NationStates Jolt Archive

This one is reffered to as Einstein's Riddle. Although I have found no source that will solidly confirm the legend, the story goes that Einstein designed this puzzle and claimed that 98% of people on the planet would be unable to solve it.

I had a lot of fun figuring it out. This can easily take several hours depending on which approach you take to solving it. Dont post the answer here if you find it, let others try to figure it out for themselves. Anyone who gives up can use google to find the answer if they want.

There are no tricks in this riddle. You dont need any special knowledge to solve it, everything you need is provided right here:

1. In a street there are five houses, painted five different colours.
2. In each house lives a person of different nationality
3. These five homeowners each drink a different kind of beverage, smoke
different brand of cigar and keep a different pet.

The question is. Who owns the fish?

Clues:
1. The Brit lives in a red house.
2. The Swede keeps dogs as pets.
3. The Dane drinks tea.
4. The Green house is on the left of the White house.
5. The owner of the Green house drinks coffee.
6. The person who smokes Pall Mall rears birds.
7. The owner of the Yellow house smokes Dunhill.
8. The man living in the centre house drinks milk.
9. The Norwegian lives in the first house.
10. The man who smokes Blends lives next to the one who keeps cats.
11. The man who keeps horses lives next to the man who smokes Dunhill.
12. The man who smokes Blue Master drinks beer.
13. The German smokes Prince.
14. The Norwegian lives next to the blue house.
15. The man who smokes Blends has a neighbour who drinks water.

What fish?

There is no fish

Somebody does keep fish, and if you do the riddle, you'll figure out who it is (and in the process you'll figure out where each person lives, the color of their house, what they smoke, what they drink and what kind of pets they keep). Like I said, there are no tricks just logic.

I just read through it all. If I had more time/effort/energy/care, I might work it out, as I know exactly the most effecient way for solving it, but it'd still take a little while.

If it helps, there's a grid you can make based on the criteria and you can fill in dots to identify who goes with what and so on, but i'm not sure how to create it here with ASCII. But the grid would have the colors of houses, the type of drink and so on, on either the top or left hand sides and you can narrow down each thing to figure out who has the fish. My grad entrance exam was filled with these kinds of questions, but they provided the grid too....

If it helps, there's a grid you can make based on the criteria and you can fill in dots to identify who goes with what and so on, but i'm not sure how to create it here with ASCII. But the grid would have the colors of houses, the type of drink and so on, on either the top or left hand sides and you can narrow down each thing to figure out who has the fish. My grad entrance exam was filled with these kinds of questions, but they provided the grid too....
The grid for this problem would be rediculously large though.

Somebody does keep fish, and if you do the riddle, you'll figure out who it is (and in the process you'll figure out where each person lives, the color of their house, what they smoke, what they drink and what kind of pets they keep). Like I said, there are no tricks just logic.
It doesn't say anyone keeps fish

If it helps, there's a grid you can make based on the criteria and you can fill in dots to identify who goes with what and so on, but i'm not sure how to create it here with ASCII. But the grid would have the colors of houses, the type of drink and so on, on either the top or left hand sides and you can narrow down each thing to figure out who has the fish. My grad entrance exam was filled with these kinds of questions, but they provided the grid too....


shhh...dont help people

The grid for this problem would be rediculously large though.


LOL...i didn't say it would be easy to make, just that it helps. But yeah, you're right. It'd take a big ol' piece of paper to pull off correctly.

It doesn't say anyone keeps fish


Wouldn't be much of a logic problem if it did, now would it...lol. It's a question of deduction.

It doesn't say anyone keeps fish

you obviously are not in the 2% who can solve this riddle since you were unable to even get past the beginning. It is clearly stipulated in the rules of the riddle that there are no tricks. This means somebody does, in fact, own fish. Four other animal types are listed elsewhere in the clues, obviously the 5th that isnt mentioned is the fish.

you obviously are not in the 2% who can solve this riddle since you were unable to even get past the beginning. It is clearly stipulated in the rules of the riddle that there are no tricks. This means somebody does, in fact, own fish. Four other animal types are listed elsewhere in the clues, obviously the 5th that isnt mentioned is the fish.
Actually, there's nothing gauranteeing that the statement that there are no tricks isn't itself, a trick. And while the fifth person may have a pet, no where in the hints does it give any hint at all that one person definitely does own a fish, so an entirely acceptable answer would be that no one owns the fishes.

Actually, there's nothing gauranteeing that the statement that there are no tricks isn't itself, a trick. And while the fifth person may have a pet, no where in the hints does it give any hint at all that one person definitely does own a fish, so an entirely acceptable answer would be that no one owns the fishes.

Then add a clue #16 which states "someone owns fish" if that makes it easier for you. But the riddle already sets down in the ground rules that there are no tricks and that you have to figure out which one owns fish. The fact you were unable to deduce that the 5th animal is a fish given this information makes me think you aren't going to be able to solve this though.

Then add a clue #16 which states "someone owns fish" if that makes it easier for you. But the riddle already sets down in the ground rules that there are no tricks and that you have to figure out which one owns fish. The fact you were unable to deduce that the 5th animal is a fish given this information makes me think you aren't going to be able to solve this though.
The part stating there are no tricks is part of the riddle, and so it could be a trick. No one owns a fish is a perfectly acceptable answer.

And stop being such a pompously pretentious bastard. If I don't solve this it's because I'm too damn lazy to even start it (as I'm not sure how I'll even be rewarded).

The part stating there are no tricks is part of the riddle, and so it could be a trick. No one owns a fish is a perfectly acceptable answer.

And stop being such a pompously pretentious bastard. If I don't solve this it's because I'm too damn lazy to even start it (as I'm not sure how I'll even be rewarded).

If you dont find it fun, then dont do it. But if you dont intend to do it why are you posting here?

If you dont find it fun, then dont do it. But if you dont intend to do it why are you posting here?
Few reasons.

First, I was moderately interested at first, maybe I still am, but did not know it would be this complicated.
Second, intilligent usually accept that problems can have multiple solutions, and for some reason you're having trouble grasping this.

Few reasons.

First, I was moderately interested at first, maybe I still am, but did not know it would be this complicated.
Second, intilligent usually accept that problems can have multiple solutions, and for some reason you're having trouble grasping this.

I grasp it perfectly. The problem is that your answer was incorrect. In this case the correct answer is not "no one" because someone does in fact own fish.

I grasp it perfectly. The problem is that your answer was incorrect. In this case the correct answer is not "no one" because someone does in fact own fish.
That is not something explicitly defined in the problem, however, and you fail to accept "No one owns a fish" as a possible answer. It is obviously not the answer, but I don't understand why you deny that "no one owns a fish" is a perfectly sound logical deduction.

Just because fish are commonly held pet-animals doesn't mean the 5th animal is a fish. It could be a lizard or snake. Maybe an ant farm. It's impossible to declare there is a fish at all.

If someone has inarguable proof that there is indeed a fish, telegram it to me. The fact that it asks "Who owns the fish" doesn't imply there is a fish.

I know that's not the 'correct' answer, but this is NS, we're all about arguing, not playing riddles with dead geniuses. :p

That is not something explicitly defined in the problem, however, and you fail to accept "No one owns a fish" as a possible answer. It is obviously not the answer, but I don't understand why you deny that "no one owns a fish" is a perfectly sound logical deduction.

Because if that were the answer, it would satisfy nearly everyone's definition of being a trick question and the ground rules stipulated that there are no tricks. Therefore it is a given that one of the homeowners owns fish. This is the first deduction you need to make in this riddle, and the most simple.

Because if that were the answer, it would satisfy nearly everyone's definition of being a trick question and the ground rules stipulated that there are no tricks. Therefore it is a given that one of the homeowners owns fish.
The statement that is not a trick is PART OF THE RIDDLE. Also, who is to say that it isn't true that every person owns a fish? Sure, it says they all own a different pet, but if I own a dog and a fish, and my neighbor owns a cat and a fish, do we not own different pets?

The statement that is not a trick is PART OF THE RIDDLE.
No, it isn't it's before the riddle. the riddle begins after the ":"

Einestiens Theory of something is wrong!
Derrick lives in the Blue House with his Cat Toby!

The hard part of the puzzle actually is determining what kind of fish it is. You obviously have to know this, because otherwise, there is no way of determining whether it was the bird or the cat that ate the fish. And that, quite obviously, makes either the cat or the bird the owner of the fish.

Just because fish are commonly held pet-animals doesn't mean the 5th animal is a fish. It could be a lizard or snake. Maybe an ant farm. It's impossible to declare there is a fish at all.

If someone has inarguable proof that there is indeed a fish, telegram it to me. The fact that it asks "Who owns the fish" doesn't imply there is a fish.

I know that's not the 'correct' answer, but this is NS, we're all about arguing, not playing riddles with dead geniuses. :p

I could be playing riddles with dead geniuses??? :eek: What website is that?

"Nobody owns a fish" is definately not an acceptable answer to the riddle. The riddle (like any) makes certain assumptions that anyone attempting to solve it must follow. The assumption of this riddle is that all five people own a pet, that one of those pets is a fish, and that the owner of said fish is unknown. "Who owns the fish" carries the implication that someone owns a fish. Attempts to play that nobody owns a fish are simply pointless attempts to distract from the riddle.

It's like "solving" the riddle of the old man, the cabbage, the goat, the wolf and the river by saying that he buys another boat or balances the cabbage on his head.

Riddles carry their own reality, and you have to work within the confines of that reality. To do otherwise is to miss the entire point of the riddle in question.

the answer is 42!

the answer is 42!

Anymore, that's my answer to everything. God bless Monty Python :D

"Nobody owns a fish" is definately not an acceptable answer to the riddle. The riddle (like any) makes certain assumptions that anyone attempting to solve it must follow. The assumption of this riddle is that all five people own a pet, that one of those pets is a fish, and that the owner of said fish is unknown. "Who owns the fish" carries the implication that someone owns a fish. Attempts to play that nobody owns a fish are simply pointless attempts to distract from the riddle.

It's like "solving" the riddle of the old man, the cabbage, the goat, the wolf and the river by saying that he buys another boat or balances the cabbage on his head.

Riddles carry their own reality, and you have to work within the confines of that reality. To do otherwise is to miss the entire point of the riddle in question.
Do I shut up and say "Okay," because I'm intimidated by a moderator, or do I say, "I disagree," because while your analogy would be a good example, it's a little bit more extreme.
There is the statement that there are 5 people and each owns a different pet, however, there is the possibility that none own the fish, or that they all own the fish. While I realize that none of these are the "correct" answer to the riddle, the fact remains that based on the information presented in the riddle, there is no implication that any one of the five neighbors necessarily explicitly owns a fish.

Anymore, that's my answer to everything. God bless Monty Python :D
:eek: 42 is in no way associated with Monty Python!
It's Hitch Hikers Guide to the Galaxy.

{I have just earned 1,000 geek points...}

Answer [Spoiler Alert]: The German

Answer [Spoiler Alert]: The German
I got different :( I got : norwegian

It's the Azerbijianian

There are no tricks in this riddle. You dont need any special knowledge to solve it, everything you need is provided right here:


1. In a street there are five houses, painted five different colours.
2. In each house lives a person of different nationality
3. These five homeowners each drink a different kind of beverage, smoke
different brand of cigar and keep a different pet.

The question is. Who owns the fish?

Clues:
1. The Brit lives in a red house.
2. The Swede keeps dogs as pets.
3. The Dane drinks tea.
4. The Green house is on the left of the White house.
5. The owner of the Green house drinks coffee.
6. The person who smokes Pall Mall rears birds.
7. The owner of the Yellow house smokes Dunhill.
8. The man living in the centre house drinks milk.
9. The Norwegian lives in the first house.
10. The man who smokes Blends lives next to the one who keeps cats.
11. The man who keeps horses lives next to the man who smokes Dunhill.
12. The man who smokes Blue Master drinks beer.
13. The German smokes Prince.
14. The Norwegian lives next to the blue house.
15. The man who smokes Blends has a neighbour who drinks water.
give it up man!

It's the Azerbijianian
no he's the one who's selling the cigars to the fish.

I got different :( I got : norwegian
Wrong. Took me about 20 minutes using a pair of grids to map it out.

Do I shut up and say "Okay," because I'm intimidated by a moderator,Oh, please :rolleyes:

There is the statement that there are 5 people and each owns a different pet, however, there is the possibility that none own the fish, or that they all own the fish. While I realize that none of these are the "correct" answer to the riddle, the fact remains that based on the information presented in the riddle, there is no implication that any one of the five neighbors necessarily explicitly owns a fish.Except that since they go against the spirit of the riddle and the universe that the riddle exists in, they are not acceptable answers.

In the world of the riddle, the Dane drinks tea and only tea. Never anything else. The man in the center house only drinks milk. Clearly this is not set in a real universe, and therefore it is completely illogical to assume that there is no fish. Saying there's no fish is a lazy answer attempting to pass itself off as clever. As I stated above, this riddle only takes about 20 minutes to solve, and 20 seconds with google to verify.

The German, because Einstein was German and he owned fish.

just did this on paper, and i got the same answer as Blu-Tac

Nothing to see here --->!Ehm that's actually the right answer (cheated)!

Colonel Mustard in the library!

Oh, wait...

Colonel Mustard in the library!

Oh, wait...

with the Candlestick...because his victim really was that dumb.

Nice little diversion. Knew about the grid from previous dealings with logic puzzles. As stated in another post this would be one large grid... I have no grid paper and didn't want to expend the energy to create one so I did it in my head. I got the right answer btw ;) . Thank you Lazy hippies for the thread.

Though about the 2%... I am highly doubtful... Heck if I could get it, it has to be greater than 2% :D

It took me a good forty minutes, whilst drunk and answering other posts.

Nice riddle.