You've been sentenced to death in an obscure foreign country which has a strange law. Before the sentence is carried out, two papers -- one with "LIFE" written on it and one with "DEATH" written on it -- are folded up and placed in a hat. You are permitted to pick out one of the papers (without looking), and if you choose the one with "LIFE" written on it, you are set free. Otherwise, the death sentence is carried out. But someone has substituted the paper with "LIFE" written on it with another one with "DEATH" written on it. You are informed by this person of what he has done and that you are doomed to die. You are not permitted to speak to anyone about this misdeed, nor will you have a chance to switch the papers yourself in time.

How will you avoid death?

yea i think this problem is a bit absurd, there are too many variables. i have a problem with the the proposed solution about swallowing the paper also. what if the individual who replaced the life paper with the death paper is watching you make your decision he will know even if you swallowed the paper before anyone could see that you chose death. thus it will be off with your head.

Posted by dan on 2005-03-27 13:00:20