# Three Dots Riddle



## Fletch_W (Jun 12, 2010)

An elderly King laid upon his death bed, and summoned his three sons to decide who would be the next King. 

He presented a challenge to determine the wisest, who would take over upon his nearing death. 

Each son was blindfolded, and a dot was painted upon his forehead. All dots were green. 

His sons were sat around the chamber, facing each other. Before the blindfolds were removed, the King told them:

"I have painted a dot on each of your heads. The dot is either red or green. When your blindfolds are removed, raise your hand if you see a green dot on anyone's forehead. When you know what color the dot is on your own forehead, stand up and proclaim it. If you are wrong, you will be banished from the kingdom."

The blindfolds were removed. All hands went up immediately, indicating they saw someone else with a green dot. After 5 minutes, one son stood up and replied "I have a green dot!". 

He inherited the throne. 

But how did he know?


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## lagrangedave (Jun 12, 2010)

Because both of his brothers looked at him and raised their hands.


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## Fletch_W (Jun 12, 2010)

He could have had a red dot but his brothers would still have raised their hands. The command was to raise your hand if you saw _any_ green dot on _anyone's_ head. Remember, everyone had a green dot.  How did he know his dot was not red?


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## Capt Quirk (Jun 12, 2010)

He was color blind.


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## Miguel Cervantes (Jun 12, 2010)

He looked in the mirror...


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## ylhatch (Jun 12, 2010)

lucky guess


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## Dupree (Jun 12, 2010)

because one brother had a red dot and the other brother that had the green dot raised his hand saying he saw one also, so the new king knew that his was green.


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## Fletch_W (Jun 12, 2010)

Sorry, they all had green dots. How did he know his was also green?


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## mach136 (Jun 12, 2010)

cause the other two brothers did not say anything after raising their hands.


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## Fletch_W (Jun 12, 2010)

mach136 wins. But that doesn't explain it for everyone else. And I also like your avatar. It makes me afraid, and also happy.


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## lagrangedave (Jun 12, 2010)

They are all three looking at two green dots, therefore all three should be thinking, " I have a red one."


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## mach136 (Jun 12, 2010)

Fletch_W said:


> mach136 wins. But that doesn't explain it for everyone else. And I also like your avatar. It makes me afraid, and also happy.



ty 

The other two that raise their hands don't say anything because they are probably deciding whether or not they have the red dot on their head because they both see two green dots.

EDIT: ah lagrange explained before me


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## lagrangedave (Jun 12, 2010)

Explained but still doesn't grasp the answer


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## biggsteve (Jun 13, 2010)

like the 24 black and 24 red socks in the drawer, in the dark.  how many would you have to remove to get a matching pair?


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## Capt Quirk (Jun 13, 2010)

biggsteve said:


> like the 24 black and 24 red socks in the drawer, in the dark.  how many would you have to remove to get a matching pair?


None, you wear flip flops


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## Fletch_W (Jun 13, 2010)

biggsteve said:


> like the 24 black and 24 red socks in the drawer, in the dark.  how many would you have to remove to get a matching pair?



three?


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## biggsteve (Jun 13, 2010)

three is correct!  give the man a gold star!  lol


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## Tuffdawg (Jun 13, 2010)

geeeezzzzz my hair hurts


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## SarahFair (Jun 13, 2010)

Ive heard this before but I have forgotten the answer


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## rhbama3 (Jun 13, 2010)

Elderly kings putting ink dots on the heads of princes is not a sound basis for choosing government. 
These days i've seen worse, though.......


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## MikeEast (Jun 14, 2010)

rhbama3 said:


> Elderly kings putting ink dots on the heads of princes is not a sound basis for choosing government.
> These days i've seen worse, though.......


I'm pretty sure whatever method that was used to crown the current administration was probably not as well thought out...

Mike


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## JustUs4All (Jun 18, 2010)

If all saw a green dot and any one of them had a red dot then the other two would know for a certainty that they had a green dot.  Since no one declared eventually one concluded that no one could declare because no one saw a red dot.


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