Brain Teasers
War Stories 2
Logic-Grid
Logic Grid puzzles come with a handy interactive grid that will help you solve the puzzle based on the given clues.Logic-Grid
Five veterans were sitting around a bar swapping war stories. From the information provided, determine each veteran's branch of service, the year each was born, and each person's current career.
1. The teacher was born in 1971.
2. The architect was born the year before Art Smith.
3. Susan Wilson, who served in the Coast Guard, is a year younger than the veteran who is now a nurse.
4. The Navy veteran, who wasn't born in 1970, isn't Mary Jones who now practices law.
5. The Army vet, who has published several books about the war, is neither Bill Johnson nor the oldest of the group.
6. The former Marine, who was born in 1969, isn't Art Smith or Mary Jones.
1. The teacher was born in 1971.
2. The architect was born the year before Art Smith.
3. Susan Wilson, who served in the Coast Guard, is a year younger than the veteran who is now a nurse.
4. The Navy veteran, who wasn't born in 1970, isn't Mary Jones who now practices law.
5. The Army vet, who has published several books about the war, is neither Bill Johnson nor the oldest of the group.
6. The former Marine, who was born in 1969, isn't Art Smith or Mary Jones.
Answer
Mary Jones, 1968, Air Force, LawyerJohn Brown, 1972, Army, Writer
Art Smith, 1971, Navy, Teacher
Susan Wilson, 1970, Coast Guard, Architect
Bill Johnson, 1969, Marines, Nurse
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Comments
Not quite enough clues, or I'm just dumb.
Had to use plenty of logic after the first read-through. One of the best logic puzzles I've done on here so far!
Jun 14, 2005
not quite enough clues for me either...but then again, I was never good at these logic puzzles !!!
Yippee!!
I FINALLY got it!! It was tough, but could be completed with the clues given.
I FINALLY got it!! It was tough, but could be completed with the clues given.
too hard. way too hard. ughhhhhh. don't even want to try it again.
I messed up several times (I think I got my younger and borm before confused), but eventually I got it. There are enough clues, you just have to keep going over them. Good job.
too hard for me. I agree there really wasn't enough clues. I may need sum1 to explaine it to me.
Just the right amount of challenge. Loved it! Excellent job!
That was REALLY hard!! I still don't get it! So confused!!!
Ok that took me forrrrrever, but I got it. Persistence pays off. I think the difficulty is slightly underrated on this one. It's as hard as all the ones I've marked *hard*. Very good. I feel smart because I got it but dumb because it took me 30 minutes.
Finally solved this one! My brain is drained!
Rats, I got Susan and mary mixed up, Good Job.
I agree, not enough clues. Missing years and branches.
Also missing names.
Not enough clues to solve this puzzle without either guessing or making incorrect logical assumptions from the double negative clues.
wow! I must have had a brain f**t. This one was hard. Not enough info, some of the names were not in discription Stumped me!!!!!
yeah, where did the name john brown come from, i thought he was the oldest. i got it right except for two of them i had their branches wrong. this puzzle just didn't give enough clues.
That was excelent! Sooo hard tho took me awhile, But I loved it! Made me really have to think.
I'm sooooo confused! I didn't get it at all. I think I hurt my brain!!
Fun, but must admit it took me a while as it was chalenging. Good job!
Weeeeeellllllllll,.......um, .....let's see, ....uh......, um..., I was gonna say that I don't like these because there's no "poetry" involved, it's more like a math problem, BUT, I'm interested in the fact that several peeps claim there're not enough clues, and others say they got it and there are enough clues. Also, if someone is interested, me and a couple others would love to see an explanation of how you solved this. I do respect the thought that goes into making and solving this!
Yeah, I know, I write a lot... OK, I was just looking at the logic grid, and I noticed that the grid gives the birthdate years as '68 - '72, BUT, the clues do not say that they are five successive years. So the logic grid gives clues that are not in the puzzle! That might make a big diff., NO?
I got it and had so much fun doing it. I think the clues were just right..made it hard but not too hard. however, I wondered about the names and years and decided they must have been in the grid and they were. I don't normally use the grid so I think the only improvement would have been to mention in the story. I think you did a great job. Would love to see more
Ok, I love these, but I did the whole puzzle, with every clue given, and so I thought I had finally solved it correctly and then I checked it, and I was wrong. I never use the grids, and the grid had clues on it not given in the puzzle, like John Brown. It was a good puzzle though, for people who like to use the grid.
This is definately agreat puzzle. Just barely enough clues to complete. It took me a few read thoughs to finish. Good Work!
easy for me but awesome
the hint says that the army vet is not the oldest, but in your answer, he is! I was able to get an alternate answer that works. I really liked the puzzle... until I checked my answer against your incorrect solution
wait, never mind... I messed up. I said that the later you were born the older you are... what a stupid mistake
solidgordy is right, the logic grid does make it much easier to solve with the extra information about successive birth years. But, the name of the fifth vet doesn't matter a wit. I use the logic grid, and found this puzzle to be the perfect amount of clues. It takes going back over the clues many times to solve, but it doesn't make you use trial assumptions and resulting contradictions like the absolute hardest of logic puzzles require. I really, really, liked this one. Perfect.
Oct 23, 2005
One clue is ambiguous -- "The Navy veteran, who wasn't born in 1970, ..." .
This could mean that he wasn't born in the year 1970, or that he had not yet been born by the end of 1970, hence was not born in 1968 or 1969, either.
This could mean that he wasn't born in the year 1970, or that he had not yet been born by the end of 1970, hence was not born in 1968 or 1969, either.
there wasn't even all five names given in the teaser how can you say the fifth persons name is John Brown? I felt this puzzle wasn't well thought out.
Also with the lack of info youcould assume that one of them was in the Army Resever considering not all the branches are given.
too tough . I wonder howmyou make up these things tell me from where
Hey how can this be? No wonder it was so hard. Did anyone notice that the puzzle did not mention any John Brown nor an Air Force. That's why many found it hard!! It could have been left out on purpose but the puzzle is unsolvable.
i didnt get it. ok tho. not a really good one, but ok... i didnt get it....bye.
Attn Gadget and any editor who may be reading this! Pls review your puzzle. There is a given which has not been printed. There is no mention of John Brown or an Airforce. Otherwise the puzzle could be easy and fun.
I opened the grid and it mentioned John Brown andthe Airforce. All the same they should have been mentioned and/or written in the puzzle proper. Right? It's ok but others, like me, who do not use the grid will find it impossible to answer.
The puzzle can be solved with the clues given, therefore, there are enough clues. Without the grid you don't know John Brown's name but you do know he's there. Call him Mr X or whatever and you can still solve the puzzle. Getting the proper arrangements is what it's all about and it can be done with the clues given and without the grid.
yes this can be solved with the clues but there is more than one correct answer because you are left to guess some things. I came up with a completely different answer but went thru the clues again and mine is right too:
Mary 68 lawyer A.F.
John 69 Arch. Marines
Art 70 Writer, Army
Susan 71 teacher C. G.
Bill 72 Nurse Navy
Mary 68 lawyer A.F.
John 69 Arch. Marines
Art 70 Writer, Army
Susan 71 teacher C. G.
Bill 72 Nurse Navy
Mean! but can be solved without assumptions. It took me most of the morning, but I decided I could be mean too!
oh, ane homie123 is right, you said Army is not the oldest in the clues but in the answer he is.. so how did all these poeple get the "right answer easily with the clues provided" hhmmmm
This one was poorly written with the absence of plausible clues, which completely eliminates the fun factor. (& logic grid is my absolute favorite) But this one leaves much to be desired....
Oh and renny, you seem to be a walking paradox-- a major contradiction just waiting to happen...????
Not enough time in my schedule to try and figure this one out
Where do you come up with John Brown who is not mentioned anywhere in the clues !
that was hard but i finally got it!!!
These are always fun to do, as long as I have the time to try - and Sundays fit the bill!
haha i cheated a bit....good teaser though! ;)
Man, where did John Brown come from. He was not even mentioned once. Ain't no way!!! TOOOO HARD!!!
renny, your alternate answer is wrong because clue 3 indicates that Susan is a year younger than the nurse. Your solution has Susan older than the nurse. Also, the given solution does not violate clue 5 (Army is not the oldest), because, in fact, it claims that Army is the youngest. People born in 1972 are younger than people born in 1968. I think you're confusing younger with 'born in previous years'. The opposite is actually true.
DUUUUHH.. what an airhead I am sometimes!!! when I worked it I was just writing 68, 72 etc.. and so i did the age thing backwards!!!!!!! DORK I AM! sorry
Where did John Brown come from. the instruction state that FIVE veterans are present, yet the clues yield only four names and four branches of the armed forces. Also, the instructions state that you must use the information PROVIDED. John Brown and the Air Force are not provided.
How do you solve this brain teaser?
How do you solve this brain teaser?
I got this teaser over email and the logic grid was not included. I worked on it for quite a while, but finally decided not enough information was given. without the logic grid, I was missing a name, a branch of the service , and several years of birth.
I've never had any problems solving your logic problems before, most of them are moderately challenging at most, which this one would be if all the information were presented in the clues. I didn't even know there was a logic grid as I've never had to resort to one for your puzzles before, and if you had supplied the correct information with the puzzle, I still would not know about them. How do you expect this problem to be solved missing a name, a branch of service and 2 years? Please be more careful with your presentation in the future, and I'm sure the fans will get more enjoyment out of it.
Dude, I worked on this thing all day. And yes, I was using the logic grid, so I knew that there was a John Brown and that the Air Force was one of the branches, not to mention that I had all the years.
IN SPITE OF ALL THAT, I couldn't figure it out. I wracked my brains all day, going over and over the clues, and correctly eliminating some possibilities, but I simply got stumped at one point. I was able to get down to two choices for several items, but I couldn't see anything in the clues that would be of further help. Someone shoot me a message and tell me how you figured it out, would you?
IN SPITE OF ALL THAT, I couldn't figure it out. I wracked my brains all day, going over and over the clues, and correctly eliminating some possibilities, but I simply got stumped at one point. I was able to get down to two choices for several items, but I couldn't see anything in the clues that would be of further help. Someone shoot me a message and tell me how you figured it out, would you?
Oct 25, 2005
You only gave us 4 names and only 4 brances of service. It's cheating when you leav out critical info.
My bad... Who'd a thought to look at a logic grid to worka puzzle in a category named, amazingly enough, Logic Grid... Hmmmm...
You crack me up, Gadget. I always wondered why other logic 'GRID' puzzles went to the trouble of prefacing the clues with all possible grid entries. Redundant, just like this sentence. But, for those of you who have more paper, pencils, and erasers than common sense, go for it! Just don't pretend that anyone asked you how that's working out for you.
FulanitoGM, here's a little tip that you may have overlooked. About the second time through the clues, Art Smith and Susan Wilson both have only two years (1970 and 1971) open as possibilities. Even without anything to further help decide which person is which year, you now know that none of the other three people could also be born in those two years. This now means that you have six new negatives to mark down for the other three people.
You probably already have noticed the geometric patterns in the grid structure that are much easier to perceive than the equivalent logical reasoning that can be excruciatingly complex. The simplest pattern being the 'boxed' grid structure, where positives always form a rectangle. Negatives, likewise, always form rectangles. The subsections that don't have two adjacent subsections (those in the two 'corners' of the grid), have their own geometric patterns that can help you deduce new positives and negatives. Don't get carried away with the patterning thing, though, especially with negatives, because false deductions will sneak by you if you get sloppy or frustrated.
This puzzle is tough, but it falls just short of having to use trial and contradiction to solve. Those puzzles are why there are the 1,2 and 3 marks available on the grid. They have enough information in the clues to restrict the answer to only one solution, but don't have enough information to solve with straight deduction. You have to run a guess up the pole and negate that guess upon contradiction, or confirm the guess without contradiction. What a pain in the answer.
FulanitoGM, here's a little tip that you may have overlooked. About the second time through the clues, Art Smith and Susan Wilson both have only two years (1970 and 1971) open as possibilities. Even without anything to further help decide which person is which year, you now know that none of the other three people could also be born in those two years. This now means that you have six new negatives to mark down for the other three people.
You probably already have noticed the geometric patterns in the grid structure that are much easier to perceive than the equivalent logical reasoning that can be excruciatingly complex. The simplest pattern being the 'boxed' grid structure, where positives always form a rectangle. Negatives, likewise, always form rectangles. The subsections that don't have two adjacent subsections (those in the two 'corners' of the grid), have their own geometric patterns that can help you deduce new positives and negatives. Don't get carried away with the patterning thing, though, especially with negatives, because false deductions will sneak by you if you get sloppy or frustrated.
This puzzle is tough, but it falls just short of having to use trial and contradiction to solve. Those puzzles are why there are the 1,2 and 3 marks available on the grid. They have enough information in the clues to restrict the answer to only one solution, but don't have enough information to solve with straight deduction. You have to run a guess up the pole and negate that guess upon contradiction, or confirm the guess without contradiction. What a pain in the answer.
WHY IN THE WORLD WOULD ANY SANE PERSON TRY TO SOLVE A LOGIC GRID PUZZLE WITHOUT USING THE GRID AND THEN COMPLAIN THAT THERE ARE CLUES IN THE GRID THAT ARE NOT IN THE STORY???????????
WHY IN THE WORLD WOULD ANY SANE PERSON TRY TO SOLVE A LOGIC GRID PUZZLE WITHOUT USING THE GRID AND THEN COMPLAIN THAT THERE ARE CLUES IN THE GRID THAT ARE NOT IN THE STORY???????????
WHY IN THE WORLD WOULD ANY SANE PERSON TRY TO SOLVE A LOGIC GRID PUZZLE WITHOUT USING THE GRID AND THEN COMPLAIN THAT THERE ARE CLUES IN THE GRID THAT ARE NOT IN THE STORY???????????
SORRY ABOUT THE TRIPLE TAKE, BUT I REALLY THOUGHT THAT THIS PUZZLE WAS VERY EASY
I actually got it on the first try..... but it took FOREVER!
Good teaser, I'll look for more by you!
Good teaser, I'll look for more by you!
very good teaser difficult but logical
I feel better knowing so many had trouble. Maybe I rely on the grid too much, but I'm new at this. I filled it out and just stared at it for many moons. It seems very logical and well done, just seems somethings missing. So I'm here to learn, you people are so smurt.
Wish I still had some of those brain cells back they said we didn't need in the 70's.
Wish I still had some of those brain cells back they said we didn't need in the 70's.
This was a very good puzzle. I had to come back and rework it several times before I finally got the correct solution. I don't know where I was making my mistake/s but I was determined to solve it. Good Job!
Mogur's comments above are spot on. (If you're having trouble, read them.) You can solve this puzzle with deduction alone, but there is one key domino - and only one - that unblocks the rest of the dominos (after your initial grid fills.) Nice puzzle - elegant, and fat-free.
over-rated...this is too simple for 3.5 stars
Very easy although I did use the grid...since I am farely new to these someone tell me...are you being a wimp if you use the grid? Is that considered taking the easy way out? I have never tried to solve on without one so I am not sure.
Not to put a wrench in anything... but, what in war did these people serve? Most vets I know were born well before the 70's
How about Desert Storm...remember that one? My thoughts here: So many people complain about logic grid puzzles not containing all the clues and that they don't use the grids. You have two choices here folks. There are logic teasers and logic grid teasers. If you choose to do logic grid teasers then use the grid. Otherwise, why don't you just stick with the logic teasers? Guess what...no grid involved. Okay, I had my say. Thanks for my favorite teasers...logic grids. Love Braingle and ALL the teasers.
this one was a good one.
wow I got this one right off the bat and quickly too!! Great job Gadget -- just enough clues to make it solveable, but no so many that the art of using logic was left out.
I thought this was great teaser! I solved it the first try, so all the required info IS there (USE THE GRID or at least check for info if you don't use it). As a previous poster said, it all comes down to just one pivotal point. I stared at this one for about 15 mins before I saw what I was missing before and it fell into place.
braincel: VET does not necessarily refer to someone who has served in a war. An army, navy vet, etc...is someone who has served in that particular brance of the military. ONLY when there is a name of war in front of vet does it refer to wartime veterans for sure (ie vietnam vet, WWII vet, etc) Hope that helped ya.
braincel: VET does not necessarily refer to someone who has served in a war. An army, navy vet, etc...is someone who has served in that particular brance of the military. ONLY when there is a name of war in front of vet does it refer to wartime veterans for sure (ie vietnam vet, WWII vet, etc) Hope that helped ya.
Almost too hard to enjoy!
Either not enough clues, or I'm just real dumb
I got this on the first try. It was really hard. I figured out the first four people as the Teacher, Laswyer, Writer, and the Army Vet and thought I was completely stuck. Then I realized that none of the first four could be the person born in 1970 and I had my 5th person. Once I had the 5 different people identified, it was pretty straightforward to fill in the missing info. Really great teaser.
I got this one on the first try. I don't understand what is so hard about it. I have some trouble with easy ones too. Was it updated since it was first published. At any rate it was a good one, I liked it.
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