UnNews:Can you solve Cheryl's existential problem?
Wednesday, April 15, 2015
A school maths question posted on Facebook by a Singaporean TV presenter has confused thousands, even the ones who managed to solve it.
The question asks readers to identify the birthday of a girl called Cheryl using the minimal clues she gives to her friends, Albert and Bernard, but it is the wording of the puzzle that has caused most bemusement.
It features the statements, "I don't know when Cheryl's birthday is, but I know that Bernard does not know too," and "At first I don't know when Cheryl's birthday is, but I know now."
Linguist Joanna Corey, wrote: "Why would Albert say 'but'? In what sense is the second part of his statement a contradiction of the first? Why does he use the word 'too' instead of either? Is he questioning something about the nature of affirmation and negation?"
Corey, who has a PhD from the University of Michigan, added, "What astral plane is Bernard living in? Why does he only speak in the present simple tense? Is he suggesting that all possible realities are simultaneous and happening at once? Does this mean he believes that time is relative and not absolute? Can one know and not know something at the same time? Is this about doublethink?
"Oh and it's July 16, right?"
Sources[edit | edit source]
- Leverage "Can you solve the maths question for Singapore schoolkids that went viral?" Guardian, April 15, 2015