Albatros Mystery Suicide?
wayne t. watson
and asked for an albatros. The waiter told him that they did not have
an albatros, so the man comited suicide. The puzzle is why? This requires
someone to pose questions to the riddler, but since my friend slipped
away before I got any questions in, does anyone know what the answer is?
EKrampitz
>and asked for an albatros. The waiter told him that they did not have
>an albatros, so the man comited suicide. The puzzle is why? This
>requires someone to pose questions to the riddler, but since my friend
>answer is?
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I thought the original was more like this-
A shipwreck strands several people from a boat on an island, along with a
few dead bodies. While they tried to survive, one person who was a good
cook, prepares meals of what he called albatros (seagull, some sea bird)
meat. When the survivors got back to civilization, one asks for albatros
meat in a restaraunt. When it arrives, it's different than he remembers.
Then he realizes what he ate on the island wasn't albatros, it was the
only other meat source they had- the dead bodies. Sickened and disgusted,
he commits suicide.
Chris Cole
>I friend recently posed a puzzler to me. A man walks into a restuarant
>and asked for an albatros. The waiter told him that they did not have
>an albatros, so the man comited suicide. The puzzle is why? This requires
>someone to pose questions to the riddler, but since my friend slipped
>away before I got any questions in, does anyone know what the answer is?
This question is in the rec.puzzles archive:
==> logic/lateral.p <==
What are some classic lateral thinking puzzles, and where can I find more?
==> logic/lateral.s <==
Paul Sloane's list of Classic Lateral Thinking Puzzles
Lateral thinking puzzles are often strange situations which require an
explanation. They are solved through a dialogue between the
quizmaster who sets the puzzle and the solver or solvers who try to
figure out the answer. The puzzles as stated generally do not contain
sufficient information for the solver to uncover the solution. So a
key part of the process is the asking of questions. The questions
can receive one of only three possible answers - yes, no or
irrelevant.
When one line of enquiry reaches an end then another approach is
needed, often from a completely new direction. This is where the
lateral thinking comes in.
Some people find it frustrating that for any puzzle it is possible to
construct various answers which fit the initial statement of the
puzzle. However, for a good lateral thinking puzzle, the proper
answer will be the best in the sense of the most apt and satisfying.
When you hear the right answer to a good puzzle of this type you
should want to kick yourself for not working it out!
This kind of puzzle teaches you to check your assumptions about any
situation. You need to be open-minded, flexible and creative in your
questioning and able to put lots of different clues and pieces of
information together. Once you reach a viable solution you keep going
in order to refine it or replace it with a better solution. This is
lateral thinking!
This list contains some of the most renowned and representative
lateral thinking puzzles as well as some of those which crop up most
frequently on the rec.puzzles newgroup.
A. The Puzzles
1. The man in the Elevator
A man lives on the tenth floor of a building. Every day he takes the
elevator to go down to the ground floor to go to work or to go
shopping. When he returns he takes the elevator to the seventh floor
and walks up the stairs to reach his apartment on the tenth floor. He
hates walking so why does he do it?
This is probably the best known and most celebrated of all lateral
thinking puzzles. It is a true classic. Although there are many
possible solutions which fit the initial conditions, only the
canonical answer is truly satisfying.
2. The Man in the Bar
A man walks into a bar and asks the barman for a glass of water. The
barman pulls out a gun and points it at the man. The man says 'Thank
you' and walks out.
This puzzle has claims to be the best of the genre. It is simple in
its statement, absolutely baffling and yet with a completely
satisfying solution. Most people struggle very hard to solve this one
yet they like the answer when they hear it or have the satisfaction of
figuring it out.
3. The Man who Hanged Himself
Not far from Madrid, there is a large wooden barn. The barn is
completely empty except for a dead man hanging from the middle of the
central rafter. The rope around his neck is ten feet long and his
feet are three feet off the ground. The nearest wall is 20 feet away
from the man. It is not possible to climb up the walls or along the
rafters. The man hanged himself. How did he do it?
4. Death in a Field
A man is lying dead in a field. Next to him there is an unopened
package. There is no other creature in the field. How did he die?
5. Anthony and Cleopatra
Anthony and Cleopatra are lying dead on the floor of a villa in Egypt.
Nearby is a broken bowl. There is no mark on either of their bodies
and they were not poisoned. How did they die?
6. The Coal, Carrot and Scarf
Five pieces of coal, a carrot and a scarf are lying on the lawn.
Nobody put them on the lawn but there is a perfectly logical reason
why they should be there. What is it?
7. Trouble with Sons
A woman had two sons who were born on the same hour of the same day of
the same year. But they were not twins. How could this be so?
8. Push that Car
A man pushed his car. He stopped when he reached a hotel at which
point he knew he was bankrupt. Why?
9. The Arm of the Postal Service
One day a man received a parcel in the post. Carefully packed inside
was a human arm. He examined it, repacked it and then sent it on to
another man. The second man also carefully examined the arm before
taking it to the woods and burying it. Why did they do this?
This one probably has more variations than any other. A great one to
puzzle out. It requires plenty of good questions.
10. Heaven
A man died and went to Heaven. There were thousands of other people
there. They were all naked and all looked as they did at the age of
21. He looked around to see if there was anyone he recognised. He
saw a couple and he knew immediately that they were Adam and Eve. How
did he know?
11. Friday
A man rode into town on Friday. He stayed for three nights and then
left on Friday. How come?
A silly one - but it is surprisingly popular.
12. Manhole Covers
Why is it better to have round manhole covers than square ones?
This is logical rather than lateral, but it is a good puzzle which can
be solved by lateral thinking techniques. It is supposedly used by a
very well-known software company as an interview question for
prospective employees.
13. The Deadly Party
A man went to a party and drank some of the punch. He then left
early. Everyone else at the party who drank the punch subsequently
died of poisoning. Why did the man not die?
14. The Deadly Dish
Two men went into a restaurant. They both ordered the same dish from
the menu. After they tasted it, one of the men went outside the
restaurant and shot himself. Why?
15. The Realization
A man was walking downstairs in a building when he suddenly realized
that his wife had just died. How?
16. The Blind Beggar
A blind beggar had a brother who died. What relation was the blind
beggar to the brother who died? (Brother is not the answer).
17. The Broken Match
A man is found dead in a field. He is clutching a broken match. What
happened?
18. The Music Stopped
The music stopped. She died. Explain.
19. Swimmer in the Forest
Deep in the forest was found the body of a man who was wearing only
swimming trunks, snorkel and facemask. The nearest lake was 8 miles
away and the sea was 100 miles away. How had he died?
This is supposedly based on a true incident. Does this make it an
urban legend? Many urban legends can be restated as lateral thinking
puzzles. This is a very good one of this type.
20. The Elder Twin
One day Kerry celebrated her birthday. Two days later her older twin
brother, Terry, celebrated his birthday. How come?
B. Answers and Comments
1. The man in the Elevator
The man is (of course) a dwarf. Variants of this puzzle include the
clue that on rainy days he goes up in the elevator to the tenth floor
(he uses his umbrella!)
2. The Man in the Bar
The man had hiccups. The barman recognized this from his speech and
drew the gun in order to give him a shock. It worked and cured the
hiccups - so the man no longer needed the water.
The is a simple puzzle to state but a difficult one to solve. It is a
perfect example of a seemingly irrational and incongruous situation
having a simple and complete explanation. Amazingly this classic
puzzle seems to work in different cultures and languages.
3. The Man who Hanged Himself
He climbed on a block of ice which has since melted.
This one is often stated with the clue of a puddle of water, but
surely this is too much assistance. It is one of several problems
which depend on the change of state of water (snow or ice to water or
steam).
4. Death in a Field
The man had jumped from a plane but his parachute had failed to open.
It is the unopened package.
This is sometimes given with the following rather elegant clue - as he
approached the centre of the field he knew he was going to die. This
is another of the top classics which is right up there with 'The Man
in the Bar'. If the solver is thinking along the wrong lines (i.e. in
the two dimensions of the ground) then the lateral jump to the third
dimension can be tough to make.
5. Anthony and Cleopatra
Anthony and Cleopatra were goldfish whose bowl was knocked over by a
clumsy dog.
This is one of a set of puzzles which deceive by using human names for
animals. This is not a very satisfactory basis for a good puzzle but
despite that, the puzzle has enduring popularity.
6. The Coal, Carrot and Scarf
They were used by children who made a snowman. The snow has now
melted.
Another change of state puzzle. After this you should be on the
look-out for them!
7. Trouble with Sons
They were two of a set of triplets (or quadruplets etc.)
This simple little puzzle stumps many people. They try outlandish
solutions involving test-tube babies or surrogate mothers. Why does
the brain search for complex solutions when there is a much simpler
one available?
8. Push that Car
He was playing Monopoly.
9. The Arm of the Postal Service
The three men had been stranded on a desert island. Desperate for
food, they had agreed to amputate their left arms in order to eat
them. They swore an oath that each would have his left arm cut off.
One of them was a doctor and he cut the arms off his two companions.
They were then rescued. But his oath was still binding so he later
had to have his arm amputated and sent to his colleagues.
This is often told with a further twist whereby a doctor pays a tramp
a large sum in order to amputate the tramp's arm which the doctor then
sends to another man who inspects it etc. This variation can make for
a long night of questioning!
10. Heaven
He recognized Adam and Eve as the only people without navels. Because
they were not born of women, they had never had umbilical cords and
therefore they never had navels.
This one seems perfectly logical but it can sometimes spark fierce
theological arguments!
11. Friday
The man's horse was called Friday.
OK, so this is really a schoolboy riddle but people keep asking it!
12. Manhole Covers
A square manhole cover can be turned and dropped down the diagonal of
the manhole. A round manhole cannot be dropped down the manhole. So
for safety and practicality, all manhole covers should be round.
13. The Deadly Party
The poison in the punch came from the ice cubes. When the man drank
the punch the ice was fully frozen. Gradually it melted, poisoning
the punch.
You were warned to be on the look-out for these ice puzzles!
14. The Deadly Dish
The dish that the two men ordered was albatross. They had been
stranded many years earlier on a desert island. When the man tasted
albatross he realized that he had never tasted it before. This meant
that the meat he had been given on the island was not albatross as he
had been told. He correctly deduced that he had eaten the flesh of
his son who had died when they first reached the island.
This has something in common with No. 9 above but is in my opinion
even better. It is fiendishly difficult to figure out from a standing
start. A beautiful aspect of this problem is the subtle fact that he
shot himself because he did not recognise the taste of the dish!
15. The Realization
The man had visited his wife in hospital. She was on a life-support
machine. As he was walking down the stairs all the lights went out.
There had been a power cut and the emergency back-up systems had
failed. He knew that she had died.
16. The Blind Beggar
The blind beggar was the sister of her brother who died.
This puzzle is one of a type that depends on the listener making
implicit assumptions about gender - in this case that a blind beggar
is a man. Similar puzzles involve surgeons who refuse to operate on
their sons etc. This is probably the best of the class because it is
very simply stated and yet which has the power to baffle those who
have not heard it before.
17. The Broken Match
He and a number of other passengers were making a balloon trip in a
desperate attempt to flee a country. The balloon had to lose weight
to stop it from crashing. He drew the short match and had to jump.
18. The Music Stopped
She was a circus tight-rope walker who walked blindfolded over a high
wire. The band played as she crossed and when the music stopped it
was the signal that she had reached the end of the walk and could
safely alight. One day the conductor was taken ill and the stand-in
conductor ended the piece of music too early. She stepped off to her
death.
19. Swimmer in the Forest
During a forest fire, a fire-fighting plane had scooped up some water
from the lake to drop on the fire. The plane had accidentally picked
up the unfortunate swimmer.
20. The Elder Twin
At the time she went into labor, the mother of the twins was
travelling by boat. The older twin, Terry, was born first early on
March 1st. The boat then crossed the International Date line (or any
time zone line) and Kerry, the younger twin, was born on February the
28th. In a leap year the younger twin celebrates her birthday two
days before her older brother.
This puzzle was submitted to Games Magazine's 'How Come' competition
in 1992 by Judy Dean. It won.
Reference Sources
If you enjoy this kind of puzzle (either solving or inflicting on
others) then the following books (all published by Sterling at $4.95)
are recommended:
Lateral Thinking Puzzlers by Paul Sloane 1991 ISBN 0-8069-8227-6
Contains 93 puzzles including most of the classics such as numbers 1
to 10 above.
Challenging Lateral Thinking Puzzles by Paul Sloane and Des MacHale
1993
ISBN 0-8069-8671-9
Contains 91 puzzles including numbers 11 - 15 above and 30 Wally Test
questions (sneaky catch questions).
Great Lateral Thinking Puzzles by Paul Sloane and Des MacHale 1994
ISBN 0-8069-0553-0
Contains 93 puzzles including numbers 16 - 20 above and 20 Wally Test
questions.
Test Your Lateral Thinking IQ by Paul Sloane 1994 ISBN 0-8069-0684-7
Endeavours to teach and measure lateral thinking skills using puzzles
as tests. Contains 52 puzzles.
Improve your Lateral Thinking - Puzzles to Challenge your Mind by
Paul Sloane and Des MacHale 1995 ISBN 0-8069-1374-6
Contains 115 puzzles and 20 Wally Test questions
The above books are distributed by Cassell in the UK and by Capricorn
Link in Australia.
The following translations are also available:
In Spanish published by Juegos &Co, Buenos Aires and Zugarto
Ediciones, Madrid.
Ejercicios de Pensamiento Lateral ISBN 84-88155-04-2
Nuevos Ejercicios de Pensamiento Lateral ISBN 84-88155-21-2
In Swedish published by Brain Books AB
Mannen i hissen ISBN 91-88410-20-X
De sex applena ISBN 91-88410-30-7
In German published by BLV, Munich
Denkpuzzles f〉 helle K廃fe ISBN 3-405-14796-4
For further information or feedback contact PSl...@Mathsoft.com
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Seth Breidbart
wayne t. watson <wa...@netcom.com> wrote:
>There is a puzzle involving an Albatros. It goes something like this.
>A man walks into a restaurant and orders an Albatros sandwich. He
>takes one bite of it and comits suicide. Why?
He was so ashamed that he didn't read the faq that he just couldn't
stand to live any longer.
Seth