three boxes are in a room. You know that one contains apples, one centains oranges, and one contains a mixture of apples and oranges, but you don't know the contents of the specific boxes. The boxes are labeled "apples","oranges", and "apples and oranges", but each box has the wrong label on it. You must identify the contents of each box bu picking one piece of fruit from only one box. You aren't allowed to feel the fruit! How can you identify the contents of each box?
Please explain because it doesn't make any sense to me!!!
To solve this puzzle, you can follow these steps:
Step 1: Pick a fruit from the box labeled "apples and oranges". Since the labels are incorrect, you know this box cannot contain a mixture because then the label wouldn't be correct. Hence, whatever fruit you pick, the box will contain only that type of fruit.
Step 2: Let's say you pick an apple from the box labeled "apples and oranges". Now you know that the box labeled "apples and oranges" actually contains only apples, and the box labeled "apples" must contain oranges since it cannot contain apples.
Step 3: Now, the remaining box labeled "oranges" must contain the mixture of apples and oranges since it cannot contain only oranges (as per the incorrect label).
In summary:
- The box labeled "apples and oranges" contains apples.
- The box labeled "apples" contains oranges.
- The box labeled "oranges" contains a mixture of apples and oranges.
By using deductive reasoning and realizing the incorrect labeling, you can determine the contents of each box.
Pick a piece of fruit from the "apples and oranges" box. If you get an apple, then you know this box is the apple box.
That leaves two boxes: one labeled oranges and the other apples and oranges. You know that both of these labels are wrong -- so you now know what to label each box.