We know that Liars always lie about everything, Knights always tell the truth. and Knaves strictly alternate between lying and telling the truth.

Let us define a new category, a Coquin, who is a renegade and will answer the questions any way he sees fit, but taking good care not to be mistaken with a Knight, Knave, or Liar. (Thus, a coquin will never make just one or two statements; he will always make three or more.)

Five workers (a blacksmith, a fisherman, an orange picker and two shepherds) are engaged in conversation. Two of them are Knights, one a Liar, one a Knave, and the other a Coquin. They say:

EIDNAS:
1. The Orange Festival is the most important event of the season.
2. The fisherman is the youngest amongst the five of us.
3. I am the Blacksmith.
4. Vaileres is not the second oldest among us.

GNIDNATS:
1. I am not the orange picker.
2. At least one of Eidnas� statements is true.
3. Inopmas is not the fisherman.
4. I am not the oldest amongst all the five of us.

INOPMAS:
1. Vaileres is the oldest amongst us.
2. I am the second oldest among us.
3. Picking oranges requires great skill and I do it well.
4. Gnidnats is not a Knave.

PITUSLON:
1. The blacksmith is the third oldest amongst us.
2. Eidnas� statements are not all false.
3. I am the older of the two shepherds.

VAILERES:
1. I am the oldest amongst the five of us.
2. I am a shepherd.
3. Pituslon�s second statement is true.
4. I am not the fourth youngest amongst all of us.


Determine who are Knights, who is the Liar, who is the Knave and who is the Coquin. What is the job of each person and what is their rank in age?

(In reply to re(2): Is the solution unique? [Spoiler] by K Sengupta)

You are correct that Vaileres' fourth statement can be considered a true statement.  Yet, it does not change the fact that he is a Coquin nor does it change the age order of the workers.

Posted by Dej Mar on 2006-09-14 04:30:17