There were three men in a line (facing forward) so they can only see the man (or men) in front of them. There are also five hats, two black and three white. Each man is wearing one of the hats.

When the man at the back of the line was asked "Do you know your hat color?", he replied "No". When the man that was second in line was then asked "Do you know your hat color?" he replied "No". When the man at the front of the line was asked "Do you know your hat color?" he replied "Of course".

What color of hat was the man at the front of the line wearing?

The first man's hat is white. If the last man doesn't know the color of his hit, the other two cannot both be black; otherwise, he would know his hat is white. If then the second man saw the first man's hat was black, he would know that his hat is white since both first and second men's hats can't be black. Since the second man does not know his hat color, the first man can now say his own hat is white.

Posted by Tim on 2002-05-09 20:02:05