Brain Teasers
Sit in a Row
Georges, Patrick, Charlis, Samuel and Bruno are five Frenchmen. Georges knows English and Chinese. Patrick knows Chinese and Japanese. Charlis knows Japanese and German. Samuel knows German and English. Bruno knows them all: English, Chinese, Japanese and German.
In how many ways can they sit in a row, such that any two neighboring persons have no problems in communication?
In how many ways can they sit in a row, such that any two neighboring persons have no problems in communication?
Hint
Look at its category.Answer
5*4*3*2*1=120.They are Frenchmen, and can all speak French. Therefore, any order is OK.
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Comments
Seems like i am the first to post a comment... well.. it's a gud teaser n it's soooo easy hehe..
Very easy but fun.
Cute!!! Perhaps we could have done without the hint though....
tres bon!!
I thought it was that, but second guessed myself, GREAT TEASER, ENJOYED
Why does a Frenchman have to know French? I know plenty of Englishman that don't know English.
Good teaser though!
It was easy, but good for a first teaser.
Good Job, really enjoyed!
I feel SO stupid.....
Good one!
I got that one. Good one
wow...i didnt even think of that possiblity!!
Very good teaser! At first, I thought that they knew the languages in the riddle AND French.
Great teaser! Very clever and tricky! I heard that was your first teaser. Well Done!
You can be Japanese, but not speak Japanese.
I'm Filipino, but I don't speak any Tagalog. If anyone sat me next to another Pinoy, then I would be hopeless, unless they spoke English.
hey! im filipino too!!! well 1/4.
umm... i got it b/c it was in trick section but you can be french and speak very little of it. good job though.
umm... i got it b/c it was in trick section but you can be french and speak very little of it. good job though.
Good one! I don't know French Great teaser though!
EASY ONE. BUT IT WAS A GOOD TEASER TOO.
I LIKED IT.
I LIKED IT.
Hehe cool.
CUTE!
IF THEY DIDN'T HAVE A COMMON LANGUAGE, HOW MANY WAYS ARE THERE?
IF THEY DIDN'T HAVE A COMMON LANGUAGE, HOW MANY WAYS ARE THERE?
That's a good question IM.
Is is 4x3x2x1 =24?
Is is 4x3x2x1 =24?
That should have said "Is it"
Nice revamping of an 'oldiie'. These teasers are fun.
It is just a teaser, kind of a "wordplay"...the point of saying Frenchman was to see if you caught it....which I didnt and actually had paper to figure it out. Duh...
Very, very good. You fooled me completely. The fact that they were all Frenchmen completely skipped my train of thought.
I was gonna say "too easy" but I see that some people didn't get it. So, I'll say, it was easy for me, and THAT'S rare!
Good one, thanks!
Good one, thanks!
Well, now THAT was a trick question if I ever heard one! It makes you want to do it the hard way, when in fact the solution is very simple.... that is, if all the guys really did speak French.
i got this one, which is a surprise to me, i rarely get the trick questions!! nice teaser!
I agree with others...just because they are frenchman, does not mean they speak french. I'm a frenchman...and I don't speak a LICK of it....
But, as it was in the trick category, I knew what you were getting at...therefore the given answer was 120, though the true answer is 24.
Even a trick has to make sense and follow logic...this does not...sorry.
But, as it was in the trick category, I knew what you were getting at...therefore the given answer was 120, though the true answer is 24.
Even a trick has to make sense and follow logic...this does not...sorry.
Getting the all Frenchman part was easy, but how many claiming that it was easy really knew how to calculate the exact number of combinations? I didn't remember that it was the factorial. Good teaser.
Darn it! I can't believe that! I am no good at Brain Teasers. I goin to WOCKA!
You rascal!!! You caught this ole teacher at a "Read the Directions," misdirection, Teacher Trick! Duh. It would have helped me, though, if I'd also read the CATEGORY. Bravo!!!
If the Frenchmen did not know any French, then the answer is 48 arrangements out of the possible 120. I don't know where these geniuses are getting 24 from, but if you are going to criticize the teaser, at least make sure your math is correct.
Fun! Fun! Fun!
Mon Dieu!! This was a good one!!
hah, you got me on that one. good job
These "trick" questions are funny, when you stop and look at them. One of my favorites is the bus driver one. (Ok, I'll improvise)
You're a school bus driver picking up kids to be delivered to three schools. Your first round, you collect 69 students, some of them are elemetary, but three of them get off at the middle school to catch a different bus, and 15 of them are middle school kids. Next, the high school students, 12 in all, get on and all are delivered. You know all the names of everyone on board the bus, but what is the driver's name?
Ok, I know that's a lousy comparison, but isn't the answer obvious? LOL
You're a school bus driver picking up kids to be delivered to three schools. Your first round, you collect 69 students, some of them are elemetary, but three of them get off at the middle school to catch a different bus, and 15 of them are middle school kids. Next, the high school students, 12 in all, get on and all are delivered. You know all the names of everyone on board the bus, but what is the driver's name?
Ok, I know that's a lousy comparison, but isn't the answer obvious? LOL
zjsbr s movr fsu/
Can you figure this one out?
Scroll down.....
If you move your fingers on the keyboard over one letter to the right, it would read, "Have a nice day."
Can you figure this one out?
Scroll down.....
If you move your fingers on the keyboard over one letter to the right, it would read, "Have a nice day."
DUDE! that one was gfreat. totaly got me, but this one was like a good joke. i redally liked this one.
Very cute! Took me a minute to figure it out!
smee, you are cute!
Ahh, a double trick question. Getting that they all might speak French is only the beginning. Carrying it through is the test. Nice one.
I think it was kinda cheaty....but oh well, it's probably just because I didn't get it.
just because you're french doesn't mean you can speak french
Easy, but good job. I love trick questions--I always go and tell all my friends them.
I started to work it out, then caught myself... easy and cute.
Tres bon mon ami CUTE Ya got me!!!!!!
I said all ways...does that count? I figured out the trick and knew that they all spoke French, so I didn't even bother to do the math (which is really simple anyway). Great teaser, it's kind of funny that I got even though I didn't know it was a trick!
Cute. Easy. Just my style! You almost had me with pen and paper again, but being French it caught my eye. Good job pleb.
You got me, you got me, you got me! No excuses here either.
Really fun to do! The math is pretty easy, but for a second there I didn't understand the trick. Then after I looked at the hint I read the riddle again and realized it...and Frenchman is usually used to describe someone born and living in France...so they would most definitely know the language.VERY GOOD TEASER!!!
Darn, I already rated this teaser ....*cough*
Great Teaser! Congrats on the t.o.t.d
Great Teaser! Congrats on the t.o.t.d
gr8 1
The teaser states that each person knows two or four languages. If those are the only ones they know, then the answer is 48. If they also know other languages, such as French or Spanish, then the answer varies up to the maximum possible seating arrangements of 120.
i t's ok...i got it! really fun..
it's easy for me..easy to get..promise...pls send me the most difficult...k?
it's easy for me..easy to get..promise...pls send me the most difficult...k?
i almost didnt get but then ii saw the category without looking at the hint and figured it out
good teaser- little easy
good teaser- little easy
just cuz you live and were born somewhere doesn't mean you speak the language! lots of americans don't speak english, and i mean, esp. in europe where lotsa ppl know different languages you don't technically haveta speak your current country's language. what if poor georges was born in france, moved out when he was a baby and then moved back? ) hehehe but i didn't get it so i guess i can't really criticize in good conscience.
Good lord! I can't believe I didn't see the obvious. This was a fun teaser!
To all those who mentioned that being French doesn't mean that they can speak French: Look at the category. Where would the "trick" be if they couldn't speak French?
Wow, this is my very first teaser to try to figure out. Good thing I got
it. It helped that it was easy. Very
cute though!
it. It helped that it was easy. Very
cute though!
It was so obvious I missed it.
However, I try not to "assume" facts not in evidence.
However, I try not to "assume" facts not in evidence.
Well I knew it was "any order was OK", didn't really expect to have to work out the number (Btw, 120 assumes it matters which way around the line is. I would have said 60).
haha, good but easy
wuts with the 5*4*3*2*1=120 bit? y is that needed in the answer??
sames with those few ppl way up there im filipino but i dno any tagalog and also part german and i still have to lern it in school LOL so yeah i got this teasr coz iv heard it b4 lol but i probly wouldnt av got it right if i hadnt herd it b4. woh this is a long comment hehe yeah well congratz on cools teaser
A good brain teaser.But what WAS with the 5*4*3*2*1=120 bit?
That was a great one. Wow, today I am just off. I'm getting all these teasers wrong.
May 06, 2006
just because you were born in france or come from french decent doesnt mean you speak french...thing of people in canada they are french men and they dont all speak french most speak english
Easy after reminding myself of the category!
Ditto; not all Frenchmen know French.
I'm in agreement that you made the error of assuming that Frenchmen all necessarily speak French.
Theoretically a good teaser, but takes advantage of your own assumption.
Theoretically a good teaser, but takes advantage of your own assumption.
I missed that one. Thanks for a good one though.
Good teaser. I didn't pick up on the Frenchmen opening, so I was trying to place them in proper order. Soooo, you got me!!
Good teaser! I got this one This kind of trick reminded me of telling what time the clock read at "noon" a few days ago!
Thanks for a good one!
Thanks for a good one!
Nice one! I didn't think to actually work out the number once I caught the trick. Just said they could sit any way at all
At first I was thinking like.. wow this is gonna be hard.. then I saw the category and got it at once!! This is hilarious!
This is a great teaser! I love it!
For those commenting on the men speaking french-- remember that this was in the trick category and people who live as a citizen of a country SHOULD speak the language. Those who live in the US with green cards may speak any language they like, but in order to become a US citizen, one must prove to be proficient in our language. I would bet the same holds true for France.
Those Canadians that speak french are still Canadians-- french speaking Canadians. They are not Frenchmen. Frenchmen are citizens of France.
Great teaser!
For those commenting on the men speaking french-- remember that this was in the trick category and people who live as a citizen of a country SHOULD speak the language. Those who live in the US with green cards may speak any language they like, but in order to become a US citizen, one must prove to be proficient in our language. I would bet the same holds true for France.
Those Canadians that speak french are still Canadians-- french speaking Canadians. They are not Frenchmen. Frenchmen are citizens of France.
Great teaser!
It is a Totally Awesome teaser! No matter what anyone else says, it is fun and until you get the catch, teasing! Keep up the fantastic work! I will probably have a fascination with numbers the rest of my life.
Of all the Braingles that I have read for the past 2 years, I have yet to read so many "nit-pickypicky" comments.
This is for Scallio. Just because you are born somewhere does not mean you know the language. Many people who where born in Spain speak no spanish yet speak Catalon. Does that mean they're not spanish? Of course not. My siblings were born in Uruguay. They have their citizenship here in America and in Uruguay as well even though they left Urugauy when they were 2 and 4. I have met manu Mexicans who speak no Spanish. Citizenship and Nationality does not have anything to do with which languages you speak.
That was a great teaser. Again I failed to see the obvious
Am new to site also. Bon temps roulet - good one - the obvious was understated & almost got me..keep them coming.
Re: 5*4*3*2*1=120. It's factorial math - there's 5 people, u start multiplying 5 x #'s below it to total 120 - the # of possible variations.
I still didn't get it even after I read the hint.
I guess me brain is not awake right now.
Very clever though!
I liked this teaser a lot
I guess me brain is not awake right now.
Very clever though!
I liked this teaser a lot
Until I saw the category, I thought it was going to be difficult. When I realized it was in Trick and reread it, it was very easy. Almost got me though!
BTW, does it really matter if it's completely correct? I realize that not all Frenchmen speak French, but it's just supposed to be a fun teaser, and in most jokes and/or teasers there are going to be assumptions made~it's part of what makes some of them so funny.
BTW, does it really matter if it's completely correct? I realize that not all Frenchmen speak French, but it's just supposed to be a fun teaser, and in most jokes and/or teasers there are going to be assumptions made~it's part of what makes some of them so funny.
If you say that all frenchmen don't speak french, then the answer would be 48. You can write them all out if you want. Each guy is connected to 2 others and the 5th guy who speaks all the languages.
Say #1 can talk to 4 and 2, #2 can talk to 1 and 3 ... etc. and everyone can talk to #5.
This leaves us with valid seats of:
12345; 12534; 12543; 12354
We can mirror this, swapping 4 for 2 and we have
14325; 14532; 14523; 14352
Also, we can do
15234 and 15432
Since 1 can't talk to 3 this is all the 10 possibilities with 1 on the left end.
Multiply this by 4 because it's the same kinda thing for each of the first 4 guys.
If number 5 is on the left, there are 8 more possibilities going from 5 to any guy, and then in the circuit either direction.
This all adds up to 48.
All this just because I'm lousy at tricks...
Say #1 can talk to 4 and 2, #2 can talk to 1 and 3 ... etc. and everyone can talk to #5.
This leaves us with valid seats of:
12345; 12534; 12543; 12354
We can mirror this, swapping 4 for 2 and we have
14325; 14532; 14523; 14352
Also, we can do
15234 and 15432
Since 1 can't talk to 3 this is all the 10 possibilities with 1 on the left end.
Multiply this by 4 because it's the same kinda thing for each of the first 4 guys.
If number 5 is on the left, there are 8 more possibilities going from 5 to any guy, and then in the circuit either direction.
This all adds up to 48.
All this just because I'm lousy at tricks...
Easy!!! But fun.
That waz very cute. Keep em' coming ok?
This was good for a first teaser but a litlte different but i like it
Tricky tricky however you could live in France and have a french nationality but not speak french for a whole lot of reasons.
Got it right away. Good one!
This is stupid teaser. I can be a Frenchman without knowing French. What is a Frenchman ?
Good teaser!
The assumptions made this wrong. I agree with those that stated that this was too tricky. I'm German and I don't speak German.
When something is so debatable then it probably wasn't valid.
When something is so debatable then it probably wasn't valid.
omg people! don't be so darned critical!One would just naturally assume he was referring to Frenchmen from France. Well, I did so I got it right, HAH!
AS I SAID LAST TIME, CUTE.
Hehehe, I have to wonder: when someone takes a teaser too seriously, does that mean they probably got it wrong and they're just looking for ways to pick it apart?
I got it, btw.
I got it, btw.
Nice trick. Interesting comments. More please?
there are sure a lot of arguements about the "french" thing...
personally, i believe that you would PROBABLY speak french if you were a frenchman (definition for those who don't know: 1 : a native or inhabitant of France 2 : a person who is of French descent) but either way (more likely on the second definition) you could be a frenchman and not know french.
TOTALLY UNRELATED
i wonder, if you're a french woman, is it called a frenchwoman? im not french or anything, just an interesting question
personally, i believe that you would PROBABLY speak french if you were a frenchman (definition for those who don't know: 1 : a native or inhabitant of France 2 : a person who is of French descent) but either way (more likely on the second definition) you could be a frenchman and not know french.
TOTALLY UNRELATED
i wonder, if you're a french woman, is it called a frenchwoman? im not french or anything, just an interesting question
If ever the word "probably", or "assume" has to be in your answer to make it work, toss out the teaser. We cannot know for certain that all 5 frenchmen would know french. Though you may find this to be a nit-pick arguement, it's a perfectly logical concern. If you can't take the criticism, get outta the business.
Wonderful!
Still French people don't have to speak French. Otherwise good teaser.
Damn, it got me. Of course I've also been up for almost a whole day so I'm not as sharp as I should be.
This was so easy that it was a shame to challenge anyone above age 8.
Fun!
Great one!!
I got it!!!
Easy, but I like it. Tricky, but fun.
The answer that came to my head was the order in the teaser!!! Even if none of them knew French, an obvious answer is right on the screen!!!
Easy....
Easy....
How did I miss that? Good teaser though.
It was a good trick, but I caught it.
Didn't actually bother with the math, my answer was "anyway they want, they're all French". I then looked at the category (which I always forget to do first) and thought "It's a trick, yep that has to be it then".
Good one.
Good one.
Sorry but SADBUG thought this one was way to easy.
It's good to see you, Cutebug!
I agree with those not caring for the trick part of this teaser, even though it's cute. On the bright side, this is a nice teaser even without the trick.
If they don't speak French, I come up with an answer of 40, not 24 or 48. Here's how I think of it:
Georges, Patrick, Charlis and Samuel form a chain, and Bruno can be inserted at either end or anywhere in between. That provides 5 lineups.
Then, each of those 5 lineups can be reversed, for a total of 10.
Now, you can move Georges to the end of the original chain and do the same thing, inserting Bruno, and then reversing each one, for a total of 20.
Finally, just move Patrick, and then Charlis to the end and perform the same operations and you get a total of 40 lineups. I don't think there are any more.
If they don't speak French, I come up with an answer of 40, not 24 or 48. Here's how I think of it:
Georges, Patrick, Charlis and Samuel form a chain, and Bruno can be inserted at either end or anywhere in between. That provides 5 lineups.
Then, each of those 5 lineups can be reversed, for a total of 10.
Now, you can move Georges to the end of the original chain and do the same thing, inserting Bruno, and then reversing each one, for a total of 20.
Finally, just move Patrick, and then Charlis to the end and perform the same operations and you get a total of 40 lineups. I don't think there are any more.
Nice teaser, though easy.
May 16, 2013
This is a fun little teaser. I enjoyed it. However, the answer, even provided by the creator, is wrong. The correct answer is ZERO. If you have five men sit in a row, it is impossible for the ones at the end to have two neighbors. Hence, there is no way to arrange them such that they will sit in a row and be able to converse with two neighbors. I thought it was a double trick riddle. Clever though.
Read it again, mule. It doesn't say anything about communicating with two neighbours.
I bet I read the teaser 5 times before I realized that it said they are all Frenchmen. Do I feel stoopid? You bet I do.
I got it easily, but then I made an assumption (that Frenchmen are all able to speak French) and you all probably know what happens when you assume! Anyway, it worked out for me this time!
Oui.
Cent vingt.
Cent vingt.
Scallio,
The U. S. does not have an official language.
There are exemptions to the language requirement to become a U. S. citizen.
The 50/20 and the 50/15 exemptions.
You are allowed to take the test in your native language.
The U. S. does not have an official language.
There are exemptions to the language requirement to become a U. S. citizen.
The 50/20 and the 50/15 exemptions.
You are allowed to take the test in your native language.
If none of the people spoke a common language (None knew french)
And since Bruno knows all the languages he can sit anywhere,
the possible seating arrangments are 48.
Since Georges can speak to Patrick
and Partirck can speak to Charlis
and Charlis can speak to Samuel
and Samuel can speak to Georges
B G P C S
G B P C S
G P B C S
G P C B S
G P C S B
B P C S G
P B C S G
P C B S G
P C S B G
P C S G B
B C S G P
C B S G P
C S B G P
C S G B P
C S G P B
B S G P C
S B G P C
S G B P C
S G P B C
S G P C B
And since Georges can speak to Samuel
and Samuel can speak to Charlis
and Charlis can speak to Patrick
and Patrick can speak to Georges
B G S C P
G B S C P
G S B C P
G S C B P
G S C P B
B S C P G
S B C P G
S C B P G
S C P B G
S C P G B
B C P G S
C B P G S
C P B G S
C P G B S
C P G S B
B P G S C
P B G S C
P G B S C
P G S B C
P G S C B
We are now up to 40 combinations.
But something interewting happens when Bruno sits in the middle.
G P B S C
G S B P C
P G B C S
P C B S G
S C B G P
S G B C P
C S B P G
C P B S G
Gives us a total of 48 unique combinations seated left to right in a straight row.
And since Bruno knows all the languages he can sit anywhere,
the possible seating arrangments are 48.
Since Georges can speak to Patrick
and Partirck can speak to Charlis
and Charlis can speak to Samuel
and Samuel can speak to Georges
B G P C S
G B P C S
G P B C S
G P C B S
G P C S B
B P C S G
P B C S G
P C B S G
P C S B G
P C S G B
B C S G P
C B S G P
C S B G P
C S G B P
C S G P B
B S G P C
S B G P C
S G B P C
S G P B C
S G P C B
And since Georges can speak to Samuel
and Samuel can speak to Charlis
and Charlis can speak to Patrick
and Patrick can speak to Georges
B G S C P
G B S C P
G S B C P
G S C B P
G S C P B
B S C P G
S B C P G
S C B P G
S C P B G
S C P G B
B C P G S
C B P G S
C P B G S
C P G B S
C P G S B
B P G S C
P B G S C
P G B S C
P G S B C
P G S C B
We are now up to 40 combinations.
But something interewting happens when Bruno sits in the middle.
G P B S C
G S B P C
P G B C S
P C B S G
S C B G P
S G B C P
C S B P G
C P B S G
Gives us a total of 48 unique combinations seated left to right in a straight row.
I think it's wrong to say that all Frenchmen speak French, as others have said, as well, so I'm not agreeing with the answer.
However, I love all the comments that deal w/ the "true" answer. I thought 40, similar to one of the comments, but I'm happy with the one right above my comment to show why it's 48, b/c of when Bruno sits in the middle.
Well done, person above!
However, I love all the comments that deal w/ the "true" answer. I thought 40, similar to one of the comments, but I'm happy with the one right above my comment to show why it's 48, b/c of when Bruno sits in the middle.
Well done, person above!
I was about to comment, but then read the last comment, and it was mine from 3 years ago! Funny that I didn't remember the trick. And I agree with everything I wrote last time.
Nice comment, Me.
Yes, thank you, Me.
Nice comment, Me.
Yes, thank you, Me.
Cool. Well, as much as I love math, I'd have just said "all of them".
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