Brain Teasers
The Race - Part I
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 competitors (two women named Alexa and Breanna, and three men named Larry, Arnold and Michael) recently decided they would race each other for a large prize. Before the race would start, each person decided to do a different aerobics class to try and become more fit and healthy. Each had already raced for a number of months in competitions (3, 6, 9, 12, 15). Their surnames are Anderson, Cameron, Douglas, Ewell and Farlin. After two months of aerobics each person noticed a different benefit from their exercise. From the clues below, can you match the full name of each competitor with the number of months they've raced before, the benefit each has experienced from aerobics, and the brand of sneakers each wears?
1. Arnold, who isn't surnamed Anderson, doesn't use Nike shoes.
2. Arnold has been racing for fewer months than the woman who noticed an increase in her energy level; she has been racing for fewer months than the friend who wears Brooks shoes.
3. The person who has been racing for the least amount of time is neither the man who uses Adidas shoes, nor another person surnamed Douglas.
4. The man who uses Reebok shoes has been racing longer than the person surnamed Ewell, who has been racing longer than the person who lowered his/her cholesterol level.
5. The person who has experienced weight loss began racing after the one who gained muscle tone and before Alexa (who doesn't use Nike).
6. Larry lowered his cholesterol level.
7. The one surnamed Anderson hasn't noticed any weight loss.
8. Ms. Ewell isn't the woman who gained muscle tone.
9. Ms. Cameron enjoys aerobics so much that she goes to the gym at least 5 times a week.
1. Arnold, who isn't surnamed Anderson, doesn't use Nike shoes.
2. Arnold has been racing for fewer months than the woman who noticed an increase in her energy level; she has been racing for fewer months than the friend who wears Brooks shoes.
3. The person who has been racing for the least amount of time is neither the man who uses Adidas shoes, nor another person surnamed Douglas.
4. The man who uses Reebok shoes has been racing longer than the person surnamed Ewell, who has been racing longer than the person who lowered his/her cholesterol level.
5. The person who has experienced weight loss began racing after the one who gained muscle tone and before Alexa (who doesn't use Nike).
6. Larry lowered his cholesterol level.
7. The one surnamed Anderson hasn't noticed any weight loss.
8. Ms. Ewell isn't the woman who gained muscle tone.
9. Ms. Cameron enjoys aerobics so much that she goes to the gym at least 5 times a week.
Answer
Larry lowered his cholesterol level (6).The woman who has more muscle tone (8) isn't Alexa (5), so she's Breanna. The woman who noticed an increase in her energy level (2), then is Alexa.
Ms. Ewell isn't Breanna (8), so she's Alexa, and Ms. Cameron (9) is Breanna.
Arnold has been racing for fewer months than Alexa (2), so he hasn't experienced weight loss (5); he has more endurance, and Michael, by elimination, lost weight.
Alexa doesn't use Brook shoes (2), Adidas (3), Reebok (4), or Nike (5), so she wears Hushpuppy.
The person who has been racing for the shortest time doesn't wear Hushpuppy, Brooks (4), so he or she wears Nike.
The one who wears Nike sneakers, then, isn't Arnold (1), Michael, or Breanna (5), so he's Larry.
Breanna's shoes aren't made by Adidas (3), or Reebok (4), so they are Brooks.
Arnold has been racing for fewer months than Alexa (2), so he doesn't wear Reebok (4); Michael does, and Arnold, by elimination, wears Adidas.
The one surnamed Anderson isn't Arnold (1) or Michael (7), so he's Larry.
Arnold's surname isn't Douglas (3), so it's Farlin, and by elimination, Michael's is Douglas.
The one who has been racing for 15 months isn't Arnold, Alexa (2), or Michael (5), so she's Breanna.
Alexa hasn't been racing for 6 months (2) or 12 months (5), so for 9 months.
Arnold, then, has been racing for 6 months (2). By elimination, Michael has been racing for 12 months.
In summary:
Alexa Ewell, 9 months, more energy, Hushpuppy
Breanna Cameron, 15 months, muscle tone, Brooks
Larry Anderson, 3 months, lowered cholesterol, Nike
Arnold Farlin, 6 months, more endurance, Adidas
Michael Douglas, 12 months, weight loss, Reebok
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Comments
i really screwed up cause it was SO hard!!! 4 me @ least. but it was still real fun
i didn't read it it's too long
28 votes but 2 comments, Sane isn't happy.
This was excellent! I like when it's challenging enough for me to have to go through the clues 3 or 4 times to fill in the grid. I used every section, too, which is unusual. Outstanding job!
This one was really hard...it took all I had to not look at the answers.
This one was by far the best one yet...keep them coming!
Tough one, the challenge was enjoyable!
Wow... thank you everybody.
that was outstanding! cant wait for part 2!!
Good puzzle.... I had to concentrate on the grid and clues. I like the ones that I have to think on.
Part II was rejected due to a slight mistake by me (I forgot to distinguish between the different groups). It will be up in two weeks at the least.
Great Job!!!!
This was a tough one, I got lost somewhere. Fun, though. I'll have to go back and see where I went wrong. But I do love the challenge. Most of these logic-grid teasers are way too easy, so way to go, Sane! Most are so easy, I was thinking I was brilliant. Maybe not so much now...
Well you beat me on this one. Couldn't get it it but that could have been because I misread the first clue as Arther surname was Anderson not wasn't.
Good one. The only problem I had was with statement 8. "The woman who has more muscle tone isn't Ms. Ewell." As a matter of strict logic, it does not follow from that statement that Ewell is a woman. I wasn't sure if that was a trick or was a clue revealing that Ewell was in fact a Ms.
Very Hard! I got all the accomplishments, but had a lot of trouble trying to figure out last names & their order. I got a couple of them wrong. the clue with Ms. Ewell tricked me too!, I spent a lot of time on this puzzle, but enjoyed it!
My teaser dropped 20 happy points in the last 5 votes...
Nicely done! This one was very challenging without being impossible.
Loved it. It made me get creative in solving it without being too crazy. Keep 'em coming!
I never HUH! thought Ummm..
nevermind, you dont want to hear it
nevermind, you dont want to hear it
I love these kind of teasers...they are just fantastic...great job!!!
excellent job! i had to start over twice before i got it! very fun and i actually found myself talking to myself!
I love this teaser! Although it took me 20 minutes to finish, I had fun doing it. This is the best and hardest one I've ever done! I'm so happy I got all the answers correct. Yipee!
TOTALLY AWESOME!!!!!
Excellent teaser!! One of the best one of the logic grid puzzles on this site!
GREAT job i hope ur next will be even harder!!!!! cant wait
Aug 04, 2005
How do you come up with the surname? farlin. Its not mentioned anywere in the text. Had to look at the answers for the last surname
Good one! I just joined and love the hard ones that really make you think. I had to do the grid twice! Thanks!
Great challenge! Very hard!
Sep 14, 2005
Great Puzzle! took me a while, but there was no more information than I needed. I enjoyed it immensly.
Ooo it hurts
Brilliant! Fun, challenging, and not impossible. I love the hard, but not impossible ones. They make me think the most. While I didn't need it, it's awsome that you put the steps or whatever in the answer.
One of the best logic-grids I've done so far!
One of the best logic-grids I've done so far!
Nov 11, 2005
From clue 3 we're supposed to conclude that Douglas does not wear Adidas? Douglas and Adidas could be the same person, but have the 3-monther not be that person... I kept getting to the end and having it go either way for Farlin and Douglas to be either Arnold or Michael. Other than that, very good.
Congrats Sane because I'm not sure that I am any more (sane that is I finally solved this teaser after my nth try (n being a number of unknown quantity) over several sessions over several days. I did not look at the answers until I was confident that there was a good chance that I had solved it correctly (and I had) I had to keep restarting because after I had gone so far on the grid (once nearly filling it) I would come up against inconsistancies and impossibilities which forced me to restart the grid. I cannot say what mistakes I was making, it did not seem to be consistantly the same one. I just know that I was becoming almost compulsive in trying to solve this inscrutable little conundrum, wrapped up inside an enigma hiding inside an oxymoron. Thank you for your assistance toward my insanity. Or to put it more susictly, REALLY GREAT PUZZLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Great Job!!! Very good puzzle. Good degree of difficulty.
Great puzzle. I had to restart the grid when I ended up having x's all the way thru one row...oops. But I got it on the second try. Thanks for submitting!
This is one of my favorite puzzles on the site so far. It's rare that one is complicated enough that I have to take notes to keep it all straight. Great job!
Super hard. I don't know where I messed up, but it made the whole thing wrong and I couldn't figure out my mistake.
Great teaser.
Great teaser.
Dec 25, 2006
Great Puzzle - I particularly like how you can misinterpret #5 and complete the grid but have incorrect timelines for the people. Very crafty. Nice Work.
ok that was really hard! i got like half way through it and gave up... good job
Very fun to do. Had to try twice, but got it! I like the fact that I had to use almost all the grid sections - that's pretty rare. Great job!
May 08, 2007
I feel the puzzle was incomplete..
where does hushpuppy and endurance come from???
facts are real tricky n it cud have been a good puzzle.......
where does hushpuppy and endurance come from???
facts are real tricky n it cud have been a good puzzle.......
Really kept me busy for awile, fun, tricky .. the best kind .. keep'm coming
Wickedly Awesome! This one had my brain turning for over 1/2 hour! Got it first time through the grid though...YEAH me! Kinda threw me in the intro when you mention different aerobics classes, then as for different shoe brands instead. sneaky sneaky. I'll be doing part 2 next! Keep up the good work.
this puzzle wasn't incomplete at all, it was just very difficult. This was my second attempt and I got it this time around -- phew! that was hard work!
p.s. -- I didn't know that Michael Douglas (an American leading actor) wore Reeboks and that he was trying to lose weight! lol
p.s. -- I didn't know that Michael Douglas (an American leading actor) wore Reeboks and that he was trying to lose weight! lol
Excellent puzzle. Well constructed, and a son-of a-gun to do!
Thanks and keep them coming.
Thanks and keep them coming.
Fantastic!
Very challenging. Thank you!
I'm confused I couldn't figure this one out, so I checked the answers and the explanation given didn't make sense to me. It stated that Arnold had been racing for fewer months than Alexis, so he didn't have weight loss. But, a person can have weight loss after 2 months, for example, of working out. Especially from aerobic exercise. Am I missing something here? Could someone please help me understand?
This puzzle is only 90% solvable due to Hushpuppies and 'more endurance' not being mentioned. There are many other benefits and shoes that could be used instead.
Heaps of fun!! It was difficult but I managed to get it correct in the end. Awesome work.
The instructions don't include hushpuppy nor more endurance.
GREAT puzzle. By far the most difficult one on this site.
After spending hours on this puzzle (I must've started over a dozen times) I finally figured out where I was going wrong: clue number 5. Started racing before = having raced LONGER. Very tricky!
After spending hours on this puzzle (I must've started over a dozen times) I finally figured out where I was going wrong: clue number 5. Started racing before = having raced LONGER. Very tricky!
This puzzle is 100% solveable with the given information and has a unique answer. It doesn't matter that they don't mention endurance or hushpuppys. It is possible to deduce who must have gained endurance and who must wear hushpuppies from the given clues by elimination.
Anyway, it took me a while and 2 tries but I got it done with just the grid.
Anyway, it took me a while and 2 tries but I got it done with just the grid.
Somehow I got Farlin, Douglas, Anderson, Rebok, Adidas mixed while everything else was correct. Not sure how that happened. The puzzle seemed to go so smoothly
That was a tricky one! Really awesome job!
Great teaser!
I especially like the way you explain the solution steps in the answer, it really helps me learn how to do better!
I especially like the way you explain the solution steps in the answer, it really helps me learn how to do better!
On word that best describes it is, AHHHHHH!
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