What is the minimum number of weightings needed to identify the bag with the bomb and how was it done? For solution, click here:

Only two weightings are needed to identify the bag with the bomb. First divide the nine bags into groups of three and compare the masses of two groups. If one trio is heavier, simply compare two bags from that one, and it’s done. However, if the two triplets have the same mass, then it’s only necessary to compare two backpacks from the trio that was left out.

(Adapted from a puzzle by Alex Stone in Discover Magazine, April 2007)

Special to CN Publications

(The following story is fictitious; it is presented to stimulate thought and discussion)

An Israeli commando unit went into Nablus to capture two known terrorist leaders.  However, since the terrorists hide among the civilian population, an innocent Arab civilian was also captured with the two terrorists.  The names of the three were Ahmed, Bashaar, and Saleem.  The commandos brought the three captives to Shin Bet for questioning.  The interrogator knew that one was from Fatah, one was from Hamas, and one was an innocent civilian, but he didn’t know which was which.  However he knew that the civilian would always tell the truth, the Fatah terrorist always spoke falsely, and the Hamas terrorist makes statements that are alternately truthful and false. The Shin Bet agent allowed each of the captives to make two statements. They made the following statements:

Ahmed: 1. Saleem is from Fatah
             2. Bashaar is not a civilian

Bashaar:  1. Saleem is not a civilian
                2. Ahmed is from Fatah

Saleem: 1. Bashaar is from Hamas
             2. I am not from Fatah

The Shin Bet agent released the civilian and escorted the other two to prison.  How did he identify them?

For solution, click here:

Solution:  One captive is an innocent civilian, one is from Fatah, and one is from Hamas. The civilian always tells the truth, the Fatah terrorist always lies, and the Hamas terrorist makes statements that are alternately truthful and false.

Assume that Ahmed is the civilian. If so, Ahmed’s first statement is true and Saleem is from Fatah. If so, Bashaar must be from Hamas. However, Saleem’s first statement is that Bashaar is from Hamas. This would be true, which is not possible for a Fatah member.  Therefore, Ahmed is not the civilian.

Assume that Saleem is the civilian. If so, (oyb azoy), Saleem’s first statement that Bashaar is from Hamas would be true.  If so, Bashaar’s first statement would be false and his second statement that Ahmed is from Fatah would be true.  However, Ahmed’s second statement that Bashaar is not a civilian, would be true.  Again, this is not possible for a Fatah member. Therefore, Saleem cannot be the civilian.

Therefore, Bashaar must be the civilian. As indicated by Bashaar’s second statement,  Ahmed is from Fatah, and Saleem is from Hamas, whose first statement is false and second statement is true.

Summary:    Ahmed – Fatah
                   Bashaar – civilian
                   Saleem – Hamas

Before Ahmed and Saleem were taken to prison they were met by a representative from the International Red Cross who wanted to make sure that they would be granted appropriate conditions in prison including Arab food, a free cell phone, and internet service.  Saleem told the IRC representative, “You don’t have to worry about us.  We don’t plan to stay long. We have already been assured that we will be released with the next prisoner exchange for the kidnapped Israeli soldier.”

Special to CN Publications

Editor’s Note: The following story is fictitious. It is presented to stimulate thought and discussion.

Since Hamas took control of the Palestinian Terrorist Authority (PTA), it has become increasingly difficult for them to get the cash needed to finance their terrorist operations in the Gaza Strip. So they learned from the Muslim conflicts in Africa that it’s easier to smuggle diamonds than cash. Consequently, one of the Hamas terrorist leaders went on a journey to collect diamonds from Hamas supporters in various countries. As he completed his collection in Antwerp, Belgium, he called a private limousine to take him to the airport. When he entered the limo, he was greeted by two Israeli Mossad agents pointing their guns at him. They made him an offer,” Give us the diamonds and tell us where you got them, and we’ll let you go free. Otherwise, we’ll arrange for you to meet your 72 virgins.” The terrorist wisely chose the first option. He gave the diamonds to the Mossad agents and told them, “One-quarter of the diamonds came from Saudi Arabia, one-third of the diamonds came from Iran, one-sixth of the diamonds came from France, one-twelfth came from Norway, and the last 22 diamonds I picked up here in Belgium. How many diamonds did the terrorist give to the Mossad agents?

For solution, click here:

Solution: Let X equal the total number of diamonds.

So X/4 + X/3 + X/6 + X/12 + 22 = X

Multiply each side of the equation by 12 and you get

3X + 4X +2X + X + 264 = 12X

10X + 264 = 12X

2X = 264

X= 132. The total number of diamonds was 132.

33 came from Saudi Arabia, 44 came from Iran, 22 came from France, 11 came from Norway, 22 came from Belgium.

After the Mossad agents freed the terrorist, he continued traveling to collect more diamonds. When he tried to smuggle the diamonds into the Gaza Strip at the Rafi Crossing, he was greeted by Shin Bet agents. This time, the terrorist wasn’t so cooperative. He pulled out a firearm but was quickly shot and killed by the Israeli agents as he tried to escape. It is not known whether he met his 72 virgins.

Yeshiva Students Save Their Rabbi

Editor’s Note: The following story is fictitious. It is presented to stimulate thought and discussion.

The Rabbi of a small Hasidic congregation in Brooklyn developed a life-threatening clinical disorder. He required expensive medical procedures to save his life. Having devoted his career to the study and practice of Torah, the Rabbi didn’t have the means to pay for the medical expenses. The local Bikur Cholim charity organization was able to reduce the Rabbi’s costs to $10,000. Yet this was still too much for the Rabbi to pay. So four of his devoted yeshiva students decided that they would try to collect money from the other congregations in the neighborhood to pay for the Rabbi’s medical expenses. The names of the students were Beryl, Mendel, Yankel, and Heshel.

After several weeks of pounding the pavement, the students were able to collect $9,400 and gave it to their Rabbi. Mendel collected $1300 more than Beryl, who in turn collected $500 less than Yankel. Heshel collected $300 more than Mendel. How much money did each of the students collect for their Rabbi?

For solution click here:

Solution: From the information given, we can determine that the least amount of money was collected by Beryl. So if Beryl collected x dollars, then the other students collected the following amounts:

Mendel collected x + 1300

Yankel collected x + 500

Heshel collected x + 1600.

So we can make the following algebraic equation:

4x + 3400 = 9400. x=1500 So the students collected the following amounts:

Beryl – $1500

Mendel – $2800

Yankel – $2000

Heshel – $3100.

The boys continued to study Torah with their Rabbi for many years. They each became Talmudic scholars and served as role models for other boys in the community. When the Rabbi died at age 92, he was mourned by his 12 children, 64 grandchildren, 18 great-grandchildren, and hundreds of former students.

Editor’s Note: The following story is fictitious, presented for amusement only.

One day King Solomon decided that he needed a new crown.  So he went down to his vault, punched in his PIN Code, and  entered the huge vault containing his treasures.  He saw that he had four bars of gold that were exactly identical. He took one bar of gold and gave it to the royal goldsmith to fashion a new crown.  When the goldsmith returned with the finished product, the wise king suspected that the goldsmith removed some of the gold and replaced it with a lighter, cheaper metal such as copper. So King Solomon put the crown on a balance scale with one of the other identical gold bars and found that they balanced exactly.  Neverthless, the king had the goldsmith arrested and thrown in the dungeon.

How did King Solomon know that the goldsmith was guilty?

For solution, click here:

Solution: King Solomon, wisest of all men, knew that density is equal to mass per volume.  So if the crown and gold bar had the same mass and if the crown contained a metal of lower density, then the volume of the crown must be greater than the volume of the gold bar.  Using various techniques of water displacement and careful measurements, King Solomon ascertained that the volume of the crown was indeed greater than the volume of the gold bar, suggesting that it contained material of lower density.  When the goldsmith was confronted with this information, he admitted guilt and begged for leniency, so he was thrown in the dungeon.

Five Israeli Shin Bet agents were assigned to a search and arrest mission to find an Islamic Jihad leader.  The five agents were Avi, Baruch, Chaim, Dov, and Eitan. Their main problem was that this terrorist leader was known to change his location frequently.  So they had to search each possible location without giving him a chance to escape. So each agent boarded a separate Israeli APC and all five vehicles set out together to search the locations.

1. Avi, Boruch, and Chaim together covered 9 km between them.

2. Dov, Eitan, and Boruch together covered 16 km.

3. Dov. Avi. and Boruch, together traveled 12 km.

4. Chaim and Dov together traveled 7km.

From this information, determine how many kilometers Dov traveled in his APC.

For solution, click here:

Solution: 

 From 1 and 3, we can determine that Dov traveled 3 km more than Chaim.

Then from 4, we can determine that Chaim traveled 2 km and Dov traveled 5 km for a total of 7 km. 

 So Dov traveled 5 km.

Editor’s Note: The following story is fictitious. It is presented for amusement and to stimulate thought and discussion.

A world-renowned Israeli violinist was invited to perform in France in order to improve cultural relations between the two countries. After a virtuoso performance in a Paris concert hall, a lavish reception was held to honor the violinist. Following the reception, the violonist returned to his room at the concert hall.  When  he opened the closet door to hang up his coat, he noticed that his priceless violin was missing. The Paris police found no evidence of a break-in so they arrested four French citizens who were employees of the concert hall.  Their names were Ahmed, Nabil, Waleed, and Shiqar. Under interrogation, each of them made only one statement. The police inspector knew that the guilty one’s statement was false, but the other suspects spoke the truth. The suspects made the following statements:

Ahmed:  I couldn’t have stolen the violin. I was at a meeting at my local mosque where we discussed the tragic kidnap, torture and murder of a French Jew.

Nabil: Waleed is the one who stole the violin.

Waleed: Nabil is lying

Shiqar: Waleed is telling the truth.

Which one is guilty?

Hint: The guilty suspect’s statement is false, the other statements are true.  Assume that each suspect in turn is guilty. In each case, is this consistent with the statements by the other suspects?   For solution, click here:

Solution: Assume that Ahmed is guilty. If so, his statement is false. That would mean that the other three suspects made true statements. However, Nabil says that Waleed is guilty. If Ahmed is guilty, then Ahmed and Nabil both made false statements.  Therefore, Ahmed is not guilty.

Assume that Waleed is guilty. If so, Nabil’s statement indicating that Waleed is guilty, is true. Howevr, if Waleed is guilty, then his statement and Shiqar’s statement are both false.  Therefore Waleed is not guilty.

Assume that Shiqar is guilty. If so, Nabil’s statement indicating that Waleed is guilty, is false. Therefore, Shiqar is not guilty.

Nabil is guilty and the other three made true statements.

Summary: Ahmed, True.   Nabil, False    Waleed, True      Shiqar, True.

The police searched Nabil’s house, recovered the priceless violin, and averted an international incident.

Note: The following story is fictitious, it is presented as a mental exercise for amusement only.

An Israeli soldier is kidnapped in Gaza by Hamas terrorists.  After a lengthy, brutal interrogation, his captors tell him, “We will allow you to make one more statement. If your statement is false, you will be hanged. If your statement is true, you will be drowned.”  How did the soldier respond in order to save his life?

For solution, click here:

Solution: The soldier said, “I will be hanged.”  If they want to hang him, the sentence is true, so they will not be able to hang him.  He could also not be drowned because his statement would then be false, and they can’t drown him if his statement is false.  So the captors had to hold him alive until a release was negotiated. (Adapted from Don Quixote, by Cervantes.)

(Author Unknown)

Below  are four (4)  questions and a bonus question. You have to answer them  instantly. You can’t take your time, answer all of them  immediately.  Ready?

 Find out just how clever you really  are….
Ready?  GO!!!
First  Question:  
You  are participating in a race. You overtake the second person.  What position are you in?

Answer:  If you answered that you are first, then you are
absolutely  wrong! If you overtake the second person and you take his place,  you are second!

Try not to screw up next time.
Now  answer the second question,
but  don’t  take as much time as you took for the first question,  OK?

Second  Question:
If  you overtake the last person, then you are…?

Answer:  If you answered that you are second to last, then you are wrong  again. Tell me, how can you overtake the LAST  Person?

You’re  not very good at this, are you?  

Third  Question:
Very  tricky arithmetic! Note: This must be done in your head  only.
Do  NOT use paper and pencil or a calculator. Try  it.

Take  1000  and add 40  to it. Now add another 1000  . Now  add 30.  
Add another 1000.  Now add 20.  Now add another 1000
Now  add 10.  What is the total?
Did  you get  5000?

The  correct answer is actually 4100.  
If  you don’t believe it, check it with a calculator!
Today is definitely not your day, is it?
Maybe you’ll get the last  question right…
…..Maybe

Fourth  Question:  

Mary’s  father has five daughters: 1. Nana, 2. Nene, 3.  Nini,  4.  Nono. What is the name of the fifth  daughter?  

Did  you Answer  Nunu?
NO!  Of course it isn’t.
Her name  is  Mary.
   
Read the question again!

Okay,  now the bonus round:  

A  mute person goes into a shop and wants to buy a toothbrush.  By  imitating  the action of brushing his teeth he  successfully  expresses  himself to the shopkeeper and the purchase  is  done.  
      
Next,  a blind man comes into the shop who wants to buy a pair  of  sunglasses;  how does HE indicate what he  wants?  Give up?
He  just has to open his mouth and ask…
   
It’s really very  simple, if you stop to think.

Sometimes seemingly complex problems have very simple solutions if we would just take the time to figure them out, instead of acting impulsively