Brain Teasers
The Murderer's Street
Other
Other brain teasers don't fit into any other category, so they can be unique and challenging.Other
Seven detectives were trying to solve a murder case. One detective had been on the police force for twenty years. The other six, Quinn, Ralph, Steve, Ted, Uriah, and Victor, were new to the police force. They were trying to solve the case based on six particulars:
1. The street the murderer lived on.
2. The murderer's gender.
3. The murderer's height.
4. The murderer's occupation.
5. The murderer's age.
6. The genre of music the murderer preferred.
Quinn arrested a man who lived on Austin Avenue, was 5'0", a teacher, in his 20's, and preferred rock and roll.
Ralph arrested a woman who lived on Guildford Way, was 5'6", a doctor, in her 30's, and preferred classical.
Steve arrested a man who lived on Mariner Way, was 5'11", a doctor, in his 20's, and preferred country.
Ted arrested a man who lived on Pipeline Road, was 5'0", a construction worker, in his 40's, and preferred classical.
Uriah arrested a woman who lived on Rochester Avenue, was 5'0", a storekeeper, in her 20's, and preferred rock and roll.
Victor arrested a woman who lived on Shaughnessy Street, was 6'4", a teacher, in her 50's, and preferred jazz.
The seventh detective, the one who had been a detective for twenty years, arrested the real murderer. He then said to the other six, "I see you have arrested two of the three shortest men and one of the two tallest women in town. But they are all innocent, and so are the other three. Here are two facts:
1. Each of you six are correct in the same number of particulars as anyone else.
2. Exactly one of each kind of particular is correct."
On which street did the murderer live?
1. The street the murderer lived on.
2. The murderer's gender.
3. The murderer's height.
4. The murderer's occupation.
5. The murderer's age.
6. The genre of music the murderer preferred.
Quinn arrested a man who lived on Austin Avenue, was 5'0", a teacher, in his 20's, and preferred rock and roll.
Ralph arrested a woman who lived on Guildford Way, was 5'6", a doctor, in her 30's, and preferred classical.
Steve arrested a man who lived on Mariner Way, was 5'11", a doctor, in his 20's, and preferred country.
Ted arrested a man who lived on Pipeline Road, was 5'0", a construction worker, in his 40's, and preferred classical.
Uriah arrested a woman who lived on Rochester Avenue, was 5'0", a storekeeper, in her 20's, and preferred rock and roll.
Victor arrested a woman who lived on Shaughnessy Street, was 6'4", a teacher, in her 50's, and preferred jazz.
The seventh detective, the one who had been a detective for twenty years, arrested the real murderer. He then said to the other six, "I see you have arrested two of the three shortest men and one of the two tallest women in town. But they are all innocent, and so are the other three. Here are two facts:
1. Each of you six are correct in the same number of particulars as anyone else.
2. Exactly one of each kind of particular is correct."
On which street did the murderer live?
Answer
The killer lived on Pipeline Road.1 of the 6 amateurs arrested someone on the same street as the killer, 3 of the same sex, between 3 and 1 of the same height, between 2 and 1 of the same job, between 3 and 1 of the same age, and between 2 and 1 with the same favourite music. Thus, of the 36 total particulars of the 6 innocents, between 14 and 8 are shared with the killer. But it must be a multiple of 6. Since 12 is the only multiple of 6 between 8 and 14, each of the 6 innocents share 2 things.
If it is 5'0" and in his/her 20s: From Quinn's arrest, it isn't a man. From Uriah's arrest, it isn't a woman.
If it is neither 5'0" nor in his/her 20s: 1 of the 6 innocents is the same height as the killer, 1 is the same age, 1 lives on the same street, 3 are the same sex, at most 2 have the same job, and at most 2 prefer the same music. This makes at most 10 particulars shared with the killer, not 12.
So the killer is 5'0" or in his/her 20s, but not both. Either 3 innocents have the same height and 1 has the same age, or vice versa. These 4 right particulars plus 1 for the street plus 3 for the sex makes 8 in total, leaving 4 total right guesses for the job and the music. This can only work if 2 innocents have the same job and 2 innocents prefer the same music. This means it is a teacher or a doctor, and prefers rock or classical.
If it is a 5'0" man: From Quinn's arrest, he doesn't prefer rock. From Ted's arrest, he doesn't prefer classical.
If it is a 5'0" woman: From Uriah's arrest, she prefers classical, not rock. From Ralph's arrest, she is a teacher, not a doctor, and she isn't in her 30s. From Ted's arrest, she isn't in her 40s. From Victor's arrest, she isn't in her 50s.
If it is a man in his 20s: From Quinn's arrest, he isn't a teacher. From Steve's arrest, he isn't a doctor.
So it is a woman in her 20s. She lives on Pipeline Road and prefers classical, from Ted's arrest. From Quinn's arrest, she is a teacher, and from Steve's arrest, she is 5'11".
Hide Answer Show Answer
What Next?
View a Similar Brain Teaser...
If you become a registered user you can vote on this brain teaser, keep track of which ones you have seen, and even make your own.
Solve a Puzzle
Comments
Hmm. Two and a half weeks, no comments. Let me just say that it's creepy how the murderer is a teacher.
To post a comment, please create an account and sign in.
Follow Braingle!