A puzzle. [Archive] - Team17 Forum

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philby4000
10 Jul 2006, 18:08
UI've discovered the hardest puzzle in the world.
I found it in a book called 'IQ puzzles' or similar.
After I read the anser in the back of the book I became convinced that no one on god's green earth would ever be able to solve it without cheating or being an expert in a very speific field.
The question is:
'The word FOOTSTOOL is not a palindrome, but it can become one without altering the spelling of the word at all. How?'

Star Worms
10 Jul 2006, 19:13
It is one footstool, therefore it is "one"?

AndrewTaylor
10 Jul 2006, 19:17
You could alter the definition of "palindrome".

FutureWorm
10 Jul 2006, 20:13
It is one footstool, therefore it is "one"?
That would be really stupid.

AndrewTaylor
10 Jul 2006, 21:15
It could convert to Buddhism.

philby4000
10 Jul 2006, 22:07
you've got to convert it to something.

SomePerson
10 Jul 2006, 22:12
Is it another language?

philby4000
10 Jul 2006, 22:14
Wouldn't that change the spelling?

Run
10 Jul 2006, 22:15
yes, yes it would
Oh actually it turns out it's a palindrome when converted to morse code
I expected it to be stupid but that's actually rather clever

philby4000
10 Jul 2006, 22:33
I realy don't see how anyone is suposed to get that without having intimate knowlege of morse code.

SomePerson
10 Jul 2006, 22:46
..-. --- --- - ... - --- --- .-..
I know morse code, but I didn't think to convert it. I was thinking along entirely the wrong lines. Converting it to code would probably never have come to me.

bonz
10 Jul 2006, 22:54
I realy don't see how anyone is suposed to get that without having intimate knowlege of morse code.
Yes, that's why such puzzles don't belong into IQ tests.
You could make a similar puzzle with peptide sequences (one letter abbrevation) and the coresponding RNA sequence.
Without any basic biochemistry knowledge you would have no change.
I believe Braille system might work too.

Xinos
11 Jul 2006, 01:07
How can anything that has to do with words be put in an IQ test? Shouldn't it be purely patterns and shapes etc?

MtlAngelus
11 Jul 2006, 05:29
It's got less to do with words and more to do on your abbility to find the solution I think.

worMatty
11 Jul 2006, 14:05
What if you didn't know Morse code, or even that it existed?

Run
11 Jul 2006, 14:46
What if you didn't know Morse code, or even that it existed?
Well what if you never learned language? That wouldn't be YOUR fault, so surely an IQ test must be independent of any liguistic ability whatsoever.

MtlAngelus
11 Jul 2006, 17:55
It also depends where you're taking it, and wheter they can assume you know a language or not.

bonz
11 Jul 2006, 22:36
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IQ_test_controversy

Star Worms
12 Jul 2006, 09:48
What I don't like about some IQ tests is that there can be several answers to one question. I remember one question was "which animal is the odd one out" with answers like cow, giraffe, penguin and kangeroo". In their own context, any of them could be an odd one out.

Xinos
12 Jul 2006, 11:38
What I don't like about some IQ tests is that there can be several answers to one question. I remember one question was "which animal is the odd one out" with answers like cow, giraffe, penguin and kangeroo". In their own context, any of them could be an odd one out.
I'm going with penguin

AndrewTaylor
12 Jul 2006, 11:42
What I don't like about some IQ tests is that there can be several answers to one question. I remember one question was "which animal is the odd one out" with answers like cow, giraffe, penguin and kangeroo". In their own context, any of them could be an odd one out.
That's only a criticism of bad IQ tests, though -- not an intrinsic flaw in the system. Proper tests are generally very good. (Although the applicability of IQ scores to real life is debatable.)

Xinos
12 Jul 2006, 12:23
That's only a criticism of bad IQ tests, though -- not an intrinsic flaw in the system. Proper tests are generally very good. (Although the applicability of IQ scores to real life is debatable.)
Well, every day life doesn't require much brains, with an exception for what kind of work and hobbys you have..

AndrewTaylor
12 Jul 2006, 15:54
Well, every day life doesn't require much brains
Then why are so many people so hopeless at it?

Star Worms
12 Jul 2006, 16:00
I'm going with penguin
I'm going with kangeroo... http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/5172292.stm
Good timing BBC:p

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