From: wvanweer@wsuaix.csc.wsu.edu (Wayne VanWeerthuizen)
Newsgroups: rec.puzzles
Subject: Re: Attribute Puzzles
Summary: 1 New Puzzle (Much Harder) and Solutions to First Two Puzzles.
Date: 29 Sep 92 09:14:34 GMT
Organization: Washington State University

In this article:
  1.  Answers to old puzzles
  2.  A newly submitted puzzle
  3.  General Rules

I, wrote:
>
>Set#1
> Item w/ attribute: battery, key, yeast, diskette, bookmark
> Items without    : rubix's cube, pill bottle, stapler, calculator, envelope

Intended Solution:  Items needing to be placed inside something else when
                    used for their usual purpose.

Commentary: Someone suggested these items all initiate a process, I think
     that is stretching it a bit.  I also now think it is best to have only
     four (4) items in each list, instead of five.  For future reference,
     this puzzle should be changed to:

     with:  battery, key, yeast, bookmark
     w/out: stapler, match, rubix's cube, pill bottle


>Set#2
> w/ : traffic light, rubix's cube, chess set, electrical wiring, flags
> w/o: clock, rope, tic-tac-toe, pencil sharpener, coat hanger
 
Intended Solution: The items use color to make major distinctions.

Commentary: Sorry, but now I feel BOTH my original puzzles were poorly chosen.
The best answer I've heard for this is what I SHOULD have intended: "Item
which use color to distinguish between otherwise identical parts."

The lists would have more appropriatly been:
  with:  rubix's cube, chess set, electrical wiring, compass needle
  w/out: clock, rope, tic-tac-toe, pencil sharpener
  (Use this if recording these for future reference.)

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Newly Submitted Puzzle 
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
(I have not seen of figured out the intended solution to this.)

Submitted by: Robert M. Jarvis

Set#3:  with:  Koosh, Small Intestine, Yorkshire Terrier, Christmas Tree
        w/out: Toothbrush, Oak Chair, Soccer Ball, Icicle
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

RULES (For those who missed them)

  Each puzzle set involves two lists of four (reduced from five) items.
The first list is of item possessing a certain trait.  The second list
is of items lacking the trait.  The object is simply to figure out what
this trait is.  The second list needn't be pondered too seriously it is 
present as a control, that is to eliminate many trivial solutions such
as "All the items have mass."
  All there may be exceptions not known to the author of the puzzle.  But,
what should be considered is the ordinary form of the named items, or 
their regular common usage.  For example I said a rubix's cube uses color
to distinguish otherwise identical pieces.  One may object that they have
a cube with just black and white PICTURES on the faces.  But, this is not
an ordinary rubix's cube, so it not relevant to the problem.

I wish more people would send me some puzzles of this kind.  Those which
I feel worthy (which will probably be most of them) I will post to 
rec.puzzles.

-- 
Wayne VanWeerthuizen | wvanweer@wsuaix.csc.wsu.edu | Christian, X-trinitarian
205 Scott Hall       | (509) 335-1835 (voice)      | Physics ugrad, 21yrs old
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