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Week 3 [25-31.03] Can you solve the jail break riddle?


Recently, when I was searching Ted.com I came across Riddle videos. The video that I want to show you was created by Dan Finkel who is a math teacher. He created many videos on ted talk and Here is one of them. In this riddle you are trying to take measurements of time using a-fuses. I personally didn’t know how to solve this riddle at all and had a problem with understanding how to make the fuses to burn out equally to the half. This type of videos really helps you to improve your imagination and ingenuity. I highly recommend watching this video and figuring out how to do it by yourself. Good luck.





Questions:

1. Were you able to solve the riddle?
2. Is this type of learning new things and solving problems friendly and efficient? Why?
     3. Did you come across any of his videos before?

Comments

The riddle was kind of overwhelming. When I came across the moment provided for pausing and thinking about it and saw the wall of text I passed on it after first reading and jumped into solution. I'm just not into riddles. I find these kind of problems not so efficient and certainly not friendly for learning new things. It is due to their abstract nature. I am sure it may appear entertaining for almost everyone, but this is only my taste, I like keeping things simple. I saw many content from TedEd channel, but I rather omit puzzles.
1. Unfortunately, some time ago somebody told me about that riddle and the solution, so I already knew it before watching the video, but back then I was not able to solve it.

2. Yes, definitely, because it helps develop the sense of logic thinking while bearing in mind the real applications of such problems, like escaping a prison 😊. Another advantage of that kind of puzzles is that you can use them to entertain your friends or even impress them with your knowledge if you happen to know the solution beforehand. Personally, I was never so good at solving such problems, which is sometimes a little frustrating when you realize how simple the solution was. The problem is that you can’t solve such problems by the means of knowledge or experience, but only smartness which can be either natural or trained.

3. No, unfortunately I have never heard of him or his videos.
Ewelina said…
1. Unfortunately, I couldn't solve the riddle.
2. It's probably not for me. I get angry when I can't solve the problem. This form of learning discourages me.
3. I've never watched his films before.
Anna Koca said…
1. Were you able to solve the riddle?

I was trying hard but in the end I had to look up the solution at the end of the video. I guess there mere knowing that there is solution out there makes you try less - that's a psychological trick.

2. Is this type of learning new things and solving problems friendly and efficient? Why?

Yes, it is a kind of a case study, and I always considered case studies to be the best learning examples. So I support this kind of education also in schools and universities.

3. Did you come across any of his videos before?

No, but there are a lot of videos on youtube called "the hardest riddle" and so on ;) So I had stumbled upon some of them earlier, yes.
1. I solve it partially but I tried too much to get around the rules.
2. Generally yes. However, often in this type of riddles the author unnecessarily weaves hidden complications. As in facebook pictures of the type that "which cup will first fill with water".
3. Sometimes on YouTube you can see this kind of video. I clicked one from curiosity and it was some kind of FBI candidate test riddles.
Bartosz Barnat said…
Thank you for your comment Agnieszka. I agree with you that this type of learning and puzzles might be a little bit overwhelming and weird. Problems that are a subject of a riddle are a little bit abstractional or just impossible but this is just a topic. I think that it is a good way to make your mind to think about a solution because its irrational sometimes and that makes it even harder. As you said it's not meant for everyone as for example normal puzzles for me. I just hate them and don't have patience for it.
Bartosz Barnat said…
Thank you for your comment Marcin. I agree with you that it is all about smartness and looking at it from a different perspective then scientific one. I really enjoy watching and solving this type of riddles.
Bartosz Barnat said…
Thank you for your comment. I guess everybody get easly flustrated when they cant solve a problem or just don't know an answer.
Bartosz Barnat said…
I agree with you, if you know that in a secund you will see an answer you just don't try hard enough. Good to know that you are showing this type of study to others. It really helps to develop imagination. I didn't hear about the hardest riddle but saw the hardest puzzle involving padlocks and they are just astonishing.
Bartosz Barnat said…
This comment has been removed by the author.
Bartosz Barnat said…
Thank you for your comment. At first I was thinking about different ways to make it possible without a fuze. I agree with you, because of that hidden complications you just thinking about something else but it makes it even harder to solve.

1. Were you able to solve the riddle?

I was able to solve the riddle. Unfortunately, I did not solve it now, but many years earlier, when I attended a school in the scientific circle during which we solved logical and mathematical puzzles.

2. Is this type of learning new things and solving problems friendly and efficient? Why?

Of course, this is one of the best ways to learn! Whenever a puzzle can be solved, a person has great satisfaction with the problem being solved. It gives not only satisfaction, but also motivation for further action and allows you to remember certain patterns of actions.

3. Did you come across any of his videos before?

No, I never came across his films, but I'll be happy to watch them! During the school classes, we watched many films of other artists based on a similar ideology.
I actually find this riddle very amusing. It took me about half of an hour to figure it out, but finally I did it. I think this type of learning, solving problems and exercising our minds is a great idea. It is friendly because you must think about mathematical problem in context of escaping prison which is kind of exciting in my opinion. Is it efficient? I don’t really know, but I know that it is pleasant way to keep your brain running at a high gear. Earlier I have never encountered his videos but in my free time I will be happy to watch more of them.
Nataliya Tkach said…
1. Were you able to solve the riddle?
I managed to solve the doors.

2. Is this type of learning new things and solving problems friendly and efficient? Why?
I really like this type of learning , it makes us think logically and not learn something.

3. Did you come across any of his videos before?
To be honest, I don't remember seeing that particular video of the jailbreak.
Peter Clemenza said…
1. Were you able to solve the riddle?
Not this time, quite complicated.

2. Is this type of learning new things and solving problems friendly and efficient? Why?
Learning is not about thinking about some tricky questions, but continuously process of studying

3. Did you come across any of his videos before?
No, I generally dont like riddles or puzzles.
1. Oh my god, so many rules. Can't solve this riddle, I gave up.

2. Sometimes yes, sometimes no. As we all know, we learn logic from an early age. Logic causes what we do in life. We make decisions based on logic. However, what too much is not healthy.

3. No, I don't think so.
I can see that many of us had same problem with wall of rules which made us confused etc. So yeah, couldn't solve it either. Yet i really like stuff like this. While i never seen his videos i've been watching some similar stuff on youtube. Also sometimes im trying to solve these "imposible" puzzles . Its great thing to make your brain work a little bit.
ExoKuzo said…
Unfortunately i knew the solution to this particular riddle from before.
I think riddles can make great tool for learning new creative ways to solve problems, as seen by our classes at PJATK where we have learning through riddles course.
I dont remember watching any of his videos before but it seems like i might actually enjoy them, will gladly check out the creator.
1.
Yes, it wasn't that hard.
2.
I don't enjoy logical puzzles. They take too much time and answer is very often unsatisfying.
3.
As I said, logical puzzles frustrates me so I rather stay away.
No, unfortunately, the answer from the video came in 3 seconds and i didn't even try to solve the riddle. Pretty interesting riddle i would say, i have never heard about this before. I like a lot any type of riddles, definitely, they help us to train our mind how to think out of the box. What's about learning new things, it can't be useless, because if we are not solving problems like that, we are staying on the one place and not moving forward - it is a bad sign. As i mentioned, i have never heard about this before, but i watch more after all.
Maciej Sadoś said…
1. Were you able to solve the riddle?

Unfortunately I didn’t come up with any idea to solve the riddle but I found it really engaging. The main problem for me was that I was trying to find some catch and I thought the solution will finally omit those fuses and lighter and concentrate on something else what we should have possibly seen in the background (like read the time from the sun or something like that 😊). But it occurred it was a fair game and an author sticks to the rules so for the next time I will certainly try to use only the mentioned rules.

2. Is this type of learning new things and solving problems friendly and efficient? Why?

I would say it is a brilliant approach to make our brains work. This type of learning requires an of-the-box thinking what has many advantages, for example it develops our creativity and helps to remember new things and learn them quicker in the future. Moreover, such a way of learning is also a challenge and fun what makes it more appealing and entertaining for us, so we do it more willingly.


3. Did you come across any of his videos before?
No, I didn’t, however I’m certainly going to check his videos in a spare time.
It is an old riddle, I managed to figure it out the first time I heard it.

I love the TED riddles series. At the end of each they include a Brilliant.com ads, which is a wonderful website if you want to train your brains. It appears at the end of Kurzgesagt videos, which are also often make an appearance in this course
1. yes.
2. yes. develops imagination and ingenuity
3. no, I did not know him
I couldn’t solve the trick – I’m awful in these type of riddles. Okay, I’m awful in every riddle that comes in my mind... It’s not efficient for me to learn new things via tricks and riddles. I quickly get frustrated with it, so it doesn’t have positive effects for me. But it can be really stimulating for someone’s mind and result with improvement in their thinking! Unfortunately, I’m not this kind of person... I’ve never seen videos made by this author.
Adam Nguyen said…
Yes, I was able to solve this riddle mostly due to the fact that I encountered a similar puzzle before.

In my opinion, yes. I found this riddle very amusing.

As I mentioned before, yes. I love watching those type of videos were the viewers are solving misters or puzzles.
Unfortunately, but I could not come up with this solution myself.

I believe that this type of learning is very simple, and at the same time requires a long thinking, which develops logical thinking. This type of learning can be good, but not for everyone. Some people prefer to read the information 50 times and remember it rather than understand it.

I have never come across the creator's films, although I have come across many other creators who present many different puzzles. I really like riddles and puzzles. For example, I play lots of nonogram and hashi lately.

Thanks for this puzzle film. I like this guy already.
I was not able to solve that riddle. For me, it's one of the best ways to learn new things because those riddles help u to break the mould and show you new approaches to solving problems. I didn't come across any of his videos but I like to watch that kind of films.
Bartosz Barnat said…
Oh so you knew about this riddle;) thats really cool. I agree with your thinking.
Bartosz Barnat said…
Thank you for your comment. I agree with you.
Bartosz Barnat said…
When you do the same thing over and over without rest everything is not healthy. Most important thing in life is to know when to stop and relax for a while.
Bartosz Barnat said…
I agree with you, and the rules were a little bit complicated, I mean he presented them as complicated.
Bartosz Barnat said…
Thank you for your comment.
Bartosz Barnat said…
I guess you are the first person here that said it was not that hard. About unsatisfying puzzles I think you just found the boring ones, but yea for some people it may be boring and unsatisfying.
Bartosz Barnat said…
Yea it was presented really quick so you might just miss to pause a video.
Bartosz Barnat said…
Thank you for your comment. I think this way of learning is good but only as a bonus and not main way of learning.
Bartosz Barnat said…
Thank you for your comment. I didn't know about brilliant.com I will check it out. It's good to boost your brain cells.
1. Ehh I couldn’t solve this riddle. Maybe because I didn’t need to escape from prison… who know
2. I think it’s good that people make this kind of learning movies. Even if you can’t solve this riddle there is always something to learn from this and acquire new experience, new ways of thinking. Maybe there will be a time when it helps you resolve your problem.
3.No I didn’t maybe in some games. But I saw some links to other similar videos at the end so maybe I will try some later.

Bartosz Barnat said…
Thank you for your comment.
Bartosz Barnat said…
To be honest I have hard time solving them too... that's why Its good to sometimes try do one or two of them to practice this type of skill.
Bartosz Barnat said…
Congrats :). Cool, I like to do them sometimes but its really hard for me.
Bartosz Barnat said…
It's nice that they solve it themselves after a while ;) because of that everyone will know the solution and won't be flustrated because of that.
s18716 said…
Yes, I managed to partially solve the riddle! Considering that I did not press the pause button, I think this is an excellent result. About the first thirty seconds, the answer appeared in my head almost instantly.
I used to meet his video on YouTube, I remember that there was a mystery about time travel, and it was very interesting, if you like this task, you can find it on the same channel.
Such puzzles can sometimes be solved at leisure, they help to get distracted and on the other hand it is a healthy food for the brain. In general, you need to develop critical and logical thinking, these are useful things.
Yana Lytvynenko said…
Unfortunately, I could not give the correct answer, but I really like the riddle that me help to use my brains. :)
The pursuit of self-development is one of the key qualities of a person. Training logical thinking, only one way to raise your intelligence to a higher level, along with reading books, attending various seminars and courses. One of the most interesting types of logical tasks is fascinating puzzles. After all, they not only make it possible to pass the time with interest, but also significantly develop an extraordinary thinking.
I have not heard about this channel on YouTube , but I solve similar riddle by finding them on the Internet.
Anton Medvediev said…
1. Were you able to solve the riddle?

No, unfortunately I wasn't able solve this riddle.
It was really interesting and I was trying to do my best,
but it was really hard.

2. Is this type of learning new things and solving problems friendly and
efficient? Why?

As for me this type of learning could be really efficient. First of all it lets
to learn some new words and phrases in different way that boring reading of
books or passing some uniteresting quizzes. That thing, that
solution also described in the end lets people to know did they guess the
correct answer or how close were they to him.
Also it could improve your logic,
thinking. If some group of people try to solve this riddle together it
could improve teamwork skills and cooperate all persons.

3. Did you come across any of his videos before?

No, that was the first one riddle that I discovered on TED, I liked it and it was really nice experience.
Illia Lukisha said…
1. Were you able to solve the riddle?
Unfortunately not, but I didn't try hard, I just was trying to use the most obvious solutions, I think if I spent more time on it I definitely could solve it.

2. Is this type of learning new things and solving problems friendly and efficient? Why?
For the answer is yes, I like puzzles that challenge mind and remind that you are not smartest person in the world, or maybe you are?

3. Did you come across any of his videos before?
I like ted puzzles, and I watched a lot of videos from those series.
1. Were you able to solve the riddle?
No, I figured the light at both ends part but didn’t jump to the 15 seconds solution.
2. Is this type of learning new things and solving problems friendly and efficient? Why?
Depends on the riddle. Here you have all kinds of factors like: can you even depend on yourself to light it instantly, do they burn the same if lit from the other side, etc. It has too much fluff obscuring the parameters of the riddle. Also the solution depends on a gimmick. I would not call it a true logic puzzle. Logic puzzles are useful because they teach, well, logic.
3. Did you come across any of his videos before?
I have seen and solved the 3 gods riddle before. Took some work with a pen and paper that one but I loved it.
1. Not in the given time, meybe if I had more time to solve it.
2. It's friendly and logical upon explanation but I'm not sure if it's very efficient- each person needs different amount of time to solve a problem and giving an answer doesn't help us with future riddles.
3. No I did not! They're pretty interesting.

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