One of these things is not like the others
5.11a
figure 8
fisherman's
overhand
Please go to the Question #5 post if you haven't had a chance work on this one yet, since the text below contains the solution.
Yesterday, I added a new element to the blog. I had been a little hesitant to do so, because I don't have direct control over this particular element. And, due to the nature of this new element, I had a suspicion that it could act as a spoiler for some of the puzzles. Sure enough, that very thing happened here.
Yes, I am being deliberately vague. Just to be safe, I won't even mention why I'm being vague. Suffice it to say that, from time to time, some of the elements on the page might give you a clue about the answer to the puzzle.
The answer this time, by the way, has to do with knots. You can tie a figure 8 knot, a fisherman's knot, and an overhand knot, but you can't tie a 5.11a knot because there's no such thing. Rather, 5.11a is a difficulty rating for rock climbing, in the Yosemite Decimal System.
Showing posts with label musings. Show all posts
Showing posts with label musings. Show all posts
Friday, May 29, 2009
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Answer #4
One of these things is not like the others
Spock
Deanna Troi
Quark
B'Ellana Torres
Please go to the Question #4 post if you haven't had a chance work on this one yet, since the text below contains the solution.
As I wrote in the question, there are a couple of good solutions to this one.
Questions of the "not like the others" type often can have multiple solutions, although the good ones are designed so that only one of the solutions stands out as the best. In a way, this reminds me of the research done by Douglas Hofstadter on how the ability to think in analogies is central to human cognition.
I will leave the specifics of these similarities to a later post. For now, let's get to the the solution to the problem at hand.
The solution that was posted in the comments section was that Quark doesn't belong because he is the only character who is not half-human. Spock, Torres, and Troi each have one human parent and one parent of a different species. Quark, on the other hand, is all Ferengi.
This was the solution that I had in mind when I designed the puzzle, but an alternate solution which seemed just as valid to me was that everyone on the list except for Quark is a Starfleet Officer.
In either case, Quark is the one who does not belong. He is not like the others.
Spock
Deanna Troi
Quark
B'Ellana Torres
Please go to the Question #4 post if you haven't had a chance work on this one yet, since the text below contains the solution.
As I wrote in the question, there are a couple of good solutions to this one.
Questions of the "not like the others" type often can have multiple solutions, although the good ones are designed so that only one of the solutions stands out as the best. In a way, this reminds me of the research done by Douglas Hofstadter on how the ability to think in analogies is central to human cognition.
I will leave the specifics of these similarities to a later post. For now, let's get to the the solution to the problem at hand.
The solution that was posted in the comments section was that Quark doesn't belong because he is the only character who is not half-human. Spock, Torres, and Troi each have one human parent and one parent of a different species. Quark, on the other hand, is all Ferengi.
This was the solution that I had in mind when I designed the puzzle, but an alternate solution which seemed just as valid to me was that everyone on the list except for Quark is a Starfleet Officer.
In either case, Quark is the one who does not belong. He is not like the others.
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