Bite-sized brain teaser to solve in a minute or less.
Treasure Tunnel
Ella is on a quest to find a hidden treasure inside a mysterious cave with three tunnels. Each tunnel entrance has a sign: "Trap" for the left tunnel, "Empty" for the middle tunnel, and "Treasure" for the right tunnel. However, Ella knows that the signs are all incorrect. Behind one tunnel lies the treasure, another tunnel leads to a deadly trap, and the third tunnel is empty. With only two chances to choose a tunnel, how can Ella find the treasure without falling into the trap?
Solution
To solve this brain teaser, let’s break down the clues:
Each sign is incorrect, meaning:
The "Trap" sign does not lead to the trap.
The "Empty" sign does not lead to an empty tunnel.
The "Treasure" sign does not lead to the treasure.
Step-by-step deduction:
The tunnel marked "Trap" cannot lead to the trap, so it must either be the treasure or the empty tunnel.
The tunnel marked "Empty" cannot lead to an empty tunnel, so it must either be the treasure or the trap.
The tunnel marked "Treasure" cannot lead to the treasure, so it must either be the empty tunnel or the trap.
Logical conclusion:
The treasure is either in the tunnel marked "Trap" or the tunnel marked "Empty."
The tunnel marked "Trap" is the safest choice since the tunnel marked "Empty" can still lead to the trap.
So, Ella must first venture into the tunnel marked "Trap."
If it turns out to be empty, then she can next venture into the tunnel marked "Empty" since the treasure has to be there and the trap has to be in the tunnel marked "Treasure."
