|
Logic Puzzle:
The Pizza Eaters (warning:
read below before starting!) |
 |
On the SSQQ Cruise Trip, one afternoon
six girl friends got together for a light lunch at Pizza Bar
next to the Solarium
Spa. That's when they discovered they all
had different tastes in Pizza.
After a little flirting, the six ladies had no
trouble talking the cute pizza guy into creating a special
six-slice pizza with individual toppings.
Since no two ladies wanted precisely the
same topping on their pizza slices, they agreed to order six
different toppings: green pepper,
mushrooms, broccoli, meatball, sausage, and pepperoni.
|
They looked for a place to eat. Mara suggested
looking in the Solarium. They gasped
as they looked around. The Solarium was so luxurious!
Decorated in an Egyptian motif, the
beautiful pool with steam rising, the lush foliage, the waterfall,
and the gorgeous Egyptian sculptures made this area the perfect
place to relax and have a good chat.
The six friends found a circular
table and sat down.
|
 |
As the ladies sipped on their special
coffee and waited for their pizza to be prepared,
they exchanged anecdotes about their lives. To their surprise, they
soon realized that each of them was born and raised in Texas.
One woman was from Austin, another came from Dallas, a third was
raised in San Antonio, a fourth hailed from Galveston, a fifth was
from the Woodlands and the sixth was from Houston.
Such a coincidence!
Knowing that the first names of our six pizza-eating Texas girls are
Mara, Moira, Maya, Marla, Myra, and Marva (say all six real fast)
and given the clues below, can you assign each lady the proper pizza
topping, and determine the order in which the six sat at the spa's
circular table??
|
 |
1. The woman from Galveston, who found herself sitting
directly across the table from Mara, had the sausage eater
on her immediate right.
2. Marva, who was seated directly across the table from the
eater of the mushrooms,
had on her immediate right the
person from Dallas.
3. The eater of the pepperoni was situated with Moira
immediately to her right,
and with the resident of San
Antonio directly across the table from her.
4. Marla, who sat in between two strict vegetarians,
was
directly across the table from the native of the Woodlands.
5. Myra sat directly across from the devourer of the
meatballs.
6. The consumer of broccoli was not seated next to Moira.
7. The native of Austin was not seated next to Maya.
 |
|
 |
So what does Rick have to say about this
Pizza Puzzle?
2006 -
This puzzle
is extremely difficult. I have a solution, but
I didn't get it the right way.
Back when I first attempted the puzzle in 2006, I was unable to find enough
information to solve the puzzle using a Truth Chart.
Once I exhausted all my traditional ways of solving logic
puzzles, I basically had to solve it just like I would a
Maze where you come to a fork in the road. In a maze,
you follow one path till it hits a dead end or
brings you to the exit. That method is no
better than simply flipping a coin.... not very
satisfying if you are a logical person.
Once I narrowed the puzzle
down to two possibilities, I worked both scenarios.
Like a maze, I followed both paths to see if a
contradiction appeared or not. One answer clicked and
the other created a contradiction. Therefore I
did get a correct answer, but I did not find solving
the puzzle in this way to be satisfying.
|
|
2011 Update:
In January 2011, I received this email from
John in Brisbane, Australia.
From: John W
Sent: Monday, January 03, 2011 5:46 AM
To: dance@ssqq.com
Subject: Pizza Easter
Rick, The six ladies sharing a six flavored
Pizza - not enough clues as you stated.
|
Since it had been five
years, I decided to try again. I spend
an entire day getting nowhere. I
failed five consecutive times using my
conventional methods. Then I used the
"Maze Method" again which provided the same
correct answer as five years earlier.
So I am in agreement with John.... not
enough information.
Basically all I did
was flip a coin. People who solve
logic puzzles don't enjoy leaving things to
chance.
Still, that doesn't
mean he and I are right. Maybe there
is a way to do it the Right Way. Like
the proverbial Gordian Knot, maybe you can
be the first to solve it "The Right Way".
If you do find the missing leap, by all
means please let me know what helped you
cross the barrier.
Send your answers to Rick Archer at
dance@ssqq.com
Good luck!
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
