Let us begin with a series of numbers, 2, 4, and 8. The next in the series would, by most accounts, be 16 (n2). But it could just as equally be 10 (n1+2, n2(2), n3+2), 64 (n1^2, n2(n2-1), n3^2) or 5,682 for all we know. In a nutshell, there is no per se right answer, or, rather, there is no per se wrong answer so long as the appropriate rule is applied to the series.
This was our paradox: no course of action could be determined by a rule, because every course of action can be made to accord with the rule.
So that’s what intrigued me about the puzzle from last week and trying to see what other people thought. The really fascinating part is that I had come up with 5 before, but didn’t like the rule that I had applied, so I came up with another rule that brought me to 2. Other people used a different rule to get to 4, and others yet to 1. And all were correct, so long as you used the right rule to get to your answer.
Oh, and for those interested, the correct answer was 5. The rule applied to the 8-7-3-5-5 series is that each following number is the number of line segments that was used in the previous digit on a calculator display.
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Oh, and this week’s puzzle is as follows:
Rearrange the letters of ENGLISH TEA to name a famous person with a prominent mustache — first and last. Who is it?
Unfortunately, I can’t find a way to alter my rule to fit William II, Otto Von Bismark, or Salvador Dali into the answer.
Though, random fact/story: people with, um, prominent mustaches scare the hell out of me. I met a German fellow at a bar once with a mustache that was all greased up and crazy and it was one part fascination but two parts holding myself back from punching him in the face and telling him to grow up and enter to the 21st century and to shave.
There’s a guy who plays bass for one of my favorite artists, Josh Ritter, and the bassist has a greased up mustache and so help me god, when I finally get to hang out with Josh Ritter, I will punch that bassist in the face and kick him until he promises me that he’ll shave. The look stopped being interesting in the late 1800s and unless you’re Salvador Dali, don’t even try anymore…I’m a little sore just because I saw a guy at Starbucks with a mustache like that when I was studying at starbucks yesterday and I’m still bitter.
fin.