Boxes of Apples and Oranges Solution

This puzzle is very simple if you list out all the cases. Remember that ALL the boxes are wrongly labeled.

1. Orange box (box 1) can have apples or "apples and oranges".
2. Apple box (box 2) can have oranges or "apples and oranges".
3. Mixed box (box 3) can have either apples or oranges but not both.

Let us try the orange box (box 1) first. If you are lucky, you pick up an orange, so you can be sure you also have an apple in the box (mixed). In this case the problem is solved. Unfortunately, you have only a 25% chance of getting an orange. If you pick up an apple instead, you can not tell if there may also be oranges in the box.

If you select the Apple box (box 2), it will be the same as selecting the orange box.

The only choice is to select from the box labeled "mixed" (box 3).

We know it is mislabeled so that it CANNOT contain mixed fruit.If you pick up an orange, then you know that the box labeled "apples" must contain the mixed fruits. (If it had just apples in it, it would not be mislabeled!) The orange box can have apples only.

If you pick up an apple , the apple box can have oranges only. The orange box will then be the mixed fruit.

Question

Want to see MY OTHER BLOGS? a simple click Here or Here   ««