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"Logic puzzle" logic
Posted:
Nov 30, 1999 2:13 PM
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G'day G'day Folks,
Every so often I attempt "Logic puzzles"
Here is a short example.
1. Patricia lives in Brussels. She's one year older than John's
mother who lives in Eittligen.
2. Stasik's mother is Nona. She's one year older than Bina whose son
isn't Alex.
3. The woman in Kirov (who isn't Maria) is younger than the worman in
Odessa.
4. Nicholas's mother (no Nina) is 43.
5. The woman living in Chittagong is 45.
The women's ages are 41, 42, 43, 45, 46.
There names are Bina, Maria, Nina, Nona, Patricia.
They live in Brussels, Chittagong,Ettlingen, Kirov and Odessa.
How old is each woman, who is her son and where do they live.
In the books of such puzzles they provide a set of 6 interlocking
5 x 5 grids for convenience.
On the vertical it reads downwards, women, towns, sons.
On the horizontal it reads ages, sons, towns.
The three grids at the bottom right hand corner are removed to avoid
duplication leaving six grids in a sort of triangle.
Some of the logic is simple.
Since Patricia lives in Brussels she can't live in Chittagong,
Ettlingen, Kirov, Odessa and Bina, Maria, Nina, Nona can't live in
Brussels. I insert a O in the Patricia/Brussels square and Xs in the
other squares in that row and column of that grid. I use O because it
is easier to see than a tick.
If one gets four X in a row or column then the fifth one must be a O
Oh joy. This is where most of the puzzling over the clues occurs.
There might be something else. A sort of Booleanoid algebra that
allows information found in one 5 x 5 grid to be used in another 5 x 5
grid. Perhaps there isn't.
Is there such a Booleanoid algebra?
If there is, what are its rules?
Thanks,
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