Comments on: The Hat Puzzle (A Consulting or Engineering Interview Brain Teaser) http://mindyourdecisions.com/blog/2008/04/15/the-hat-puzzle-a-consulting-or-engineering-interview-brain-teaser/ Articles on game theory and personal finance Sun, 20 May 2012 23:31:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 By: john http://mindyourdecisions.com/blog/2008/04/15/the-hat-puzzle-a-consulting-or-engineering-interview-brain-teaser/comment-page-1/#comment-13321 john Tue, 03 Jan 2012 19:52:41 +0000 http://mindyourdecisions.com/blog/2008/04/15/the-hat-puzzle-a-consulting-or-engineering-interview-brain-teaser/#comment-13321 After rereading comments, I think WG, the other John and Curtis Autery are all replying to Cecil and not commenting on the original article. If so, they are right. Cecil needs to add that the order of answers must be pre-determined and needs to change the "no communications allowed" rule. The only communication allowed is the act of passing itself (choosing a color also gives information, but the game is over at that point anyway).So, (among other things) no time delay tactics are allowed. If the game continues till someone doesn't pass, the original problem has a 100% success solution, but Cecil's problem (with the extra conditions) still has a maximum of 87.5% success. After rereading comments, I think WG, the other John and Curtis Autery are all replying to Cecil and not commenting on the original article. If so, they are right.

Cecil needs to add that the order of answers must be pre-determined and needs to change the “no communications allowed” rule. The only communication allowed is the act of passing itself (choosing a color also gives information, but the game is over at that point anyway).So, (among other things) no time delay tactics are allowed.

If the game continues till someone doesn’t pass, the original problem has a 100% success solution, but Cecil’s problem (with the extra conditions) still has a maximum of 87.5% success.

]]> By: john http://mindyourdecisions.com/blog/2008/04/15/the-hat-puzzle-a-consulting-or-engineering-interview-brain-teaser/comment-page-1/#comment-13318 john Tue, 03 Jan 2012 16:17:14 +0000 http://mindyourdecisions.com/blog/2008/04/15/the-hat-puzzle-a-consulting-or-engineering-interview-brain-teaser/#comment-13318 @Michael D., it would seem you are trying to find a way to cheat, as your strategy clearly violates the no cummunication rule. WG and the other John have solutions that violate the simultaneous rule. But the description of the game does not make it explicitly clear that only one guess is allowed. If simultaneous guesses were allowed till at least one didn't pass, then the strategy of WG and John could be used to get 100% success. However, multiple options to guess would create a loophole to the no communication rule, and would probably cause argument as to which rule supersedes the other. @Michael D., it would seem you are trying to find a way to cheat, as your strategy clearly violates the no cummunication rule.

WG and the other John have solutions that violate the simultaneous rule. But the description of the game does not make it explicitly clear that only one guess is allowed. If simultaneous guesses were allowed till at least one didn’t pass, then the strategy of WG and John could be used to get 100% success.

However, multiple options to guess would create a loophole to the no communication rule, and would probably cause argument as to which rule supersedes the other.

]]> By: Michael D. http://mindyourdecisions.com/blog/2008/04/15/the-hat-puzzle-a-consulting-or-engineering-interview-brain-teaser/comment-page-1/#comment-13234 Michael D. Fri, 30 Dec 2011 09:54:00 +0000 http://mindyourdecisions.com/blog/2008/04/15/the-hat-puzzle-a-consulting-or-engineering-interview-brain-teaser/#comment-13234 Could the players not have coordinated in advance to correspond to other players and act accordingly. For example: Player 1's reaction depends on what he sees on Player 2, 2 to 3, 3 to 1. If say Player 1 sees on Player 2 a blue hat, he goes to the right side of the room's entrance; if red to the other, and so on and so forth. Could the players not have coordinated in advance to correspond to other players and act accordingly. For example: Player 1′s reaction depends on what he sees on Player 2, 2 to 3, 3 to 1. If say Player 1 sees on Player 2 a blue hat, he goes to the right side of the room’s entrance; if red to the other, and so on and so forth.

]]> By: One mile south, one mile east, one mile north – a classic puzzle - Mind Your Decisions http://mindyourdecisions.com/blog/2008/04/15/the-hat-puzzle-a-consulting-or-engineering-interview-brain-teaser/comment-page-1/#comment-9589 One mile south, one mile east, one mile north – a classic puzzle - Mind Your Decisions Sun, 21 Aug 2011 01:20:37 +0000 http://mindyourdecisions.com/blog/2008/04/15/the-hat-puzzle-a-consulting-or-engineering-interview-brain-teaser/#comment-9589 [...] The hat puzzle [...] [...] The hat puzzle [...]

]]> By: A Day in the Life of a Game Theorist: A Tribute to One Year of Game Theory Tuesdays - Mind Your Decisions http://mindyourdecisions.com/blog/2008/04/15/the-hat-puzzle-a-consulting-or-engineering-interview-brain-teaser/comment-page-1/#comment-9510 A Day in the Life of a Game Theorist: A Tribute to One Year of Game Theory Tuesdays - Mind Your Decisions Sat, 20 Aug 2011 06:04:45 +0000 http://mindyourdecisions.com/blog/2008/04/15/the-hat-puzzle-a-consulting-or-engineering-interview-brain-teaser/#comment-9510 [...] I love your posts, this is one of my favorite blogs. Please keep up the great thought provoking posts, we your readers love this stuff! JB in The Hat Puzzle, a Technical Interview Question (link) [...] [...] I love your posts, this is one of my favorite blogs. Please keep up the great thought provoking posts, we your readers love this stuff! JB in The Hat Puzzle, a Technical Interview Question (link) [...]

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