Three young men named Ajax, Balthazar, and Cicero arrived singly at an inn and awaited the innkeeper. When she arrived at the front desk, the innkeeper explained that no rooms were available, but as the rains were especially harsh that season she was willing to put up the three men as best she could. The man who arrived first could sleep in a spare bunk in the stableboy’s room, the second to arrive could sleep in the stable, and the third would have to bunk in the pighouse, which at least was warm and dry. The following argument ensued:

Ajax: I arrived first.
Balthazar: No you didn't! I was first.
Cicero: You were not! I arrived first.
Ajax: That's a lie! I arrived first, as I said before.
Cicero: Well, Balthazar did not arrive second.
Balthzar: Agreed.

The innkeeper knew that everyone in these parts was either a knight who always told the truth, a liar who never told the truth, or a knave whose statements strictly alternated between truth and untruth. Using deductive reasoning, what is the disposition of each young man, and what berth did the innkeeper assign to each?

ok
the last two statement are either both true or both false

if they are bith false then AJAX is the knight
BUT then either Cicero or Balthazar has to be the knave, and sice their second statements are untrue one of thier 1st statements would have to be true
BUT none of them are
THUS ajax is not the knight and the last 2 statements are true

thus ajax is the liar
so

and either cicero or balthazar is the knight
Ajax did not arrive first

since Balthazar says that Ajax didn't reach 1st---which is true---i guess that balthazar is the knight


BUT
if Cicero is knight then rest of question easier
bewcause then Cicero came 1st and he gets the bunk i the stable boy's room.
Ajax came 2nd and thus gets the barn

and Balthazar came 3rd so he gets the pighouse
and thus cicero is the knave

Posted by yaman on 2003-06-26 13:41:02