Can you solve the prisoner hat riddle? - Alex Gendler

[@TEDEd]

Thanks for watching! If you want to try your hand at more brain-busting riddles, or learn about wacky creatures, hidden historical figures, the secrets of space, weird body questions you don’t want ask aloud (and so much more!) make sure to subscribe to our channel ➡️ bit.ly/TEDEdSubscribe Stay tuned and stay curious!

[@dylanhna]

Hmmm why would you make this comment like five years later?

[@blick80spxz]

why comment 5 years later 😬

[@trexnewsvideos]

Five years later lol

[@DoodleNoodle129]

TED-Ed is just irrational, don’t expect their situations to make much sense

[@yuni3124]

early hehehe

[@canadianrage5224]

Imagine actually coming up with this genius plan and spending the next 5 minutes carefully explaining it to everyone, just for the last person to screw up and cost everyone their lives.

[@asdfjkl981]

imagine coming up with this plan and while explaining it you recognize the 2 guys that waited on the exit side of the revolving door at the mall.

[@joycekelly5935]

Imagining everyone understanding the plan without starting a petty fight with someone for no reason

[@drawnwithlove3499]

I've been in enough group projects to know it at least takes 1 hour to decide who's the 'leader' of the group, another 2 hours to come up with a plan, and there'd at least 2 people who did not listen at all

[@ForMyDawg]

technically, if that happened, there would be a 50% chance of survival because the first guy had a 50% chance of saying his color.

[@samuelsoliday4381]

@Zwei Stern No, he's right. If the last guy messed up, then your survival would depend on whether or not the first guy got his hat correct.

[@rudrasatw1k]

"Now it all comes down to you, in the front of the line." *Curses genetics for making him short*

[@awesomesause4836]

No i be middel

[@Molowa369]

awesome sauce r/whoooosh

[@이예린-c1y]

im the shortest 145 at the age of 11

[@Emilia-tg4lt]

린제니 I’m 10 and I’m 146 LOL

[@이예린-c1y]

@@Emilia-tg4lt ye thats what i mean by ' im the shortest '

[@tanishqgupta5483]

I just love how Ted creates a backstory and then goes into detail to make it as logical as possible. E.g the universal translator app

[@pikazu2578]

Me too

[@simplefahrenheit4318]

Yeah it is so good 😊😊.

[@saikiscoffeejelly6808]

It's similar to infographics

[@juliuscesargalanote994]

Yes

[@phukhangdown]

Ahhhh, the alien's voice at 1:26 is so cute!

[@gabereese8645]

Realistically, the aliens would've also said that they aren't allowed to touch their hats, or otherwise remove them from theirs or each others' heads, to prevent them from just looking at their hats or switching them around.

[@leokan9860]

That doesn’t change anything at all

[@zekro_o]

Realistically this would never happen

[@randomdoggo9489]

But how would that effect anything

[@You-are-definitely-right-but]

@@randomdoggo9489You could simply look at your own hat and guess that color correctly, or swap your hat with somebody else’s without moving to look at them, and now you both have hats with colors that you know

[@monkiram]

This is the most ingenious riddle I have ever come across. It makes perfect sense, it's not confusing and the solution would clearly work, but I would never have figured it out, no matter how much I thought about it.

[@Parkourist]

+++++++

[@thevampirex7726]

if someone is going to kill you then you will be able to figure it out.

[@p4n1c1t3]

Except for the fact that it's not agaisnt the rules to take off your hat and look at it.

[@buzzlightyearpfp7641]

I have a easy answer. tell the tallest person to signal the second tallers persons hat color by, if the second tallest persons color was white, the tallest person would say white. and it goes all the way to shortest.

[@hatkinson9026]

Alex Qwertyuiop but you can only have 1 wrong guess so your strategy wouldn't work

[@anikabhardwaj1613]

Imagine everything is going as planned and the last person calculates his colour wrong and everyone dies

[@Thethor222]

i think it would be like no more than 5 ppl and they get eaten xD (even with showing this video )

[@shadowdsfire]

50% chance

[@vismaysriram2757]

@Racoon Gaming omg I laughed so hard at this 🤣🤣

[@VishnuPanick]

Lol

[@mr.sansman5341]

Actually you need at least nine, so one can fail

[@turtleshell8835]

honestly, if this plan was explained to me without any visuals within 5 minutes, i wouldn't even understand it 💀

[@veniceomamalin9916]

So ur that one dude that fudges it up

[@suella7505]

@@veniceomamalin9916 Me too

[@_sinco_clair_2301]

@@veniceomamalin9916 that's what usually happen when you pick 10 humans at random 🤣

[@mubashshirmalik2220]

You are not alone😔

[@V0XXEN]

Same

[@florianhovelmann2192]

This can be extended to any amount of colors. Let's say we have three colors red, green and blue. First we assign a value to each red=0, green=1, blue=2. The person starting to guess a color adds up the color values of each hat he sees and takes it modulo 3. For example for a lineup of (r,g,g,r,b,g) the sum would be 1+1+0+2+1=5%3=2, so he says blue. The next one does a similar calculation 1+0+2+1=4%3=1 and subtracts this from what the last person has said, leading to 2-1=1=green and so on. Interestingly, the riddle gets simpler if you use an infinite amount of colors. Again assigning values to them, and for simplicity just consider the values instead of colors. The person starting simply adds up all the values and says the corresponding color. Now the next person does the same and subtracts the result from what the last person said. So for a lineup of (12,2,43,29,1), the first one says 2+43+29+1=75, the second 75-(43+29+1)=2 and so on.

[@LordOfNothingreally]

If you tried to make me do math like that under that kind of stress I'd just tell the aliens to fucken eat me!

[@azrield1]

I'm not sure it's working, it's not enough to subtract the sum I see from what the last one said.. example: 0,1,2,1 - the first says 1+2+1=4%3=1. The second sees 2+1=3%3=0 so he says 1-0=1 (good), the next one sees 1 so he says 1-1=0 - wrong! I believe the correct solution is to set a bit: in the first turn it's what the first person says (i.e., (total sum)%3) and then on each turn, the bit is set to: (what the one before last said) minus (what the last person said) So in the above example, the first one says 1, the second has bit=1 and sees 0 so he says 1-0=1. the next one has bit=1-1=0, and sees 1 so he says (0-1)%3=2, the next person has bit (0-2)%3=1 and sees 0 so he says 1-0=1

[@kavithaelan]

How do we know red is not eight and purple is ten

[@nazeemaparker3779]

🎉😢😮

[@nazeemaparker3779]

I❤love you

[@kingmuddy5898]

"You have 5 minutes to discuss" Me: pull a out phone, shows video

[@Monkey-l8s]

King Muddy lol

[@az71003]

"lets google it"

[@AsifIqbal-qb5fs]

Just in case im gonna download this video

[@getoffmyhotspot]

@Ashley Playz Data, duh

[@yueshijoorya601]

@Ashley Playz Look at the reply immediately above yours.

[@dkssudgktpady]

only one serious problem of this riddle : everyone must understand your plan

[@eliasheinrich5617]

Well the alien says you have 5 minutes to discuss, so you and your friends can discuss and agree on that plan :)

[@june756]

That's why it's a test to see that the whole group is qualified or not.😂

[@sanae45]

@@eliasheinrich5617 so why won't the tallest person says all hats colours starting with the first guy?

[@joselopez7642]

Odd or Even Private Pyle!!!!

[@danieldavid3766]

@@sanae45 They literally said they weren't able to do that.

[@ishaangupta5936]

Unfortunately when you pick 10 humans at random there's gonna be a lot of idiots

[@criticalpanda6172]

*only idiots

[@gayathrimenon9357]

Hahahah

[@stevenhenry3743]

You don't need 10 Godzilla tried to play PICO PARK with 7 randoms but have stroke and fking died

[@dede4375]

So true, and I would be one of them : Even after hearing the explanation I know I wouldn't be able to pull it off, AND IT'S LITERALLY A VIDEO WITH DRAWING.

[@notesmaker204]

Wait till they picked up some karens.

[@j-ymoney5112]

“Quick, What do we do?!” “No idea…”

[@chenjiafan7464]

Me an intellectual: *takes off my hat and looks because it’s not against the rules*

[@mike0461]

stole a top comment but add a meme niiiice

[@chenjiafan7464]

Heh Heh it’s a top comment? Didn’t see it.

[@Charlie-tw3ef]

Stop trying to cover it up

[@HanhNguyen-ml5jy]

it right dude

[@sonya1157]

CA Drawing///no joke I didn’t see it either not everyone sees the same top comment...

[@thefiresnakevenom]

"Can you think of a strategy guaranteed to save everyone?" "No, no, I can't."

[@limingshang7877]

Me: Ozo

[@mercury9641]

@@limingshang7877 underrated

[@nicohakobyankinnie]

Ulu

[@notoriusbookworm48]

"No, no I don't think I will."

[@Mrg33446]

everybody guess their hat, its the only way that we save everybody, but not worth it

[@firebird5570]

"...Unfortunately, they're not sure you qualify." *ROASTED*

[@TheRagscode3]

Seeing how this society is, I understand

[@christianali5431]

Fire Bird we let the media tell us that the world is going to end for no other reason than the fact that Donald Trump become president. That’s how “intelligent“ humans are.

[@CheeseTheWhistle]

*airhorns*

[@CheeseTheWhistle]

@@christianali5431 the same president who told us to inject disinfectants and cleaners into our bloodstream

[@TheBigGuyBillyBob]

Adisson Anderson is legitimately one of my favorite people on earth. His voice is the one all of my positive thoughts are set in.

[@yellowstarproductions6743]

Agreed

[@lei916]

If only humans were this good at understanding plans

[@mydogsfacelookslikeastockp8275]

Try to explain plans without screaming, it works wonders

[@semonerobinson8903]

Only with intelligent people.

[@ChroniclesOfArt]

@@nicaangelierugas2828 I want to know how,,

[@TurkishKS]

Even if one person in the group could figure this out, imagine trying to explain this strategy to 9 other average humans in 5 minutes.

[@sukhvinderbura1572]

That's what I thought 😂😂😂😂

[@jasonbig1353]

But I immediately understand within seconds.

[@davidwestin6345]

@@jasonbig1353🤓

[@ninelife08]

You can explain this in 30 seconds. Its easily understood.

[@NylonEpoxy]

you trusting society tho? there are lots on incompetent people out there.@@ninelife08

[@JamesThompson-zu3bq]

0:48 Silly aliens, why would they turn the humans to ash if they misbehave, it means no more lunch. Who’s highly logical now?

[@Star-nl5id]

james thompson. They may only eat ash

[@thaibinhnguyen3487]

this not ash.this is grilled meat balls haha

[@JamesThompson-zu3bq]

Nolan Chojnacki, 1:19 they have a knife and fork, doubt that’s good for eating ash

[@JD-iv9ol]

@@JamesThompson-zu3bq its not a fork its a quad spoon

[@helenvistan3331]

james thompson well, they still aren’t sure if humans are highly logical.

[@udaypatel9596]

One of the best riddles I have ever seen, Thank you Ted-Ed. Please bring some more videos.

[@gaygremlin2882]

Everyone: **uses the logic and remembers and gets their color right* that one person: purple, haha get it **everyone gets eaten**

[@icardian]

Dan the Intellectual 1:09

[@keirafay4969]

Hedwig HEDWIG OMG YOU’RE ALIVE

[@mightyslime4120]

Six six six likes

[@brownfamily1892]

ATLEAST NINE CORRECT, remember?

[@blueberrysponge42]

Bohbo still, there’s a 50% chance that the first person was wrong.

[@bub3124]

blind person: *exists* the nine other prisoners: yeah we're screwed

[@nagapro3693]

Not really.. Keep the blind person in the front. since he doesnt have to see or count the odd even thingy.. He just have to say the color of his hat without doing the math. The rest 9 people still could see... so???

[@maicoljaviercabreravasquez1554]

@@nagapro3693 But by the rules, the other nine have to be lucky enough the blind person is the shortest of all.

[@TheFinalMB]

@@maicoljaviercabreravasquez1554 Nothing saying you can’t modify the height of members of your party before it starts. Sacrifice 1 persons legs to save everyone.

[@coolperson8272]

@@TheFinalMB I mean, you’re not wrong

[@sravanthch2879]

@@TheFinalMB uff harsh but that's the best lol

[@upanital]

"They're not sure if you qualify." O u c h -

[@bwaf7310]

Thb they probably saw a Karen yelling at a bird

[@vixi6277]

@@bwaf7310 lmao

[@CheeseTheWhistle]

I'm not even sure if we qualify! And I'm a human!

[@ChrisHinners008]

Me: bro is that a challenge?

[@ChrisHinners008]

You just insulted my entire race of people BUT YES

[@Opposition2]

We did this in special ed class a while ago, and it was quite a traumatizing experience, as my classmates didnt explain it to me and I kept failing everytime, so I went crying in the corner

[@economicapple2609]

yowch

[@JujuBennie]

yeowch D:

[@anonymousanonymous1338]

Alternate strategy: Take off your hat and look. It's still allowed via the rules given

[@itsonlydanteluv]

thats what i said

[@asdfjkl981]

You were not supposed to do that! meme

[@6timesbabyyy996]

Big brains See it's guys like the guy making the video that would get everyone killed trying to be clever. Always exploit the rules

[@shellrockguy9761]

Huge head, big brain, thicc thinker

[@hhgetz]

bill cipher you are smart. i await your return

[@themoland5981]

3:08 she looked behind her, EAT HER!!!

[@someone-bn7lx]

The Moland snitchhhh

[@bugfairy]

SHUSH

[@kaitlyncarroll8320]

shush

[@papismalllegs8473]

FEASSTTTT

[@kyraancone1014]

NOM NOM NOM

[@PaintToSample]

"It all comes down to you" Me: wHiTe

[@zahranikpour3886]

If I was ever in that scenario, that would happen

[@Niiue]

ummm- *gets erased*

[@saymeownow3838]

@Crewmate Zack Mobile What do you MEAN proof? IT'S A JOKE

[@saymeownow3838]

@Crewmate Zack Mobile I guess that makes sense, you are a crewmate. Got medbay scan to prove it tho?

[@saymeownow3838]

@Crewmate Zack Mobile ok good

[@ChanwooPark-me1wc]

이런 수수께끼들은 항상 다양한 관점에서 생각해 보아야 풀리는 것 같습니다. 정말 생각지도 못한 해답이었네요. 가끔씩 이런 문제들을 풀면 지루한 일상에서 벗어나는 기분이 듭니다. 앞으로도 이런 영상 많이 기대하겠습니다!

[@macalisteryoung8830]

for the people who don't know he said "These riddles always seem to be solved by thinking from different perspectives. That was a really unexpected answer. Sometimes solving riddles like these makes you feel like escaping from boring life. I look forward to more videos like this in the future!"

[@coolestcars1983]

@@macalisteryoung8830thx

[@cubefromblender]

No

[@lorenselvaraj963]

​@@macalisteryoung8830 There's an option to see translation😂

[@Handles_suck444]

👍

[@DanielLee-dw6gq]

I don’t think anyone noticed but Ted thinks we are short.

[@kurootetsurou1038]

Me , a 4'8 : *nervously sweating*

[@happynightmares4688]

@@kurootetsurou1038 1'8 dead

[@ベーコンÊ]

@@kurootetsurou1038 how tf you get that small bro 😐

[@elixeiichan6408]

@@kurootetsurou1038 Kuroo you're like taller than tsukki and tsukki is taller than 6 ft 😳

[@kurootetsurou1038]

@@ベーコンÊ blame my genes 🤝 i am a cis girl btw

[@zapptor8807]

3:07 She hasn't been killed for looking behind

[@Jaojao_puzzlesolver]

Well, it was a supposed situation in discuss lol

[@nikhilvasanth6236]

She did no look.She listened

[@mammothmoth8967]

@@nikhilvasanth6236 she moved her eyes

[@guilhermesantana8957]

I think she just saw a fly, so the aliens didn't care

[@cobcorn8749]

@@mammothmoth8967 Yeah her cartoon head allowed her cartoon eyes to move to the side of her cartoon head to look behind her without having to move her cartoon head

[@UnorthodoxSoundwave.]

Then someone is sick and coughs and the aliens assume it's signaling and everyone dies. Edit: I've gotten 15 replies about Corona already, y'all ain't original.

[@namjoonstiddies1373]

LOL

[@ipotatosenpai7002]

@@namjoonstiddies1373 army??? Wait WTF no your username O_O

[@CreatureCal]

Maybe the aliens don’t want to eat sick people to prevent infection.

[@kokorondeficit]

666th like :3

[@redactedgamer1975]

Hahahahahahahahhahahahahahhahahaha No only that one guy coughed

[@lucy-rd7re]

my comp-sci teacher used to give us this problem when we started the logic module. it takes surprisingly long for a group of 12 year olds to figure out a solution for this.

[@amamapapsneo5635]

I never found the answer to this riddle by myself lmao, not even when I was 12

[@jakeadler1149]

Teachers would win cause they have eyes in the back of their head

[@altagraciacarly6646]

@Jake Adler This comment is golden

[@wyvrn1315]

Underrated comment

[@lysosome4684]

Epic comment. 😂

[@sakshamsinghal5418]

But technically you have to know what colour your hat is not the ppl behind you

[@pleaseiamjustadorito4955]

smart

[@jRob15]

There’s absolutely no way a group of random people would accomplish this even if you explained the strategy

[@mrinalkrgupta8177]

when the question is of life and death, random people be "a friend from another land"

[@ThyCandyRuler]

It a riddle😂

[@jasperdeboer3257]

Yeah the second guy fucks up and everyone dies

[@UnknownString123]

Depends where these people were taken from

[@adamlimalia]

Muslims could

[@medicmist]

Plot twist: Everyone is from a different part of the world and doesent speak the same language and we die since we cant understand each other

[@hookedonphones1681]

1st in Line: “Blanca” Me: Okay I didn’t know Blanca was in our line but that doesn’t tell me the color

[@meowkitten1656]

Lol

[@nitishasharma9884]

@Mystic mist2 they can use the universal translator app😉 plot hole in the plot twist

[@falcon-vx3cc]

@@Bello_jello They had 5 minutes to discuss and come up with a plan

[@falcon-vx3cc]

@@Bello_jello There was no line then and they could have said anything and used the app

[@StarsShatteredBeyond]

“But their civilisation forbids eating highly logical and cooperative beings” That does not describe humanity at all 💀

[@avivastudios2311]

😂 True. We're very emotional.

[@raphaelchan7574]

That's so true, my skibidi sigma ohio grimace shake poggers mewing gyatt rizzler dude

[@thecoolcongle5128]

To be fair, they weren't sure

[@thelandongang3444]

@@raphaelchan7574speaking of that i hate you

[@Idolbottle]

Why am I subconsciously thinking this is at any point in my life gonna be a useful strategy? Like im gonna be in a saw movie at some point or something

[@thdude1873]

Exactly

[@bluemonk9480]

This specific scenario might not be useful, but I believe this sort of thinking is quite useful in discrete mathematics and programming problems. Minimising the amount of information it takes to solve a problem is super useful for optimising machine run times. You'd be surprised

[@multiverseman4017]

Saw 10: Aliens (Crossover)

[@hshsnshhs7382]

Well atleast now your covered.

[@xakirax_8864]

Lmao this is the way I think too

[@MalcolmCooks]

"our society forbids eating logical and co-operative creatures, but if you try to communicate with each other the colour of your hats, thus proving you are logical and co-operative, we will eat you" makes sense

[@majesthijmenii1976]

Won't* eat you

[@dagnytheartist]

@@majesthijmenii1976 No, they will eat you, because they said that the rules were you're not allowed to use any phonetics code or make noises to indicate what color other people's hats are.

[@PtylerBeats]

@@dagnytheartist that’s what I was thinking from the very beginning. I thought the entire point was that we couldn’t relay information. So if they watched the planning happen, they would know what the first guess means, and the humans would lose the puzzle.

[@camille8010]

don't argue alien logic, they'll eat you XD

[@bradturuma7886]

@MalcolmCooks they had 5 minutes to discuss of a plan before starting the riddle lol

[@TylerLawson52]

“You at the front of the line” Yo forget the puzzle is he calling me short!???!!

[@mathguy37]

He's calling one of the yous in a puzzle universe in this multiverse or a different one short

[@fictionfan0]

Are you, though?

[@its_nifler]

This is probably one of my all time favorite Ted Ed riddles!

[@NoConsequenc3]

The aliens never said I couldn't take my hat off and look at it. Seems FAR easier than the explanation given in the video ;)

[@puritech1609]

+Pseudo Lain But they have to demonstrate that they are highly logical and co-operative to not be eaten lol The point is to not get eaten by aliens not find loopholes in their rules :p

[@NoConsequenc3]

Puri Tech Nah man, they said I needed to pass the test to prove I was highly logical and co-operative. They didn't say I had to solve the test USING those characteristics.

[@puritech1609]

Pseudo Lain Tell that to the hungry aliens hahah

[@cittrangenericlastname8616]

+Pseudo Lain It really is. And that works for *any* color hat.

[@diana_jester]

+Pseudo Lain Yes, very

[@woodfur00]

Highly logical and cooperative, huh? Can anyone see this actually working out?

[@MegaFPVFlyer]

+RequiemInnocence (レクイエムイノセンス) Was that irony intentional?

[@starblaze5813]

+RequiemInnocence (レクイエムイノセンス) Well when people kind of want to stay alive and not get eaten....

[@EternityGray]

+Nieve Andrea darn, you're making my game far too easy

[@starblaze5813]

Nieve Andrea Aliens can be advanced and still want to eat dead flesh....? We're mildly advanced and we still eat dead flesh.

[@EternityGray]

Star Blaze I wonder if she'd prefer living flesh.

[@miauwey]

this would work in theory, but of course there would be one or two people who aren't quite as bright as the rest of the group who would get confused and answer incorrectly

[@matteobravo2149]

squidkid true

[@TriggerHappyThoughts]

Do you know Splatoon?

[@IVUSER]

Lol such a relevant question

This is not necessarily true. Not all people need to reach the answer, just one and this one explains to the others. The thing is how 10 people would organize themselves to get to the answer in 5 minutes. I think 5 minutes is not that long when your life is in risk. These alians are mean. Haha.

[@mayrahernandez9372]

João Paulo Souza Soares pi

[@RavinStrange]

There are for sure several ways to get this correct

[@lakshya4876]

No

[@Edward-pq6bt]

The easiest way is just to remove your hat then look at what color it is since there is no rules that you can't remove it

[@MrCriticalSix]

My Answer, before the answer is shown is that the person in the back (who guesses first) takes a while to give his answer if the person in front of him has a black hat. If the hat is white, he says his answer quickly. The next person down the line then knows if his hat is black or white, (lets say its white). So now he will take a while to give his answer, still saying (white) if the person in front of him is wearing a black hat, or quickly if he is wearing a white hat.

[@MrCriticalSix]

Welp the answer works too... i guess mine was a bit more simple.

[@ThunderK01]

Nope, it says you can't use vocal systems to win or else you're all eaten....

[@MrCriticalSix]

+Roy is a weirdo that's like saying time is of no essence here. Everyone will speak their choice at a different rate, give the code enough time to buffer for someone to choose their choice and it should be no problem. everyone will know their answer quickly and it takes less brain work to do this, so this should be less of an issue than the counting the hats method.

[@gigimunky2062]

Pretty good idea

[@Obbliteration]

I thought of the same thing too

[@chiliandcornbread09]

I figured out a different strategy and it only took me about a minute, kind of hard to explain and the execution would be a bit tricky but the first person would say the color of the next persons hat. The second person would either repeat that color immediately or wait 20 seconds and then say that color depending on the color of the third persons hat. If the third persons hat was the same color he would repeat it immediately, if it was a different color he would wait twenty seconds to signify that the next persons hat was a different color, and so on.

[@csiebertarq]

that's brilliant!!!

[@gmail7894]

Brilliant

[@williamferguson8543]

That’s exactly what I came up with when I paused the video. Don’t think this breaks any of the rules. Glad I looked for a similar comment :)

[@hannalowercase5928]

@RedDemoon but the solution given in the video is an indication

[@chiliandcornbread09]

@RedDemoon if ANY type of indication wasn’t allowed it would be impossible. The truck is to find an indicator that doesn’t seem like it’s an indicator. Waiting a bit before speaking could just be chalked up to nerves or thinking about your answer

[@khwezimagwaza5507]

Anybody come back here every year or so just to remind themselves of the solution... Just in case?

[@narindersinghbobby6755]

Me

[@tay4evs]

Y E S

[@willowsparks8965]

JUST IN CASE I GET ABDUCTED

[@normanyyy2253]

ayyy same

[@hourofberries]

Ofc, you never know when you might get kidnapped by aliens and forced to stand in a line with hats and guess what color it is

[@tonyrobinson9046]

I saw the solution immediately because I am aware of what computer scientists called a parity bit. It was a way of reducing errors caused by computer hardware. Say you have 8 bits (1s or 0s) to read. The hardware (such as a tape machine) would read the bits and then software would see if the total was even or odd. It would then compare that to a parity bit which had been set based on the correct answer. If the parity bit and the software calculated odd or even were not the same, then it would know there was a reading error.

[@alexb.7448]

2:46 That 1 guy that flips u off

[@drippyfresh9471]

omg lOL

[@tanline6662]

Uh, Pin? Wrong finger.

[@loganhartzell2839]

😂 lol 😂 lol 😂

[@cyberhexreal]

@@tanline6662bfdi reference yayayayayayayay

[@ivanabrodarabramovic5564]

@@tanline6662 Oops Haha... B F D I

[@findafishgaming3650]

Step 1: confirm you have green eyes. Step 2: ask the aliens to leave

[@latipahmowlani7795]

Nice reference

[@MisterBrick42]

....😶

[@mepnet]

I get it

[@yes-fc5lg]

I love that riddle!!

[@reiniar]

Haha good job! Nice reference!

[@UberMegustador]

Before finding the answer: " Omg! this is impossible! " After finding the answer: "Omg! It was so easy! i am so stupeed!"

[@ProdbyHuskije]

You're gonna be eaten

[@NecrisPC]

+Uber Megustador Si aici te vad :)) ? Still doesn't sound easy to me. :D

[@juanfelipemartinez4268]

Is not correct just saying the color of the hat of the person in front you and the memorize all?

[@NecrisPC]

Juan Felipe Martínez No because you have to say the color of your own hat corectly and that may differ from the one in front of you.

[@MarkLucasProductions]

+Juan Felipe Martínez What? !!

[@TheCrazyOne2]

I’ve gotta say, watching these videos is super relaxing, even just listening to it in the background, your voice is super calming. Thanks for these TedEd

[@pauledwards2052]

For the guy in back to see anyone's hat other than the person in front of them, the height difference would have to be massive... all the way down the line. Like it would need to be almost straight down slope from back guy to front guy.

[@CheeseTheWhistle]

Nah man, I got it... the 10 feet tall guy is in the back and then just minus a foot for every person next in line

[@decomeout]

I was thinking the same thing - so I'll pretend that's the reason I didn't manage to solve the riddle ;)

[@aviatrix6411]

They could get put on a stand of some sort, so the one at the back is guaranteed to be the tallest by a large margin.

[@koga-roblox2280]

the rules is that u can step out of the line but moving ur head to the side to see from that angel is possible

[@marwaasad1889]

Yea you're being logical, the aliens can't eat you

[@tracyxu2544]

I'm the short one who forgets the plan and kills everyone.

[@lei916]

Tracy Xu same

[@carealoo744]

Well, there's still the chance, the guy at the back will, by pure chance, guess his own color correctly, thus allowing you to have 1 wrong answer.

[@thebluegaming7706]

Hehehehe

[@sonicmastersword8080]

carealoo744 Unless you are the last one and the first one gets it right, you will convey the wrong information and thus cause everyone to guess wrong.

[@carealoo744]

No, I meant if you were the only one who wasn't listening. The one at the back, would still give the right information, and may, by a 50% chance, guess his own hat color right, while doing so, thus fulfilling the required: 'At least 9 getting it right.'

[@BamassacreGaming]

Prisoner 10 sees no hats, so he answers blue. Everyone died. Don’t be prisoner 10.

[@Tree.tongtong]

What?

[@Ro_Gaming]

What?

[@fabo.5040]

What?

[@nazmmetin1862]

Prisoner 10 seems sus

[@joycekelly5935]

And if you are prisoner 10 just grow taller to become prisoner 9 it's just that simple

[@cemrenurdemir3882]

I thought about it like 2 whole hours and finally ( with a little help from my dad) i solved it. It was a great exercise for my brain, thank you!

[@AEONNN]

Can they keep the hats now??

[@c.i.a5101]

@Jabez Luo wtf😂😂

[@loganhartzell2839]

Maybe......

[@JustThatRandomTroll]

Thanks TED-Ed, I now know what to do when I have to prove my logic to human-eating aliens! :D

[@someguy7869]

+Demoman I'll notafiy your next of kin, that your smart!!! lel

[@AmateurAsh94]

+Ronnie “Madolite” Solbakken Um don't think that would be a problem. The narrator claims the solution works for any combination of hats. As far as I'm aware, it's consistent across the board. Please explain.

[@FireCalvinMaster]

+Demoman Never mind, that. The aliens just went for a beer run. I mean, huddah huddah and all that pyro stuff. I'm not a robot.

[@BasilOmoriFan]

WE ARE IN THE BEAM

[@Tiguiso]

+Demoman we are in the beam

[@kingglobby4179]

Any random sample of humans would have at least one person who fudged it up.

[@joycekelly5935]

And at least one person who has no idea what's happening and just wants to be eaten cause they know they won't survive

[@kingglobby4179]

@@joycekelly5935 or wants to be eaten because they're into that (and I assure you, if it exists, someone's into it)

[@jessicaandtrains7768]

Knowing people, you'd be lucky if you weren't the only person who understood the plan...

[@joycekelly5935]

@@jessicaandtrains7768 You'd be lucky to have guessed the colors correct based on a 50/50 chance and EXTREMELY lucky to have at least one person understand the plan

[@GodWokeMeUp]

People would die no matter what because there's always someone who just doesn't get it. Anyone who's ever tried to explain simple directions to more than a few people understands the frustration. 😂 I would try to reason with the Aliens first and say, "Look I have this awesome idea....but can I have a couple of practice rounds first so that I can thoroughly explain this and make sure everyone gets it? Or you can just eat me to put me out of my misery and just let everyone else go." 🤷🏽‍♀️😂

[@daborshy4089]

That's really clever. Too bad you'd never be able to get 9 average humans to understand the strategy in under 5 minutes.

[@daborshy4089]

What comments are you talking about? Most people who figured it out probably paused it to think about it for a while, so it took more than 5 minutes. And if 9 people out of 8 million viewers instantly grasped the solution, that doesn't mean it would be realistic for a random group of 9 people to figure it out (worse odds than winning the lottery). Not to mention, a handful of people out of 8 million would be above average by definition.

[@vhs3760]

nah they don't all have to figure it out for themselves, it just has to be explained to them...like how it has been explained to us, in this five minute video :)

[@kkat069]

XD

[@kkat069]

well it took him 4 to do this so i am a pretty average person,... im not smart.... but i got it so i think it would work

[@passer2by]

That takes a really good lecturer, a marker pen, and a white board.

[@MilesEdgeworth129]

Five minutes? Okay, here's the plan; there's ten of us, and three of them. We'll each go into three groups, and then when they get back, we attack them, steal their forcefield gun, and force them to let us go!

[@arcus23424]

lmao

[@yeastyyeasty2168]

U dont force them u forcefield them HHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

[@jessel4397]

You think that you could safely land that spacecraft? Ha!

[@abdal.m4029]

The good old human way

[@jukimoto247]

what if they got guns and a phone to distract them from a selfie

[@qulmon32414]

in a life or death situation (irl) those 10 would be dead

[@qulmon32414]

BRUH

[@Parkourist]

G FUCKING G

[@__0a]

I understood it after watching it twice. It was very refreshing when I understood it.

[@lundshurk]

Thank god this exists, I only have 5 minutes to come up with a plan

[@Zedonk-yc1cu]

Been abducted by aliens have you? XD

[@sonson5486]

Bruh I did it when I got abducted too but they forgot the hats back at planet zorbog so they just asked us what the powerhouse of the cell is 🤦‍♀️

[@Zedonk-yc1cu]

Wow, that doesn't sound like a very good question to test someone's logical abilities.

[@mathguy37]

Same bro fortunately I got a good seed so I got people from Singapore who understand it

[@sninctbur3726]

Do the aliens have good wi-fi

[@justsometea7708]

but... theres always that one guy who doesnt get the rules.. we're screwed

[@aditis.1539]

Such an underrated comment 👀

[@themasterprocrastinator4933]

I feel like I'm gonna be that one guy considering I lack even common sense, soooooo I guess I'll just have to avoid aliens as much as possible

[@sophieaugustine3884]

same that’d be me im sorry

[@rainboi5920]

@Paul Marshall Moooo

[@zynyie]

that's my sister.

[@MCbadass7]

I think in a real scenario like this, there'd be people that just refuse to cooperate. Rather than talk logically, there'd be a frenzy of crying, arguing, or just people refusing to play along because of stubbornness, and "why does this have to happen to me?" kind of thinking. There's no selflessness, nor calmness, nor logic in the average person's way of thinking. Likely, they'd all die because the actual smart people in the group who would have thought of a solution would actually be too busy trying to calm the people freaking out, and trying to get the stubborn, defensive people to cooperate. And so everyone would die. This is why I'd rather take my chances in a single-person challenge than have to deal with other people in a scenario like this.

[@MCbadass7]

+SirSaxamaphone Not saying this isn't a neat puzzle. I enjoyed this. I'm just saying it's more likely to be paired with non-cooperative morons who refuse to understand and choose to panic, than actual logical thinkers.

[@NickRoman]

+SirSaxamaphone well sure, it said that at least 9 people have to get the correct answer. The more people who have to cooperate and get the right answer, the worse the situation is. What if they said that only 1 person has to get it right? Then of course you'd want as many people as possible. So, it depends on what kind of question is being asked or what the challenge is. But you're right that people would sometimes rather be stubborn and destroy all life rather than cooperate. That might be what happens in real life eventually.

[@someaccount3438]

+SirSaxamaphone Agreed.

[@GenericInternetter]

+SirSaxamaphone you just described exactly what i think of the human race

[@tyraelarchangel183]

+betatalk357 When he said single person challenge, i don't think he specifically meant this one. Obviously this is a biased challenge in the way that it CAN be logically won with 2 or more people (assuming you still get 1 chance to be wrong about a hat color like in the video). Obviously if they asked just one person to guess the color of their hat it literally would be a guess, with no prior information, or ability to deduce the color via logic. The main point SirSaxamaphone was trying to make is the fact that this situation wouldn't even happen, because once the 5 minute timer started ticking half of the randomly selected people would be freaking out. Crying about why they're here, why me, etc. Ever watched the SAW movies? It would basically be like that. And if even ONE person cannot follow this logic to make the plan work, you're all eaten (unless they get a lucky guess). Even worse if the tallest is one freaking out since the entirety of every ones guesses hinge on that information.

[@DrGiggleTouch67]

Tell the aliens they have green eyes, this will give you more more time to escape without them looking.

[@ForcesofRandomness]

Omg lol

[@Echoes_act_3378]

LOL

[@plumpt]

if the aliens dont know english then why is the translator app written in english?

[@sri7569]

Because we don't speak alien language

[@pocketjoy2319]

It’s just used for example, this is just a video it doesn’t have to be logical

[@auraskadante6273]

@@pocketjoy2319 ikr people are just arguing to the smallest things that dosent even matter. I personally think they just want to hate them lol

[@pocketjoy2319]

dante whooo Ya

[@kingcobra7183]

It works like the translator on hitchhikers guide to the galaxy

[@firestar1230]

3:09 looked behind her. Chow time

[@aanounymouss]

This is relying on the fact that you aren't captured with a bunch of fools. Like me.

[@Sw4gr1]

i don’t know why but when I watched this video as a kid it made me have trouble sleeping

[@DukeofBlasphemy]

Here's a far easier solution: we agree that if you speak immediately, the hat in front is black. If you wait ten seconds or so before giving your answer, the hat in front is white. The first person will still have a fifty percent chance of getting their colour wrong, but that's allowed anyhow. If he immediately says black or white, the hat in front is black, and if he waits, it's white. According to the time the first person took to answer, the second person now knows the colour of their hat, and will do the same trick for the next person, either answering immediately or waiting depending on the colour.

[@Lockon52]

Still signaling.

[@Tkdboy-gk1wk]

No signaling

[@aalphagamingaa4853]

If this is signaling then what they did in the video is signaling. That idea would work actaully

[@Lockon52]

It's not how the way you say black or white but the meaning in which one you say. That's the point of the video.

[@durdleduc8520]

I think these intelligent aliens would soon pick up on this strategy.

[@anepicflyingbrick_4872]

I wanna see the cows try and complete this test

[@youtubeidiot6682]

They'd do better

[@Tatusiek_1]

KZbin Idiot they'd do better at feeding the aliens

[@matthewgoodman7588]

Moo

[@graceding3516]

Search up: Aliens eating beef. That's basically it.

[@Jamie31166]

Moo

[@hulohyou8536]

How am I supposed to get 9 guys to listen to me, especially being about as big as a dwarf?

[@starsiaeve4649]

Then you would be at the front not the back

[@jsbaldo5556]

@@starsiaeve4649 I think he means 'How would I get everyone to listen to my plan'

[@Amit_Pirate]

Become a garden gnome

[@allistairhock9825]

You won’t have to have them listen. Just listen yourself.

[@Unknown-nj5yp]

Nobody said I can't take off the hat and look..

[@eliscips8833]

Him * extremely smart and advanced answer * me: hmm maybe they can breathe hard on each other's necks they could make some kind of code

[@oliviagentile353]

I was thinking kick the person in front of them if they have a white hat :D

[@classical.musicbox]

@@oliviagentile353 NOOOOOOOO 😂

[@ayodiogo]

LOLLLLLLL

[@no-rr3hx]

@@oliviagentile353 same lmao

[@starsiaeve4649]

@@oliviagentile353 that is a movement. The group is now dinner.

[@nieveangeletti1271]

>"We can't eat cooperative species" >"Also, if you cooperate here, we'll eat you."

[@denzilbrowder5509]

was looking for this comment, my exact issue with the scenario, they cant eat cooperative beings but put you into a 'test' that outright forbids cooperation once started...

[@alexzander7629]

@@denzilbrowder5509 Well not really. In the planning phase you need to come up with this plan, agree to it, everyone needs to understand it and be capable of executing it. The cooperation comes from the planning more than the actual test.

[@nkwhite]

@@alexzander7629 Yeah, no; they're right. Cooperation is cooperation in whatever form. The scenario of "which type of cooperation counts" is convoluted nonsense, making their edict against who they will and won't eat just silly.

[@nathanschmitz2302]

That also makes me think of something else, why couldn't the aliens try and talk with people with the translator? They wouldn't need the arbitrary test and would get food from us they may like. These aliens are not very co-operative.

[@SeventhSolar]

They didn't say cooperative, they said cooperative and logical. Clearly, the average human does not meet their minimum standards for intelligence, based on this goddamn riddle.

[@maninthebox0]

The person in the back says the color hat of the person right in front of them. If that color also matches the color of the hat in front of the next person the person repeats the color right away to signal to the next person that their hat is the same color, if it's different the person waits a few seconds before saying their color to let the person know in front of them know to choose the other color. No verbal cues exchanged.

[@ItsNotFilia]

+maninthebox0 Timing your answer is a form of prohibited signalling, as well. The point of the exercise is to figure out the colour of your hat based solely on what you see in front of you and what the answers prior to yours were.

[@frostcrackle2374]

+ItsNotFilia You honestly think they'd spot if we're signaling based on the time it takes us to guess?

[@ItsNotFilia]

けつを食べる Well, they're right next to you, hearing all your plans. Never underestimate green, fat, hungry aliens.

[@eddyschilling]

+ItsNotFilia No it just said you couldnt say words other than black or white or signal in any other way. But you can still use your words as a way of signaling.

[@ItsNotFilia]

***** You can't soundly exclude the idea that timing may also constitute a form of prohibited signalling (e.g. Morse code, which this would be a simplification of). My impression is that failure to recognize timing as a potential means of signaling amounts not to thinking outside the box, but to ignorance and ultimately a free lunch to green, fat aliens the world over.

[@Lvkslay]

This channel was my childhood...

[@agnieszkamariafanart2947]

I thouggt way easier... The longest pwrson says the color of the next guy.... so the next one knows the right answer.. but if the next guy has a white hat... he must wait 5 seconds before saying his own color. Otherwise (if blacj) say it in a instant.

[@mitesh_patel]

This is a solid way to get it right all the time as well! Good use of creativity!

[@snekers2038]

Brilliant :)

[@ahsuna5109]

I don't think anyone will actually wait 5 secs. And its very confusing.

[@matthewdfreake]

Greet spdllnf mycw

[@flusel4949]

Had the same idea! :D

[@444fame_]

How to solve the riddle: *_step 1_* : confirm you have green eyes *_step 2_* : ask the alien to leave

[@meggamiauw4266]

Ooh, from the other riddle!

[@aarushkalra2892]

C'mon unoriginal

[@444fame_]

Aarush Kalra c’mon I thought they were still funny! Idek lol

[@gwendolynrice4271]

If you didnt see the video yet, heres the link:kzbin.info/www/bejne/pXnKZoaAjrd7d5I

[@akisa7865]

Step 3: get thrown into the volcano Step 4:???? Step 5: PROFIT!

[@magicfairycome]

I don't think I could get my dumbass friends to do this correctly lmao.

[@Ba12a198]

EggSensei You just have to take off your hat, it's not against the rules if you stay facing forward in line

[@MitchBurns]

I agree. Although the strategy is sound, it is pretty unlikely that the people wouldn't screw it up.

[@reallyann0yingdin0saur65]

lol same

[@moop.3549]

gahaahah yes same

[@cj1101]

EggSensei same

[@Fred-yq3fs]

Pretty easy when you've studied computer science, information theory and math. Quite hard for anybody else. The gist of it is to make the bits move one step to the left. It's a simple case of LFSR (Linear-feedback shift register). So here: Each person only has to say XOR of what the others said and what he can see ahead. It's easy to prove it works by using a reasoning by induction. --------- Example for 5 persons: 01234 x1010 person 0 says: XOR(1, 0, 1, 0) = 0 = x0 person 1 says: XOR(x0, x2, x3, x4) = XOR(0, 0, 1, 0) = 1 person 2 says: XOR(x0, x1, x3, x4) = XOR(0, 1, 1, 0) = 0 person 3 says: XOR(x0, x1, x2, x4) = XOR(0, 1, 0, 0) = 1 person 4 says: XOR(x0, x1, x2, x3) = XOR(0, 1, 0, 1) = 0

[@weesalikesmilktea4829]

"Now it all comes down to you at the front of the line." HOW DARE YOU CALL ME SHORT ON A SEPARATE NOTE HOW DID YOU KNOW I WAS SHORT

[@CheeseTheWhistle]

Cameras... they're everywhere... even in your house

[@navivan768]

It is pronounced talln’t

[@fallenneberu3422]

@CutiePie Yes, they are weird, you are ok.

[@crswoodferns]

@@navivan768 you're hired

[@Lak1148]

3:09 silly aliens, the purple one looked back and they didn't notice it

[@starfish7993]

Why has no one commented on this comment

[@FreshtoMe]

Good point

[@jacobsworld7573]

I was gonna say that

[@lillyfriedman6618]

The rules never said that they couldn't touch their own hats. They could just take them off and look at them. Edit: Where did all these likes come from???

[@jeninahuang2929]

XD

[@maartendeleeuwvanweenen3701]

Lilly Friedman OMG wow

[@duckie9007]

Lilly Friedman u

[@duckie9007]

OMG

[@lillyfriedman6618]

Collapsing Distance I think mine is a pretty logical answer

[@sbsprinklekitthefirst]

this is actually nostalgia for me, used to watch this all the time with my older sister and i always remember asking "can we watch the colour riddle again"? (colour riddle as in this riddle). i miss those days damn

[@dionysios8700]

We eat the aliens before they eat us

[@nearh.2532]

That is perfect.

[@fluffyalpaca2466]

LOL

[@dogodog1247]

THE STRIKER More like We pee on them before they poop on us ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh get rekt aliens!

[@TheAliencreeper13]

Are aliens tasty?

[@VesselTrinh]

The Aliencreeper13 If canned unicorn meat on amazon gets 4 stars, people would give alien meat a go.

[@AliceCherry555]

Uhhhh. The horses name was Friday!

[@Sootfall]

what?

[@pinakabudlayngapangalannga2827]

+Slade Wilson lol i miss that show

[@lordmiraak237]

lol

[@ashleys3972]

im watching that rn lol

[@imaticol8374]

Konata?! Is that a fellow Otaku!!!

[@deadcat6085]

one clumsy person like me...and you all are on alien buffet

[@sophiesmidnightsquad]

I’m actually pretty happy I got the answer!

[@Laileb8888]

Yeah me too

[@leylin9664]

2:46 This dude flipped me off

[@c76_]

Roronoa Zoro how

[@dinoking8365]

Roronoa Zoro I

[@iikitkatkookie8112]

Roronoa Zoro a

[@aliciajane6210]

Roronoa Zoro no that was not the middle finger

[@fishchalk3305]

Dose no one know what a joke is

[@ilnec]

-Placed in a single file line facing forward in size order -Able to see everyone in front of you -May not: - Step out of line - Look behind you -Have either black or white hat assigned randomly -Must determine said color of high moving from back to front -No signaling whatsoever -Must have at least 9 correct. Using these requirements, you could simply just take your hat off and look at the color. It's not against the rules, and a guaranteed 10 correct.

[@therizzle8327]

Smartass.

[@ilnec]

Irene Ortiz Thank you :)

[@graceface4624]

That's what I though too, glad someone else thinks the same

[@Imevilmaxxing]

THATS WHAT I WAS THINKING

[@jeanjamero7424]

The alien said "guess" so they are not supposed to look of their hats they should guess it.

[@billyclinkert380]

See how being short sucks.

[@peneasteca597]

using that strategy, the only guy that could die.is the tallest one

[@toprak3479]

+pene asteca No. The if / else of this situation is this: If 10 or 9 guess correctly, then they all live. Else (8 or less guess correctly) they all die.

[@linhtooaung-lin5082]

Billy Clinky, I am the shortest person in class and I am already in 7th grade, I am super real short

[@Woof347]

It took me years of rewatching the video to understand why this worked

[@crometic-3982]

Well, I hope I’m the tallest if this ever happens to me

[@ehhhhhh1885]

I am the tallest

[@carolinacortesmartinez4305]

Yeah, but... What if your team doesnt pick up the hint?

[@blxifyy]

@@carolinacortesmartinez4305 yes

[@StillNotMarble]

@@carolinacortesmartinez4305 the challenge starts off with 5 minutes to discuss, so you would be able to tell them what to do. No matter how tall you are, as long as you can communicate the plan, you win.

[@avamtippery5686]

Yeah, me too.

[@MehulJain2029]

It took me 30 minutes to solve it. 5 min time limit given by the aliens seems way too short. They really wanted to eat those humans.

[@sfcga1]

It took me a couple of years. hahahahah

[@funkygecko]

it took me 15.. chances are in the group of 10 people it would take less time.. i hope

[@emancules]

Aris the fact that we're even watching these videos might suggest we have a higher intelligence than most. Considering how long it took i don't think people just put into situation could do it.

[@funkygecko]

Well you may be right about the intelligence difference but I believe its neglicible, making no difference. After all, I didnt refer exclusively to those watching the video. However I aggree with you. Chances are a random group of 10 people wouldnt make it. But in the scenario I was one of the 10 people I'm saying that it's possible we would make it if there was at least some help during the thought process. I dont want to sound like a smartass but I believe what I am saying is reasonable.

[@mustafasiddiqui4161]

Took me less than 5 mins.

[@friedwater6519]

0:26 I WONDER WHY

[@yoylejuice]

HMM I DON'T KNOW EITHER IT'S VERY HARD

[@yoylejuice]

Sarcasm

[@ahsuna5109]

@@yoylejuice SaRCasM is written like ThAt.

[@mikihirai335]

@@ahsuna5109 i DidnT KnOw tHAt