and the other leads to hell with an angle that can lie or tell the truth what one question would you ask the angles at the same time to figure out wat door leads to heaven
2006-08-10 10:42:25 · 9 answers · asked by DoPpLeGaNgEr 1 in Arts & Humanities ➔ Philosophy
You ask either one "If I were to ask the other ANGEL which gate to take to get to heaven, what would they say?" Then take the other gate. (Angel, not angle, unless you have geometric figures that can talk . . . )
This sets up a double negative and a double positive.
Let's say the gate to heaven is A, and hell is B. Let's say the lying angel is at gate B, and the truthful one at A (or the other way around, it doesn't matter). [Note that the correct question has one angel always truthful, and the other always lying.]
If you ask the angel at gate A (heaven) the question, he will say, "Gate B". He is telling the truth that the other angel would lie about which is the right gate by saying "Gate B."
If you ask the angel at gate B (hell) the question, he will say, "Gate B." He is lying that the other angel would say "Gate A" since the other angel tells the truth.
This question has been asked dozens of times in various guises. The solution I have posted above is correct when the question is asked correctly.
2006-08-10 10:49:15 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
The "Wide Awake" answer would have been correct if you had not specified that the angel at hell's door can EITHER lie OR tell the truth.
As it is, if you ask Wide Awake's "magic question", both angels could give either the same or different answers, and you wouldn't know which was which.
For example, if door A was the heaven door, the truth telling angel could answer with "the other angel would say that his/her door leads to heaven" only if he/she knew that the other angel would lie. The way you've framed the question, the truth telling angel wouldn't actually know whether the other angel would lie or tell the truth, and therefore the correct answer would be "I don't know". The other angel could answer anything they like, since they "can lie or tell the truth". They could say "I don't know" (the truth), which would leave you nowhere.
One way to solve the problem as you've posed it is to ask a question that would have to always yield the same answer regardless of who answers it. This answer would nevertheless have to be different depending on which door leads to heaven (otherwise it wouldn't add anything to what you already know).
If you force the answer to be the same regardless of whether it is truth or lie, this allows you to disregard the fact that the responding angel may EITHER lie OR tell the truth.
In order for the answer to be the same regardless of whether it is a lie or not, it can't have truth value (at least, not from the point of view of the responder). This is because if the responder knows that the answer has a value of either true or false, then a "lie answer" will not be the same as a "truth answer". Recall that we need a question which always yields the same answer.
If the answer has no truth value, then it won't provide any information with regards to the doors.
Therefore, the answer you're fishing for must have truth value, even though this truth value can't be known to the angel who responds. (At least, not to the angel who is free to EITHER lie OR tell the truth.)
I don't see how an answer could be useful if the responder isn't actually intending to give you information that has truth value.
Most likely you simply misquoted the puzzle, because it's a very common puzzle, the answer being exactly the one that "Wide Awake" gives.
Otherwise, if there is a correct answer to this question, I will eat my hat.
2006-08-10 19:16:19 · answer #2 · answered by Jon 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Is this purgatory or a math class? Same thing aren't they?
Angles lead around the corner - Angels lead the way
2006-08-10 17:49:25 · answer #3 · answered by Lee 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋
I will just ask anyone of them "Does your door leads to heaven?". If the angel tells a lie he will vanish or turn into a devil because angels are not suppose to lie. If that happens I will just take the other door. If he remains an angel, I will just take his door.
2006-08-10 18:02:01 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Well if there were two angles I would take a compass and a protractor and bisect them to find a level of congruence.
2006-08-10 18:35:03 · answer #5 · answered by Mac J 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Who created the universe and all that is in it
2006-08-10 22:36:48 · answer #6 · answered by billc4u 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I would ask
Hi my name is Andy what are you doing on Friday night?
2006-08-10 18:18:35 · answer #7 · answered by AndyH 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I'd ask them if you meant "ANGELS" instead of ANGLES.
2006-08-10 18:23:46 · answer #8 · answered by elk312 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
you just HAD to come up with a difficult question.
2006-08-10 17:48:26 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋