My friend asked me the puzzle,
- A couple have 9 children (none of them were adopted)
- Each child must be either a boy or a girl
- Half of that couple’s children are boys
How that can be possible?
I failed to answer. So, how it is possible?
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$\begingroup$ I believe this question is more lateral-thinking than logical deduction $\endgroup$– SidMay 4, 2020 at 16:43
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$\begingroup$ Maybe they have adopted someone $\endgroup$– EducatedEntMay 4, 2020 at 16:44
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$\begingroup$ None of them were adopted. Updated the description. @defectedWBC $\endgroup$– Sazzad Hissain KhanMay 4, 2020 at 16:46
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5 Answers
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If
at least 5 of the children are boys
then technically
half of the children are boys... plus more, but the question doesn't state "only half".
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It's a bit of lateral-thinking, but
if both partners of the couple have children from an earlier marriage, let's say one has four and the other one has three, and they have two children together, then they have nine children in total, but that couple's children are only two, and one of them can be a boy and the other a girl.
answered May 4, 2020 at 16:40
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$\begingroup$ None of the children were adopted. Updated the post. $\endgroup$ May 4, 2020 at 16:48
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$\begingroup$ I can't come up with a better answer, but this seems to defy point #1 - in this scenario, the couple has 2 children, not 9. Under this interpretation, we'd have to say the couple has 9 children, but 7 of them aren't their children, which is a contradiction - it relies on a self-inconsistent definition of what it means to be "somebody's child".. $\endgroup$ May 4, 2020 at 16:48
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$\begingroup$ Let's see if there is any answer $\endgroup$ May 4, 2020 at 16:49
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$\begingroup$ I'm sure one of the more creative minds here will come up with a better explanation. $\endgroup$ May 4, 2020 at 16:50
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Perhaps
All of the children are boys.
Half of the children are boys. The other half are, too.
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2$\begingroup$ That's essentially what I said in my earlier answer. :) $\endgroup$– MithicalMay 4, 2020 at 16:55
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I guess you can say:
If the couple's firstborn is now an adult, you could no longer technically classify them as a child.
Then, if 4 out of the remaining 8 "not-yet adults"(or children) are boys, then we meet the necessary condition.
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Answer,
The couple have even number of child more than 9 and half of them are boys
Explanation,
If I say, I have 5 apples with me, then it's also true that, I have 4 apples with me, I have 3 apples with me and so on. Thus, the couple have 9 children does not violate that the couple have more children when we take other premises to be true.
answered May 4, 2020 at 17:14