Einstein's Riddle

[Cainanite (imported)]

This is the story behind Einstein's riddle: Albert Einstein supposedly created it in the late 1800s, and it is also said that he claimed 98% of the world population couldn't find a solution. In reality, it isn't that difficult, and I am not sure of the true origin, but I have seen this one floating around the internet, and it is a good brain exercise, so here it is:

- In a street there are five houses, painted five different colors.

- In each house lives a person of different nationality.

- These five homeowners each drink a different kind of beverage, smoke different brand of cigar and keep a different pet.

Einstein's riddle is: Who owns the fish?

HINTS

1. The Brit lives in a red house.

2. The Swede keeps dogs as pets.

3. The Dane drinks tea.

4. The Green house is next to, and on the left of the White house.

5. The owner of the Green house drinks coffee.

6. The person who smokes Pall Mall rears birds.

7. The owner of the Yellow house smokes Dunhill.

8. The man living in the center house drinks milk.

9. The Norwegian lives in the first house.

10. The man who smokes Blends lives next to the one who keeps cats.

11. The man who keeps horses lives next to the man who smokes Dunhill.

12. The man who smokes Blue Master drinks beer.

13. The German smokes Prince.

14. The Norwegian lives next to the blue house.

15. The man who smokes Blends has a neighbor who drinks water.

I was able to solve this riddle with about 8 minutes (I timed myself) and a blank piece of paper in front of myself.

I suppose I could have thought outside the box on this riddle, and said just about anything for who owns the fish. Who knows, maybe one homeowner owns more than one type of animal? Maybe no-one owns the fish? But I decided to be all "Inside the box" on this one.

Apparently Einstein didn't really write this, and the 2% who can solve it are supposed to be people who can simply do the question in their head (without paper and pen aides), but I'm not that smart.

How about you? How long does it take you to figure this one out? What's your answer?

No cheating, and looking the answer up. You're on the honor system.

[Prudence (imported)]

Nice logic puzzle. Thanks for posting it. I was able to solve it in around 12 to 15 minutes (don't have an exact time as I wasn't able to do it all in one sitting -- many distrations that day). I PM'd you with the solution I came up with.

One hint I could give people is first make a list of all the items they give you of each type (ie: list of colors, list of nationalities, pets, etc).

Then make one or more "grids" and start putting in the relationships they give you in each hint. Use process of eilimination for the rest.

I took a different approach at first -- if I would have started with the lists/grids I would have solved it a few minutes faster.

[transward (imported)]

Nice logic puzzle. Thanks for posting it. I was able to solve it in around 12 to 15 minutes (don't have an exact time as I wasn't able to do it all in one sitting -- many distrations that day). I PM'd you with the solution I came up with.

One hint I could give people is first make a list of all the items they give you of each type (ie: list of colors, list of nationalities, pets, etc).

Then make one or more "grids" and start putting in the relationships they give you in each hint. Use process of eilimination for the rest.

I took a different approach at first -- if I would have started with the lists/grids I would have solved it a few minutes faster.

I cut out 25 pieces of stiff paper and labeled each with one of the characteristics, and ruled a 5x5 grid on a sheet of paper. That set up took maybe 10 minutes, then went back and forth through the clues till I arrived at a solution.. Took about 20 minutes. The clue

The Norwegian lives in the first house.

doesn't state whither the first is on the right or left. I guessed wrong and took about 15 minutes figuring that wouldn't work and switched to the other end. After that it took about 5 minutes.

Transward

[Losethem (imported)]

Solving for fish... Einstein = Fish.

--LT

[Cainanite (imported)]

Nice logic puzzle. Thanks for posting it. I was able to solve it in around 12 to 15 minutes (don't have an exact time as I wasn't able to do it all in one sitting -- many distrations that day). I PM'd you with the solution I came up with.

One hint I could give people is first make a list of all the items they give you of each type (ie: list of colors, list of nationalities, pets, etc).

Then make one or more "grids" and start putting in the relationships they give you in each hint. Use process of eilimination for the rest.

I took a different approach at first -- if I would have started with the lists/grids I would have solved it a few minutes faster.

And you got it right.

I wrote out a five columns with five blanks each and named each column House 1, House 2, et cetera. I started plugging in the clues, and in a few minutes I had it.

The answer is; the German owns the Fish!

There are a lot of smart people on the EA.