Puzzle : And Escape Story of Robbers Continues

Where story begins?

Babylas, Hilary, and Sosthenes have escaped the tower and divided their treasure into three bags. But now they must cross a river, and the boat can accommodate only two men at a time, or one man and a bag. None will trust another with his bag on the shore, but they agree that a man in the boat can be trusted to drop or retrieve a bag at either shore, as he’ll be too busy to tamper with it.

 How can they cross the river?

Source. 


This is how they can cross the river! 

 

Solution: Robbers' Planned Journey Across the River

Why they need a PLAN?

Let's recall that the boat can accommodate only two men at a time, or one man and a bag.

1. Sosthenes takes his bag across the river leaves it at other shore & comes back.

2. Sosthenes takes Hilari's bag to the other shore & leaves it there where his own bag is already there. 

3. Now, Hilari takes Sosthenes to the other shore, leaves him there & come back after recollecting own bag.

4. Hilari drops own bag at near shore & takes Babylas to other shore & returns back.

5. Next, he takes Babylas's bag & drops it at other shore where Babylas is waiting for his bag. And Hilary returns once again.

6. Finally, he collects his own bag and takes it to other shore.

Whose Number is Bigger?

Ali and Zoe reach into a bag that they know contains nine lottery balls numbered 1-9. They each take one ball out to keep and they look at it secretly. Then, they make the following statements, in order:

Ali: "I don't know whose number is bigger." 

Zoe: "I don't know whose number is bigger either." 

Ali: "I still don't know whose number is bigger." 

Zoe: "Now I know that my number is bigger!"

Assuming Ali and Zoe are perfectly logical, what is Zoe's smallest possible number?

'This' is that smallest possible number!

My Number is the Bigger One!

First you can read what happened?

Recalling what Ali and Zoe said - 

Ali: "I don't know whose number is bigger." 

Zoe: "I don't know whose number is bigger either." 

Ali: "I still don't know whose number is bigger." 

Zoe: "Now I know that my number is bigger!" 

First statement of Ali indicates that she doesn't have either 1 or 9. If she had 1 (or 9) then she would have an idea that Zoe must have bigger (or smaller) number.

Now Zoe is smart enough to know that Ali doesn't have 1 or 9 which is clear from Ali's first statement. Zoe's first statement indicates that she doesn't have 2 or 8 (& neither 1 or 9). If she had 1/2 (or 8/9) then she could have concluded that Ali has bigger (or smaller) number.

Till now Ali has an idea that the Zoe doesn't have 1,2,8,9. So still Ali can't have 2/8 as in that case too she could have made a different statement. Further if Ali had 3 or 7 (and knowing the fact that Zoe doesn't have 1,2,8,9); Ali could have an idea whose number is bigger as 3 is smallest while 7 is biggest among remaining numbers. That means she doesn't have 3 or 7 ( and 1,2,8,9).

From all the statement Zoe can conclude that Ali doesn't have 1,2,3,7,8,9. In short, Ali must have either 4,5,6. 

Now when Zoe says she has bigger number then it must be either 6 or 7 and Ali having 4 or 5. It can't be 5 as in that case Zoe wouldn't be confident as Ali could have 6.

So the Zoe's smallest possible number is 6.