Four friends: Dave, Mike, John, and Terry, are nicknamed Stick, Batman, Atomic Head, and Feaser, but not in that order. Which friend has which nickname?

A. John is faster than Batman but not as strong as Atomic Head.
B. Batman is stronger than Terry but slower than Feaser.
C. Dave is faster than both Stick and John, but not as strong as Batman

Strength and speed are independent qualities.

(from Terry Stickels)

(In reply to Problem with wording by Serafina)

The most natural-language-like interpretation of "not in that order" would imply the order as a whole, meaning "not exactly in that order". Just a single mismatch between the two orderings could, therefore, justify any coupling, and it seem to be this case.

Anyway, one should admit that clause C could pose the problem of a possible common identity for Stick and John, but, again, using an ambigous language (in this case English) we have to adopt a more probabilistic view and note that the most frequent use of "both" implies two disjoint individuals.

The most "probable" solution is the one already posted: M -> B, J -> F, D -> AH, Terry -> Stick

Posted by gianluca on 2005-12-30 16:10:39