Who is first?

Logic Level 3

In a mathematics contest, students A, B, C, D, E, F, G and H got the top eight places. The teacher asked them to guess who got first.

  • A: "Either F or H is first."
  • B: "I'm first."
  • C: "G is first."
  • D: "B is not first."
  • E: "A is wrong."
  • F: "Neither I nor H is the first."
  • G: "C is not first."
  • H: "I agree with A."

The teacher told them that exactly three of them guessed correctly.

Who got first?

B G C E A F H D

This section requires Javascript.
You are seeing this because something didn't load right. We suggest you, (a) try refreshing the page, (b) enabling javascript if it is disabled on your browser and, finally, (c) loading the non-javascript version of this page . We're sorry about the hassle.

2 solutions

Munem Shahriar
Aug 9, 2017

Since B and D contradict each other, exactly one of them must be true.

Since A and H agree with each other while E and F are against them, exactly two of these four must be true.

Therefore, neither C nor G guessed correctly. Since G guessed that C is not first, C \boxed{C} must be first.

Nice one!!! That was also how I got it!!

Kaa The Python - 1 year, 10 months ago

Let us go through all the guesses. If A's guess is correct or true, then either F or H is first. Then, B's guess that he/she is first is false. C's guess is false, and so on. The resulting truth table if we assume A's guess is true is as follows.

\[\begin{array} {} \text{A:} & \text{Either F or H is first.} & \color{blue} \text{True} \\ \text{B:} & \text{I'm first.} & \color{red} \text{False} \\ \text{C:} & \text{G is first.} & \color{red} \text{False} \\ \text{D:} & \text{B is not first.} & \color{blue} \text{True} \\ \text{E:} & \text{A is wrong.} & \color{red} \text{False} \\ \text{F:} & \text{Neither I nor H is the first.} & \color{red} \text{False} \\ \text{G:} & \text{C is not first.} & \color{blue} \text{True} \\ \text{H:} & \text{I agree with A.} & \color{blue} \text{True} \end{array} \]

Since the truth table above shows that four and not three persons guessed correctly, A's guess is false. Now, assume that B's guess is true, then the truth table is as follows:

\[\begin{array} {} \text{A:} & \text{Either F or H is first.} & \color{red} \text{False} \\ \text{B:} & \text{I'm first.} & \color{blue} \text{True} \\ \text{C:} & \text{G is first.} & \color{red} \text{False} \\ \text{D:} & \text{B is not first.} & \color{red} \text{False} \\ \text{E:} & \text{A is wrong.} & \color{blue} \text{True} \\ \text{F:} & \text{Neither I nor H is the first.} & \color{blue} \text{True} \\ \text{G:} & \text{C is not first.} & \color{blue} \text{True} \\ \text{H:} & \text{I agree with A.} & \color{red} \text{False} \end{array} \]

Again, there are four correct guesses, hence B's guess is false. Now, assume that C's guess is true.

\[\begin{array} {} \text{A:} & \text{Either F or H is first.} & \color{red} \text{False} \\ \text{B:} & \text{I'm first.} & \color{red} \text{False} \\ \text{C:} & \text{G is first.} & \color{blue} \text{True} \\ \text{D:} & \text{B is not first.} & \color{blue} \text{True} \\ \text{E:} & \text{A is wrong.} & \color{blue} \text{True} \\ \text{F:} & \text{Neither I nor H is the first.} & \color{blue} \text{True} \\ \text{G:} & \text{C is not first.} & \color{blue} \text{True} \\ \text{H:} & \text{I agree with A.} & \color{red} \text{False} \end{array} \]

There are five correct guesses and C's guess is false.

\[\begin{array} {} \text{A:} & \text{Either F or H is first.} & \color{red} \text{False} \\ \text{B:} & \text{I'm first.} & \color{red} \text{False} \\ \text{C:} & \text{G is first.} & \color{red} \text{False} \\ \text{D:} & \text{B is not first.} & \color{blue} \text{True} \\ \text{E:} & \text{A is wrong.} & \color{blue} \text{True} \\ \text{F:} & \text{Neither I nor H is the first.} & \color{blue} \text{True} \\ \text{G:} & \text{C is not first.} & \color{red} \text{False} \\ \text{H:} & \text{I agree with A.} & \color{red} \text{False} \end{array} \]

As we go through the guesses, if we assume G's guess is true, then there were four correct guesses. If we assume G's guess is false, there were exactly three correct guesses. Hence G's guess that "C is not first." must be wrong. That means C got first.

0 pending reports

×

Problem Loading...

Note Loading...

Set Loading...