Creative Thinking Puzzles
In groups, try to solve the different puzzles presented below. Although it will be tempting, do not check your answer until you are all agreed on a correct solution (and all understand it). You will have to push yourself to think differently to solve these puzzles - if you find yourself looking at the puzzle in one way, and it's not helping, do the best you can to look at the problem in a new way. Every detail matters.
Puzzle #1: A Strange Punishment
Four men are sentenced to be punished. However, their kind leader offers them a way out - if they are clever enough:
In order to escape punishment, one of them must call out and correctly identify the colour of their hat within ten minutes.
After 1 minute, one of them calls out. Which one, and why is he so confident about the colour of his hat?
- He arranges for them to be buried up to their necks in the sand in the desert (as shown in the diagram) in a straight line, with three on one side of a brick wall, and one on the other, each wearing either a black or white hat.
- The wall cannot be seen through (i.e. A and B can only see their own sides of the wall).
- They cannot turn their heads to see the people behind them.
- The men are blindfolded when they are buried, and know that there are two white hats and two black hats, but they do not know who is wearing which colour.
- C can see B, and D can see C and B.
- No communication is permitted between them.
In order to escape punishment, one of them must call out and correctly identify the colour of their hat within ten minutes.
After 1 minute, one of them calls out. Which one, and why is he so confident about the colour of his hat?
Puzzle #2: The Sequence
Can you work out what the next letter in this sequence is?
CYWOWTNLITS?
CYWOWTNLITS?
Puzzle #3: Water, Gas, and Electricity
Provide supplies of Water, Gas and Electricity from each of their plants shown in the figure, to each of the houses A, B and C (by drawing them in).
No connections can cross each other.