Brain Teasers
Squirrel
Suppose a squirrel is behind the trunk of a tree, which it keeps between itself and a hunter who is circling the tree. In this case does the hunter actually walk around the squirrel?
Answer
Yes he does! To go around is to encircle entirely about. Therefore, this would ignore any rotary motion of the object being circled, in this case, the squirrel. The hunter does go around the squirrel since the hunter goes around the tree which the squirrel has not left.Hide Answer Show Answer
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Comments
it is all relevant to the distance the hunter or the squirrel is away from the tree. if the squirrle is say 2 foot from the tree and the hunter only 1 foot away , then the squirrel circles the hunter.
mad-ade should read the question the Squirell keeps the tree BETWEEN himself and the hunter
yes i did read the question. but if the squirrel is 2 foot away from the tree and the hunter 1 foot away from the tree the tree is still between them. i think my earlier comment doesnt mention anything about the hunter or squirrel not keeping the tree between them.
no.. because for the hunter to circle the squirrl then the tree would no longer be between them..
I see how you think it works but he is not actually circling the squirrl itself
nor does he in blaze's answer.
i dont like this teaser...it seems that if the squirrel were keeping the tree between itself and the hunter the hunter would never meet the squirrel
yah -- I don't get the answer to this one at all... I agree -- if the tree is kept between them, then there is no way that the hunter could circle the squirrel.
This would work if the squirrel was inside the tree, but not as written.
You could equally say the hunter keeps the tree between the squirrel and himself, and that the squirrel circles the hunter.
In reality, their paths follow the exact same circle, neither is outside or inside the other.
You could equally say the hunter keeps the tree between the squirrel and himself, and that the squirrel circles the hunter.
In reality, their paths follow the exact same circle, neither is outside or inside the other.
Oct 02, 2010
Does the hunter go round the squirrel?
Yes and no are perfectly correct answers. Depends on what you mean by "go round." If you mean the hunter North of the tree and squirrel moves to the west, then south, then east, then back north of the squirrel, well be all means you have to say the hunter went round the squirrel.
BUT. If you mean the hunter, standing in front of the squirrel must move to the squirrels left, then behind, then to the right, and back to the front of the squirrel, then NO the hunter has NOT gone round the squirrel. This is equally the situation in how a photon can be shown to be a particle or a wave depending on which meaning description is being tested for.
Yes and no are perfectly correct answers. Depends on what you mean by "go round." If you mean the hunter North of the tree and squirrel moves to the west, then south, then east, then back north of the squirrel, well be all means you have to say the hunter went round the squirrel.
BUT. If you mean the hunter, standing in front of the squirrel must move to the squirrels left, then behind, then to the right, and back to the front of the squirrel, then NO the hunter has NOT gone round the squirrel. This is equally the situation in how a photon can be shown to be a particle or a wave depending on which meaning description is being tested for.
Oct 02, 2010
The given answer does not express the true meaning of the problem which is available at the Stanford Philosophy site by William James pragmatic philosophy. http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/pragmatism/
Section 1, 6th paragraph
Section 1, 6th paragraph
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