A logician has a favorite game to play at parties. He shows a set of solidly colored stickers to all his logician friends. Each logician, without looking, puts a random sticker on his/her own back. Each logician can only see the stickers on other people's backs, and no one can look at the unused stickers. The logicians take turns announcing whether they can deduce their own color. The game ends when someone announces he/she can deduce his/her own color.

One time while playing this game, no one had yet ended the game even though everyone had a turn. Should they continue to take second turns, or should they just give up and start a new game? Prove that it is impossible for a game that hasn't ended after everyone's first turn to ever end, or provide a counterexample.

so basically he shows you the stickers so everyone knows what the colors are. (Ex. red blue yellow purple green and pink) now foresay that you got the pink one but didn't know it you would see the red one, the yellow one and the blue on the purple one and the green one by process of elimination you have the pink one but if he shows the stickers to you upside down then it is impossible. 

Posted by david on 2005-03-18 19:22:41