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Previous Issues Vol 2, No 7 Answers
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ANSWERS TO
FOUR MORE LOGIC PUZZLES

by Bill Graham

Logic Puzzles


green tomatoes 1. The Green Tomatoes Rock Band

This logic puzzle is a warm up for the more difficult ones that follow. The table below has the first clue: initials don't match.
BeatriceDarleneGladysPaula
bass
drums
guitar
piano
To make this process easier to follow, label the remaining clues as follows.
(a) Beatrice rooms with the piano player.
(b) Paula and the drummer take ballet lessons together.
(c) Gladys plays the bass which she borrowed from Beatrice.
Fill in spaces you can eliminate with the clue letter. Clue (a) proves that Beatrice does not play piano. Clue (b) proves that Paula does not play drums. Clue (c) proves that Gladys does play the bass; put a check there.
BeatriceDarleneGladysPaula
bass
drums b
guitar
pianoa
Continue by marking the entire remaining Gladys column and drums row. Also, replace the "a" and "b" with dashes.
BeatriceDarleneGladysPaula
bass
drums
guitar
piano
You'll see immediately that the drums row has only one space free so that Beatrice must play drums. Paula's column also has only one space, and Paula plays guitar. Finally, the piano row has only one space meaning that Darlene plays piano. You'd have known than anyway because these are the only person and instrument left.
BeatriceDarleneGladysPaula
bass
drums
guitar
piano

2. Professional Occupations

You don't get to start with the initials test. List the clues, and enter them into the grid.
(a) The teacher and the writer went fishing with Arthur.
(b) The doctor had lunch with the teacher.
(c) The painter is related to the engineer.
(d) The doctor hired the painter to paint his house.
(e) Ben lives in the house next door to the writer.
(f) Charles beat Ben and the painter at tennis.
ArthurBenCharles
doctor
engineer
teachera
painterff
writerae
lawyer
So, Arthur is the painter, and Charles is the writer. Note that you have yet to use clues b, c, or d because none mention a person's name.
ArthurBenCharles
doctor
engineer
teachera
painterff
writerae
lawyer
Knowing the painter (Arthur), you can now use clues c and d to find out that Arthur is the lawyer. You can reuse clue a because you know the writer is Charles, and Ben must be the teacher.
ArthurBenCharles
doctord
engineerc
teachera
painterff
writerae
lawyer
Finally, clue b comes into play because you know that the teacher is Ben, and Arthur has been completely defined. Therefore, the doctor is Charles, leaving Ben to be the engineer.
ArthurBenCharles
doctord
engineerc
teachera
painterff
writerae
lawyer

3. The Grid

Begin by recognizing that you only have three unique locations in which to put the first number. Start with the 1 and proceed in order.
A:
1
B:
1
C:
1
Also recognize that some patterns will fail without having to complete filling in the cells. If you have only 6, 7 and 8 to do and the three cells are in a line or an L shape, then the three numbers cannot fit. A square block cannot take the last four numbers.
A:
1
The 2 can go in only 3 cells

1
2
The 3 has three possible locations.
1
3 2
No place for the four in this case.
1
3 2
1
2
3
1
2
The 3 can go into two places.
1 3
2
1
3
2
1
2
The 3 can go into two cells.
1
3
2
1 3
2

B:
1
The 2 can go in three unique cells.
2
1
1 2
1 2

C: The 2 can go in only one cell.
1 2

4. Murder Most Foul

This puzzle actually contains three puzzles: professions, seating, and murderer. You get one clue from the text after the clues. Add this clue to the list.
(a) The waiter pours a glass of whiskey for Barton and a beer for Smythe.
(b) In the mirror over the fireplace, the writer sees the door close behind the waiter. He turns to speak to White seated next to him.
(c) Neither Davis nor Smythe has any sisters.
(d) The teacher doesn't drink.
(e) Davis, who is sitting in one of the chairs, is the architect's brother-in-law.
(f) The teacher is next to Davis on his left.
(g) Barton is sitting next to the murderer
Put in the easy clues. Immediately, you discover that White is the teacher. Davis, who has no sister is the brother-in-law of the architect. The architect therefore has a sister and cannot be Smythe. That makes Barton the architect.
DavisSmytheBartonWhite
writer b
teacher fadad
architect c&ec
barrister
DavisSmytheBartonWhite
left chair
left sofae
right sofae
right chair
DavisSmytheBartonWhite
murdererg
murder room Turn your attention to the seating. The teacher (White) is on the left of Davis, who is seated in a chair. Therefore, Davis must be in the right chair and White on the right of the sofa. Clue (b) tells you that the writer sits next to White.
DavisSmytheBartonWhite
writer b
teacher fadad
architect c&ec
barrister
DavisSmytheBartonWhite
left chair
left sofae
right sofaeefef
right chairefefef
DavisSmytheBartonWhite
murdererg
At this point, you must have one more clue. Look at (b), "In the mirror over the fireplace, the writer sees the door close behind the waiter." Note that you cannot see the door in the mirror if you are seated in the right chair as is White. Mark below that the writer is not Davis and must therefore be Smythe. Davis becomes the barrister.
DavisSmytheBartonWhite
writer bb
teacher fadad
architect c&ec
barrister
The writer (Smythe) sits to the left of White in the left sofa position. The remaining person, Barton, sits at the far left.
DavisSmytheBartonWhite
left chair
left sofae
right sofaeefef
right chairefefef
Using the last clue (g), the murder sits next to Barton and must be Smythe, the writer. I'm glad it wasn't White, the teacher.
DavisSmytheBartonWhite
murdererg


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