From: bodom@silver.ucs.indiana.edu (Brian Odom)
Subject: Logic Problem: On the cards (SOLUTION)
Organization: Indiana University
Date: Tue, 1 Sep 1992 23:55:09 GMT

Parentheses refer to the premise numbers in the problem.

In (4) there is a jack of spades, in (5) there is an ace of spades.  By (9), 
there are four different suits at each table, so there are only 2 spades.
So, the black queen is the queen of clubs (7).  Arlene is holding the lowest
club (6), so she has the jack of clubs.  Warwick sits at table 2 next to the
one holding the jack of spades, so the ace of spades (9) is at table 1 and Ruby
and Ashe (5) are also at table 1.  The 2 queens are queen of diamonds (3) and
queen of clubs (7).  The 2 jack are jack of clubs (6) and jack of spades (4),
so the highest diamond is either king or queen.  There are no king of spades
(ace and jack) and there are no king of clubs (jack and queen), so there is
a king of hearts and a king of diamonds, which means the king of diamonds is
the highest diamond (1,3).  That leaves an ace of hearts (by elimination).
The eight cards are: Jclubs, Jspades, Qclubs, Qdiamonds, Kdiamonds, Khearts,
Aspades, and Ahearts.  The 2 aces are at one table (2) [the highest heart and
the one at position A].  They are at table 1 since the ace of spades is already
there.  The ace of spades is at position A and the ace of hearts is somewhere
else at table 1.  By (1), the lowest card at table 2 is the one at position A.
It is the jack of spades (4), and there is only one lowest card, so the jack 
of clubs is at table 1 [who is Arlene] (6).  The highest diamond is at 
table 2 (1), so the queen of diamonds is at table 1.  In summary, table 1 has:
Aspades, Ahearts, Jclubs, and Qdiamonds, and by elimination, table 2 has: 
Kdiamonds, Khearts, Jspades, and Qclubs.  Warwick is seated at position B (4).
Finley and Keisha are at table 2 (3), because the queen of diamonds is at table
1 and Keisha has the same seat letter (which means she is at the other table).
Brown (1), Pollock (7), Finley (3), and Warwick (4), are all at table 2, so
McKinley, Ashe, Carter, and Howatt are all at table 1.  Keisha (3), Ruth (5),
Elsie (5), and Norman (1) are also all at table 2, so Daniel, Ruby, Jonathan,
and Arlene are also all at table 1.  By (2), Arlene is surnamed McKinley (by
elimination, since she doesn't have either of the aces nor is her name
Jonathan).  Norman is holding the black queen [the queen of clubs] (7) since
he is the only man seated at table 2.  Ashe is at position C (5), since the
ace of spades is at position A, and Ruby is seated between them.  Jonathan is
holding the queen of diamonds (2) (by elimination since Arlene McKinley has 
the jack and he has none of the 2 aces).  Daniel is holding the ace of spades
at table 1 since Jonathan has the queen, Arlene has the jack, and Ruby is 
between Ashe and the one holding the ace of spades, so Daniel is seated at
position A.  By elimination, Ruby is holding the ace of hearts at table 1.
At table 2, Keisha holds the jack of spades and is at position A (Norman has a
black queen (7), it's not Elsie since Arlene is not seated in position A at 
her table (6), and it's not Ruth since Ruby is not seated in position A at her
table neither (5)).  Finley is at position C at table 2 (3), and the queen of
diamonds in at position C on table 1 (3); Ashe is seated there, so Jonathan
Ashe has the queen of diamonds.  Brown is seated at position D at table 2 
((s)he's not at A (1), Warwick is at B (4), and Finley is at C (3)).  By
elimination, Pollock is at position A [Keisha Pollock].  Ruth isn't at A (5) 
[Daniel's at A on table 1], nor C (5) [Jonathan's at C on table 1], nor D (5)
[Brown is there], so she's at B (and is surnamed Warwick) and Ruby is at B on
the other table.  Arlene is seated at position D on table 1 by elimination, 
and Elsie Brown at position D on table 2 (6).  Norman is surnamed Finley by 
elimination; he has the queen of clubs, so Elsie and Ruth both have kings.
Elsie Brown doesn't have the highest diamond [king of diamonds] (1), so she 
has the king of hearts, and Ruth has the king of diamonds.  Table 2 is 
complete.  At table 1, by (8), and the fact the Howatt is a woman (intro), 
Carter has the ace of spades, and Howatt the ace of hearts.

In summary:

Table 1
-------
A) Daniel Carter, ace of spades
B) Ruby Howatt, ace of hearts
C) Jonathan Ashe, queen of diamonds
D) Arlene McKinley, jack of clubs


Table 2
-------
A) Keisha Pollock, jack of spades
B) Ruth Warwick, king of diamonds
C) Norman Finley, queen of clubs
D) Elsie Brown, king of hearts

 





-- 
Brian T Odom
Newsgroups: rec.puzzles