Can you solve the riddle and escape Hades? - Dan Finkel

Practice more problem-solving at brilliant.org/TedEd/
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The underworld is overcrowded, and Zeus has ordered Hades to let some spirits out. Hades arranges all the souls of the dead in a line before Cerberus. When one of his three heads bites down on the soul in front of it, they’ll get returned to the land of the living. Anyone to the left must stay in Hades forever. Can you pick the right spot and escape the underworld? Dan Finkel shows how.
Lesson by Dan Finkel, directed by Artrake Studio.
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[@TEDEd]

Visit brilliant.org/TedEd/ to check out Brilliant’s 60+ courses in math, logic, science, and computer science. They feature storytelling, code-writing, interactive challenges, and plenty of puzzles for you to solve. And as an added bonus, the first 833 of you to use that link will receive 20% off the annual premium subscription fee.

[@justsomepersononyoutube9271]

First reply

[@aditisk99]

Brilliant has some really tough courses, I have tried and gave up in a day!

[@yalikewaffles3783]

Ikr

[@surendraprusty8443]

Anyone here

[@pedroriosbustamante6311]

There’s an error at the odds’ panel, sequence number 6 (123) should actually be marked with a ✅

[@hahalord7294]

"Can you solve this riddle?" I can't even understand the rules of the riddle

[@hellihello2333]

😂 Same but also because english isn't my first language

[@OneWeirdDude]

It's a game of chance. You pick a position in line out of 100, and, one at a time, one of three things happens: (1) No. 1 wins, and everyone moves forward one. (2) No. 2 wins, no. 1 loses, and everyone moves forward two. (3) No. 3 wins, the two in front lose, and everyone moves forward three. Also, by rule 3, empty spots don't affect your chances, and you can lose even with no one behind you.

[@gabrielhelfstein7633]

I did understand the rules, but I can't figure out a logical solution to the riddle. I'm going to watch the answer now

[@OneWeirdDude]

@@gabrielhelfstein7633 There's a right way to do it. Start with a simplified version and work your way up.

[@kevinkong2060]

@@OneWeirdDude Yeah, how I did it.

[@carlymichelle8075]

"what place would you choose?" Me : in cerberus mouth

[@fidly4]

Honestly, that's what the hero in an actual Greek legend would have done.

[@sussysambhogi]

Yeah cunning was an integral part

[@emmanueljansen9896]

Last place is guaranteed, as there is no one on your left, you can't die and if worst comes to worst you will be alone and end up forcing them to get you as they said that each time they would eat a spirit, not a place

[@-thanawat-8296]

Genius

[@Crimsonnavyking]

@@emmanueljansen9896 1:34 The third rule states that the heads can bite empty spots even if you're last/alone. If you're last in the line up and on the far right podium somehow, and Cerberus bites the middle, you're now all the way on the left since you move in the line up based on where it bit. If you're somehow alone on the podium, it looks like you're on the far left then, giving you an even lower chance of being eaten. Last sounds like the worst spot in my opinion.

[@orangeoddity4685]

This is the only ted ed puzzle I have ever actually solved.

[@hunterlawrence3573]

Same

[@bluekemia]

same but it wasnt that hard rlly

[@Jake.The.Snake.]

Cheeky rule #3 at 1:31 is the reason I didn't get it right

[@ziomega3294]

Me too

[@glitchgamers7433]

You guys solved one

[@tchaguym]

I have been a spy, a cop, an intern, an intergalactical explorer, a pilgrim, a egg thief, a detective, a pirate, a normal explorer, and world saving hero but Sisyphus is a stretch.

[@juanli4153]

Mhm

[@nicholasspring]

yeah, i agree

[@sarad2487]

Yeah hate to be that guy

[@suhangliu4396]

can i get out of the underworld? i cant even get out of my bed

[@heyhey97777]

Same thing right?

[@adityabagdi1178]

Lol

[@riddler120]

Hahaha

[@paulc83]

Same

[@Thestin]

That's why you died

[@saumyashree4926]

I watch Ted-Ed just for the plot

[@srijanumesh5355]

There is no sentence in the English language I could relate more to

[@adelk6239]

Also Ted-Ed teaching languages: I am four parallel universes ahead of you

[@jessical4866]

Ah yes the “plot” 😏😂😉

[@wuskevo]

The plot:

[@wouldyoukindly4657]

The plot ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

[@FoxCuriousity]

For those that might or might not know, the character used for this puzzle is the cruel trickster, King Sisyphus, who cheated death twice and was punished in the underworld by forever rolling a massive boulder up a steep hill, and never reaching the summit.

[@LightningMo3]

When I'm 25 I'm going to read the bible, I can't wait, I love fantasy and comedy so it's an excellent combo for me.

[@a_smiling_gamer9063]

makes sense cuz hes clever

[@aurexify]

@@LightningMo3 Atheist spotted

[@indigo1149]

@@LightningMo3 This isn't even related

[@saucepart2electricboogaloo461]

@@LightningMo3 dude this is Greek mythology, not Christian

[@landomt8138]

I spent 3 seconds thinking about it and was like “Meh, I’d just go with the third spot,” and for once my lazy thinking actually worked

[@sarad2487]

omg sameee

[@LightsaberDuelz]

Same

[@sarad2487]

@@LightsaberDuelz lol

[@wesleydeng71]

Actually It was a simple puzzle if you think correctly and 3 seconds is all you need to figure it out.

[@Stella_John_Learning]

I chose 4rth

[@stephenhall509]

"Can you escape the underworld?" **Eurydice has not left the chat** You had one job, orpheus

[@moryakantha5782]

wow Ted understood this joke

[@nhancao4790]

@@moryakantha5782 They made a video on this myth.

[@user-jk3jz4yv9i]

!!! i mean even if she wasn‘t there he could have just gone back and be like yooo hades wtf

[@seantheshimp5296]

one job to not to simp

[@Betito1171]

**Zagreus is trying to leave chat**

[@jrsdef]

I love how "you" are very clearly Sisyphus, literally the man who got his punishment for trying to defy death and live longer, while it's definitely in character I do think he's probably the one person no Olympian would help in this case, except like in the video Hermes for his respect of his cleverness tricking Thanatos and Persephone, although it would make sense that Hades "forgot" to let him know

[@agustinfranco0]

could you tell a more complete story of Sisyphus? :D

[@agustinfranco0]

@@jrsdef im sorry, osp?

[@jrsdef]

@@agustinfranco0 Overly Sarcastic Productions

[@agustinfranco0]

@@jrsdef ohh alright ill check it out ty!

[@jrsdef]

@@agustinfranco0 Glad to help fellow seeker of knowledge! :)

[@shivaargula4735]

I chose #6 for the same reason. I didn't realize choosing #3 directly was an option, and wanted to maximize odds of getting there. You get 1/3 chance to end up there directly, and two second chances if you fail.

[@I_POP_DOMEZ]

You're right choosing #3 breaks the rules, as spot #3 isn't in the line.

[@deggery-oneaboveall3365]

@@I_POP_DOMEZ It is in the line , the rule is that you can place yourself anywhere from 1 to 100 and the first 3 count as well

[@KuroroSama42]

@@deggery-oneaboveall3365 The audio works out for it, but the animation doesn't set it up correctly. It clearly shows a lineup to the podiums. Podiums aren't part of a lineup.

[@shapooopiefour7173]

I like how this implies that you (yes, you, whoever watched the video and and is currently reading this comment) are the king who was clever enough to cheat Hades once, and Hermes wants to see that happen again because he’s a chaotic little guy.

[@HarambaeXelonmuskfans]

Stop lying

[@neoromanempire]

What?

[@shapooopiefour7173]

Sisyphus, although I think I was very tired writing this.

[@SC-zl6gs]

I'm not surprised that Sisyphus wants to escape the underworld again

[@sebastiandevosi7043]

that's his third time

[@catandcomparator]

@@mariejanette4352 wha?

[@blueberryjackson7539]

​@@catandcomparator Hey demigods, care to explain? Or should I do it? Okay, fine. The first time: Once, there was this guy called Sissy Fuss. Thanatos(aka Death) showed up at his door. SF knocked Death out and tied him underneath his bed. Ares noticed. He saved Death and they killed SF together, and off SF went to the Underworld. The second time: SF somehow ended up in Hades's palace, and he said to the god that his wife hasn't done the proper funeral rites and if he could go up to the world of the living and scold her. Hades, who was under the impression that mortal souls can't lie, agreed. SF lived another 30 years(it's not enough. I interview every soldier who fought by your siiiiide.) Then Thanatos reminded Hades about SF, and so the tricksy mortal died again. His punishment? Roll a boulder to the top of a hill. But it either rolled down the other side or rolled over SF.

[@meghanav3450]

@@blueberryjackson7539 lol u said sissy fuss... 😂 😂 🤣 🤣 🤣

[@catuskitzew1652]

Sissy fuss 😹😹😹😹

[@Scuuurbs]

The 50/50 reasoning escaped me. I looked at it as, spot 3 was clearly the best, but since there was no way to guarantee you’d end up in spot 3 if you were further back in line, the best option is to immediately place yourself in spot 3.

[@kevinmeeker2832]

After pausing and considering, my only question was "do those initial 3 spots count, because those would be the best" and I rewound the video to see where he numbered them just to confirm. That's when I solved it! That makes my solve rate probably close to 1% (I'm rounding up), lol.

[@michaelbalcom5233]

There is a better trick in going the opposite direction in the you only stay in the underworld if one of the head chooses someone behind you so if you are last in line your chances go back up to 100 at the very last spot meaning Hermes is literally trying to get you to give up the best spot

[@Scuuurbs]

@@michaelbalcom5233 Nah. Rule 3 allows for the heads to bite an empty space. Also, you aren’t even in line - you didn’t get the message. So before Hermes helps you, you have 0 chance of getting bitten.

[@marianocolsin8968]

Yeah they maked it more complicated than it was

[@kelseygilmore7107]

@@michaelbalcom5233 I had the same exact answer. Then I went back and read the rules and they slipped in the rule about not biting air. I think we were right as the rules were stated, but then I messed up and read them☹️

[@pityesz571]

I thought the solution is to realize that you can only "die" if the dog bites someone behind you. So you can choose to be in the last place in the queue, so whenever you reach the podiums, there won't be any souls behind you, so sooner or later (maximum of 3 bites) the dog will eat you, of course it only works if the dog isn't biting at empty podiums.

[@claramarie7923]

I also thought this was the solution; glad to see I’m not alone. I guess it must somehow be bending the rules (or Cerberus can bite down on empty air instead if there are fewer than three people in the line)

[@jakistam1000]

Rule 3 at 1:30 explicitly says that he can bite an empty spot.

[@pityesz571]

@@jakistam1000 hmm yeah i guess you are right, this was a rule that was only written down and not said out loud, so I missed it...

[@icarus-wings]

@@jakistam1000sure he could bite an empty spot, but he doesn’t consume a soul so nobody would move.

[@theluckygamer10]

​@@icarus-wingsRule 3 also explicitly states that if he bites an empty podium, all souls to the left still get out of line

[@kenthegoat5749]

That arkward moment when cerberus did not bite you in the end

[@rawr_ahh]

just imagine how frustrated he would be if after all that thinking, cerberus still didn't bite him😅

[@GeneralGrivas]

I didn't realize one of the three spots was part of "the line".

[@jfei64]

@@RaikaTempest So at first I thought this was the right answer too but if you look at the "pause now" screen they add an extra clause that says that even at the end of the line the heads can bite an empty spot and you can still be trapped in order to nip this answer. Then I looked at image where they showed the line of 99 people and they very explicitly show that the people on the spots were part of the line and you could take their spots. That's when I figured out the answer.

[@fieryjalapenos4442]

I figured that there is not a “good” spot in the queue and there isn’t a good way to know where you’ll get to start off on the three pads. So your best chance was to start on the far right pad since it would guarantee you at least 2 shots. I wasn’t sure if the pads counted but it was the only thing that made any sense to me so I rolled with it.

[@RafaelMunizYT]

@@RaikaTempest you can't be to the left of someone in the line but you can be to the right of one of the heads (our left), and that's what matters

[@nichitacruceanu9540]

Then the answer is the spot right next to the three spots so number 4

[@michaelvallespir486]

Agreed, but if you werent able to choose a "podium" spot and had to be in the actual line to get up, the third from the podium is actually hhe best too because you maximize the number of opportunities you have to get to the third podium spot

[@catandcomparator]

I never thought i would want to be eaten by a giant three headed dog.

[@jewel8482]

Fluffy had other business after hogwarts

[@kushagra64]

@@jewel8482 make sence as his job was to protect philosopher stone and that stone was later... destroyed?

[@marshallbernarte8216]

Cerberus from helltaker?

[@Epicly_Eating_Oranges]

@@jewel8482 a Harry Potter fan!

[@nickadams1992]

“Each of us has his own way of emerging from the underworld, mine is by comma splicing.”

[@bradenvester4308]

Can’t I just choose the last spot In line and wait to be the only option to eat?

[@loogatdisdood]

no, because regardless of whether you're last or not, the heads will bite down randomly, and even if you're the last spot in line it could bite down on an empty spot. the highest probability of success would still be the 3rd spot.

[@bradenvester4308]

@@loogatdisdood I thought that might be the case.

[@maximumhero9682]

Rule 3

[@alightened]

@@loogatdisdood but would a dog bite something that’s not there? It’s not a machine. My golden certainly wouldn’t bite at nothing.

[@thebadnoob5398]

@@alightened that’s what I was thinking.

[@nv1211]

Step 1: Confirm you have green eyes Step 2: Ask Hades if you can leave

[@nerdock4747]

I have green eyes. Understandable, have a great day.

[@lunamoon-xk2us]

Yeah from Plattform 9 amd 3/4

[@surelock3221]

Hades: Everyone knows you need two green eyes to leave. You only have one green eye, BOY.

[@kaitlynlehman7414]

my mother has green eyes, and my cat has green eyes: thus I must be a carrier of green eyes despite not having green eyes myself

[@fawkestheplotphoenix964]

Loooool

[@acerpalmatum]

TEDed: ‘Can you escape Hades?’ Me, who has been playing the video game “Hades” for the past three hours: I’m TRYING

[@noahbingley8078]

I have ground out that game for an unhealthy amount of time now that I'm unemployed from COVID... it's a lot of fun, glad I found this comment lol

[@phoenixflamegames1]

Mate I have been playing for a day and I almost beat hades on my 12th run....Im so sas

[@mehruhameed4595]

me who reads lore olympus (which if you dont know, a webtoon abt the greek gods) confused af: but Hades is such a gentleman!!

[@benjaminschmitt1562]

You know, I knew I would a reference to Hades, and I am happy I found it.

[@waffle7990]

Gacha players: I have no such weaknesses

[@fiona4236]

The two Cerberus heads biting at the same time for showing the rules was so flawless

[@bmgsplushworld8205]

“Time freezes, and Hermès steps out of the shadows” Time freezes? This line guard shifted her eyes to look at Hermès from 1:07 to 1:09! clearly not!

[@Tabby_CatMeow]

“Choose right and he’ll give you the spot! Choose wrong and he’ll leave you to rot“ The best rhyme I’ve ever heard in a while.

[@3rdoso]

Maybe thats the hint. 'choose "right" and he'll give the spot'

[@ssnekcum]

you clearly haven't been listening to a lot of rap songs

[@patriciajin6206]

@@ssnekcum Rap songs sucks..JK

[@lanceleo4954]

How about the "Short wait to learn your ultimate fate"? that one is good too

[@HoradeFidges]

Better yet because "Cerberus" literally translates to "spot"

[@sudhakarvenkatesan831]

When you finally solve a TED ED problem : I see no god up here. OTHER THAN ME

[@bananamonkeygaming14]

Impossible.

[@hloog0]

imagine solving a riddle

[@shweetaa]

idk who'll get this but...something more that'll suit here: "Kabhi kabhi lagta hai apunich bhagwaan hai" :P

[@aditisk99]

How? How did you do it?

[@shweetaa]

@@TanZzart 😂😂

[@dylanperry6400]

So I knew the third spot on the pedestal was best but I didn't think it counted as being in line. My line of thought was how to maximize your chances of getting placed on third pedestal. I figured being third from the pedestal was ideal. Considering that there are more combinations that add up to three in a 1,2,3 sequence. For example 1,1,1... 1,2... 2,1....3

[@mitchjohnson4714]

I think that's right. I wasn't sure if you could choose the pedestal, so I said "C" and if that's not an option, then "F."

[@squirrelpatrick3670]

I had F too. Let us claim correctness

[@LightningMo3]

I had 2nd from the pedestal or 5th simply because the average ((1+2+3)/3) is 2 spots per bite and therefore the 5th spot is most likely to get you into the third pedestal.

[@colgatelampinen2501]

That would be correct but getting to third spot and getting to 0 spot do not always go hand in hand. For example you are more likely to get from 12 to 3 than 11 to 3, but more liikely to get from 11 to 0 than 12 to 0

[@DaxstersDangerZone]

I think it makes sense to stay at the 99th space. That way, you will always end up in the best spot and and there will be nobody behind you for the dog to choose. Hades demands that Cerberus MUST feed on souls to set them free. Because the 99th spot is the last in line, the rate of success should be 100%, right? This would happen no matter how many souls would be in line (unless there is a stated limit to the amount of freed souls), so the best answer would always be: "Put me LAST in line".

[@grim_2000]

Read the rules at 1:31 Cerberus can bite an empty space

[@DaxstersDangerZone]

@@grim_2000 True. I missed that rule.

[@propaghosh3045]

I'll just avoid the pomegranates offered by Hades. I'll escape easily.

[@mariejanette4352]

Hello, how are you

[@irenackerman5266]

So sad. Pomegranates are my favorite fruit. It will be hard for me to resist

[@artiction]

Blood and Darkness..

[@nataliehor3368]

But i also really like food...so...oops

[@YoungTheFish]

But they level up your boons

[@CJ_1406]

Hermes is that one kid who can get you out of trouble just for the right price.

[@Mike-lx9qn]

There is no such thing

[@foxgaming7781]

Lol seems legit

[@ChartreusePearl08]

Sounds like Carla from Kindergarten 2

[@BattleSpew]

I started with looking at the three spots and easily deduced that 3rd is the best of those 3. And, since you have no idea which head will bite, there is no spot further back in line that can guarantee you landing on the 3rd spot. Ergo, you must take the 3rd spot as your choice for the best odds.

[@durangi3716]

I understand the third spot is the best but after the first three guys all the following people will also take the third spot, that is why i said 4 haha because i am the most appeticiable of them because i am new i guess xD

[@leokal457]

@@durangi3716 no your assumption is wrong. It is possible that each person waiting in line does not go on the third spot.

[@durangi3716]

@@leokal457 now i see it!! Thank you!!

[@leokal457]

@Ahmet Emin No if you watch 1:59 for example, it is possible to go up more than one spot

[@WriterBen01]

I had some trouble understanding the calculation at 3:41, until I realised this was just the calculation if you chose the 3rd spot in line. But there's also an error there, because number 6 is also a correct way to be saved. The narration says the chance is 16/27, but on the screen only 15 of 27 options are highlighted as valid.

[@fanfwriter]

If I understood you right, there s a possible chance that after Cerberus bites a soul you can result in #4 and thus it will break the probability of taking the place #3

[@dianadelatorre2489]

6. 1 2 3 Should also be highlighted

[@jdilman]

I noticed this too and was surprised it wasn’t higher up in the comments. First time I saw them make a very clear and obvious mistake in their videos.

[@macmusial3644]

Another way of thinking about this is that, since you're always going to end up in one of the three positions below Cerberus's heads, and one of them is objectively better than the other two, you should just take that spot since any other position only has a chance of getting you the best odds, whereas starting there gets you them automatically.

[@Zakeru750]

Exactly that. It was my first impression but it is so obvious that the third spot is better that I couldn't believe it was the key to the riddle. I overthought for 10 minutes about how that could be wrong. Turns out it wasn't... weird riddle...

[@jamesgonz0077]

But isnt being the last in line the best way to ensure your freedom? Once you get to the podium, either you shuffle forward because a head eats someone else until youre left alone and eventually eaten or Cerberus eats you straight up. You have 100% chance of escaping this way, right?

[@macmusial3644]

@@jamesgonz0077 this would be the case except the rules say that if a head bites an empty space to the right of you, you still have to stay in the underworld

[@jamesgonz0077]

@@macmusial3644 oh so the heads can bite empty space, didnt see that thank you

[@NXeta]

Great comment

[@GeneralJaydonius]

Hermes: Hmmm yes let me use this ability on Sisyphus, the man who cheated death twice, and fooled the gods. I can see nothing wrong with this idea.

[@treehugger0241]

I mean if anyone would appreciate such a trickster, it's Hermes.

[@jonathanschmitt5762]

Get SMITED

[@AmyDemmy]

That is

[@AmyDemmy]

Awesome

[@HimalayanEyewear]

Nice! Two in a row solving the TedEd riddles!

[@anshulgupta9412]

Wow. Really complex solution to a simple puzzle. The way you derived that the front 3 are best spots had most complex logic I had seen so far!

[@themartian6722]

I said to myself, "simple, it's Three!" and then I said, "wait, it might not be that simple" 😭😂

[@aleksanderorzechowski5580]

Same bro

[@linus2812]

Confirm you have green eyes, leave underworld

[@deathclawproductions6723]

Why didn’t we think of this sooner?

[@merrittanimation7721]

Classic

[@mariejanette4352]

Hello, how are you

[@mariejanette4352]

@@deathclawproductions6723 Hello, how are you

[@deathclawproductions6723]

@@mariejanette4352 good

[@stupidvolcano3741]

When I was thinking of this, the literal 100th spot would have nobody to your right, which would cause you to have a 100% chance to be freed due to if you are the last one to enter the 3 spots, you will never be to the left of someone causing Cerberus to have to bite you to end the line. I'm not sure why this can't be a solution as I may have misunderstood the rules but I definitely thought I got it when I continued the video.

[@brianrojek6100]

I 100% agree with you here. The riddle however did not indicate what happens when there are less than 3 souls left to go before Cerberus, which will inevitably happen to one or two of the last souls in line

[@learnprogrammingeasyway4865]

Damn, we got a genius among us!

[@musicalsciectist7148]

Re-read rule number 3

[@codewaz]

@0:59 @1:34 (rules) _"3. Rule 2 still applies at the end of the line, so Cerberus may bite down on an empty spot if there's no one to fill it. Any souls to the left would then get out of line."_ This rules out the "100% chance". -By choosing the 100th spot, It's the same chance as choosing the 3rd spot. Hence both answers should be correct for this riddle.-

[@JohnSmith-kt9zm]

@@codewaz it’s only the same chance if Cerberus bites number 97 on the first pedestal putting you on the third. If he bites #99 on the third pedestal that puts you alone on the first pedestal

[@gmopotato2790]

As soon as the question was asked, I instantly thought the last place in line was best, because if there's no one to your right to get chomped, you won't get sent back. I actually don't see why that wouldn't work, unless Cerberus would chomp at the empty space behind you just to screw you over. It works no matter which platform you end up on, too.

[@ashanaabutazill2548]

Maybe its an infinite line or by then they would stop cuz the underworld isn't crowded anymore

[@1vader]

The video explicitly mentions that Cerberus will still chomp with equal probability on each space, even if one or two of them are empty.

[@pandalover5292]

Cerberus would indeed chomp at an empty space just to screw you over. It says so in rule 3.

[@Inkyminkyzizwoz]

Cerberus CAN bite on empty spaces though, that's the problem

[@akhmadmasykur5626]

* return to the world of living * It's 2020 * Regret it immediately *

[@gamersedge891]

Underrated comment

[@hanbigim]

lol

[@RafaelMunizYT]

2020 bad thumb up

[@yikes2448]

That must explain the hiccup at the start.

[@AmyDemmy]

Yep the Cronavius (I don’t know how to spell it）is terrible I’d rather stay in Arubus (the place where the good souls go to)

[@noahi.1381]

Imagine if you went through all that but you still end up staying in the underworld.

[@rushalias8511]

That would.mean you had the worst luck

[@shikishinobi]

Enjoying these puzzles, and this one was probably my fastest to the right answer. I worked out that being put anywhere in line would not change or fix my odds at all, so I simply skipped ahead to the first three places, and you explained the rest well enough. Look forward to more.

[@AsTheOceansBurn]

Omg, I’m so excited to have earned Hermes’ favor!!!

[@TDIdialgagirl]

Hermes: I'll grant my grace to someone smart enough to use it! Me: Might at well get cozy down here

[@Rambling9990]

I’m so early the Zeus only has one affair

[@AJLord]

Yep, I once saw this Tumblr post that went something along the lines of: Hera: Why are there so many demigods? Zeus, desperately trying to change the subject: Uh, oh, hey look at those clouds, yeah just look at the clouds, those are pretty cool clouds...

[@tallymark2417]

Un-tea-world Who knows what that’s referencing?

[@tallymark2417]

@@acerniss No... try again

[@notad-class3899]

Hades the God who won't cheat on his wife

[@mehruhameed4595]

@@tallymark2417 lore olympus?

[@resean2727]

The only puzzle of TED that I was able to solve. Being the third is the safest option and glad I was able to figure it out.

[@Ringcaat]

I used the augmented matrix method of solving a system voluntarily for the first time ever in working out the solution. That led me to the fact a random person deep in the line has a survival chance approaching one half, and from there I came up with the key concepts leading to the simpler solution given here. In other words, I got the answer right, but did way too much math to get there. (It was still fun.)

[@piyushchoudhury3709]

How did you do it

[@Ringcaat]

I made a system of three variables (a, b and c) that represented the chance of surviving if you were 1, 2 or 3 spots from the edge of the selection platform. I put them in terms of each other by imagining the various chances of converting from one to another. Then I used the matrix method to solve the equation and got values of 1/2, 1/3 and 1/6... or something like that. I don't remember how exactly it worked out. @@piyushchoudhury3709

[@s19tealpenguin61]

Slight problem, at 1:22 it shows that there are 3 people already on the podium but at the end of the riddle the podiums are empty right after you take your place in line. Had I known the podiums would start empty, I would have been able to get the answer

[@tylerlastname6881]

same thats lame

[@fathfez7991]

Oh my god, same! My calculation was different because of the filled 3 current slots by the spirits. So we would be dead if we answer the riddle *right* according to TED-ED

[@pandafish1985]

Yep, I agree. And here's the "Maths"(/ Statistics) on it: Position 3 is actually as bad as any other position if you consider that there's a 66.66% chance you're not going to land under the third head when stepping on the podium, meaning wherever you are, you'll have the same odds because it's literally just random and depends on how many leave in front of you before you get on the podium and the amount of people leaving in front if you is an average of 1.5 and entirely by chance that it's all 3. And again, the odds for that are 66.6% Which brings us back to position 3 being as bad as 2 and 1, it's all just a matter of how many leave in front of you. The smartest answer would be to choose by observing for a longer time and count which head has been used. This will tell you which head has been eating the fewest. That head is, statistically speaking, the most likliest to feed next. Of cause, it's still a Bernoulli scheme but adding statistics to it gives you the results of best odds to get out of the underworld. Either the riddle is explained wrong or the answer is false or there's something I still don't quite get.

[@refrashed]

@@pandafish1985 Observing the heads wouldn't help whatsoever because previous instances don't predict future outcomes. Each time the heads bite, there is equal chance of any one biting. this means that the overall results would likely be _close_ to 1/3 each, but not quite. When you flip a coin a million times you're not guaranteed to get 50% heads and 50% tails, but the outcome will likely be close.

[@pandafish1985]

@@refrashed that's right. Each instance has the same chance. That's why I specified "statistically" a billion of times. But if you're observing a bernoulli scheme, you can some point say that it's more probable (STATISTICALLY!) that a certain incident is going to happen rather than another. That's how statistics work. Exactly like in your coin example. The result will likely be close, meaning that if you're getting heads a bunch, there's a good chance your next toss is tails... And that's hoe it evens itself out. Except that coins are a bad example because most of worlds coins have a heavier heads side than the tails side.

[@stormysamreen7062]

Watch out Hades, Sisyphus is cheating death again

[@eltonmateusnevesneves]

Strangely, by the hand of the same god who captured him

[@GothCookie]

Love that they sneaked in King Sisyphus as someone who'd want to leave the Underworld :P

[@robh7800]

I realized I wanted to be in position three to increase the odds but I overthought it like crazy and was trying to figure out how to determine which position out of 100 would guarantee you landed on three .. instead of just placing him directly there 😅

[@xo_sunnypixels_ox6862]

Me: *Just got into Percy Jackson and Hadestown* Ted-Ed: Me: For moi? I’m flattered-

[@zoe1701]

Y E S.

[@cOmAtOrAn]

But let's be real: If we're Sisyphus, Hades is going to intervene to keep us dead. It would be too embarrassing to let us walk free.

[@labigbande6674]

Yes but it would also be way more ambarasing to recognize your trauma and breaking your promise of giving everyone the same chance to go back

[@Sarah12471]

@@labigbande6674 But, Syphilis did lie too persephone, kidnap Thanatos, and killed the people he was invited too party with so Zeus had Hades deal with him

[@Bronzescorpion]

@@Sarah12471 Syphilis, nice auto correct you got there.

[@Sarah12471]

@@Bronzescorpion i spell it as i say it.... I just say that word horribly wrong

[@inkryption3386]

@@Sarah12471 Do you have a strong accent or something? How'd you come to that pronunciation? And why spell it based on pronunciation as opposed to how it's written? /nm

[@tessah.9880]

I have finally solved one of Ted Ed riddles! This is such an achievement in my mind! Wow that is rewarding to think

[@kikook222]

I'm normally bad at these but I'm proud I figured this out really easily!

[@Dragonlover553]

I misheard the riddle, so I thought that the judgement was in trios, where the two that weren't chosen got out of line rather than moving forward, so I thought the solution was to remain in place, in spot 100, because after 11 judgements, you would be left alone on the platform, so Cerberus was sure to chomp down on you.

[@hoeworms]

Me too!

[@833Rowan]

that sounds wayyy too simple lol, and even then, it says cerberus can chomp an empty spot

[@kamikeserpentail3778]

It might be, if not for rule 3.

[@juststoic3809]

@@kamikeserpentail3778 they didn't read the rules correctly lol

[@macmay3042]

I was very close to getting this right, I didn't understand that the three spots directly under Cerberus counted as "the line". I thought "soul 1" was the first person waiting to get on the pedestals. I knew that the first pedestal (from the right) was the best spot to be in, I was just trying to figure out how to ensure I got there.

[@KuroroSama42]

Same. The wording (audio and text alone) made it clear, but the images shows podiums, which wouldn't be part of the line. You'd still end up with "3rd position", by the same logic used on the podiums, but it's a different "3rd" than what's shown.

[@edwardfeys5022]

Couldn't you just go in the last spot? That way nobody would ever be to your right, thus you could never be to the left of someone being eaten.

[@francescogallo3849]

Nope, it's written in rule 3

[@kaneeravarshinianand2959]

Not really, because we know that each dog can only share an equal percentage in biting people. If you’re the last person, then no dog would eat you because it would cause one dog to eat more people.

[@LightningMo3]

@@kaneeravarshinianand2959 That's incorrect, that is probability when there is a limited number of bites, we are assuming every bite has the same probability every single time, it is technically possible that the same head bites every time in this scenario.

[@fberdf]

The best option is just to ask Hermes to switch you with the soul standing at the spot where a head is about to eat the occupant. 100% guarantee of success. Otherwise is just a matter of luck and probability. PS: or just ask Hermes for weapon capable of killing Gods and mythological creatures.

[@btson6134]

this was by far the "easiest" riddle to solve of the TED riddles. love it

[@chabri2000]

Hades to Sisyphus: How many times do we have to teach you this lesson, Old Man?

[@Yellowgamer-ss1hr]

Can’t you just go to the end of the line because when you get to Cerberus his only option, no matter what of the 3 heads are in front of, is to pick you or someone in front of you, because nobody in behind you. This goes till you are in the first spot where you are the only option. Doesn’t this make it a 100% chance?

[@kenmore01]

Now I know what has been keeping me up all these years.

[@sarahnunez318]

Any mythology geek saw "the Underworld" and "Hades" and just clicked saying: *y e s*

[@makaniwebb9358]

As a mythology geek (ish): Hi.

[@sarahnunez318]

@@makaniwebb9358 As another mythology geek: hi yourself!

[@Lucky-ru7hh]

You basically read my mind Hi mythology geeks!!😁🙂

[@sarahnunez318]

@@Lucky-ru7hh hi hello hullo!

[@blueberryjackson7539]

hello. just asking have anyone here read Percy Jackson? If you haven't, I really suggest it. It's about a sassy teenager too good for this world.

[@eloquentia_]

Imagine going all through that ruckus and Cerberus never picked you

[@christophersaeli5620]

ikr

[@ultraliskbuilder5831]

Actually the best spot would be the last one. That way if it gets to the end and you move up more then one space, you increase your odds incredibly, as Spot won't bite the air behind you.

[@holyguardian598]

I think the line is "infinite" since there is always someone diyng. If you choose to be the last, you would be stuck in the line until the end of time.

[@ultraliskbuilder5831]

@@holyguardian598 It says in the setup that there are 99 souls remaining, and that you are late for the one time culling.

[@PiNiGeLiSh]

It says in the 3rd rule, that Cerberus can still bite an empty spot, so being in the back doesn't change anything

[@ultraliskbuilder5831]

@@PiNiGeLiSh Darn.

[@SilkeH6]

This is the first riddle I understood and could figure out myself!

[@shaheen4663]

The Sisyphus animation.. I'm crying XD

[@sebastiandevosi7043]

So this is the third times he cheated death, I think?

[@-ZH]

Oh, an easy one that I got Your turn only really starts when you’re in the first 3 positions, so there would be no reason to start anywhere else in the line as that would just induce randomness. And starting at the back of the 3 gives you at least 1 additional chance, so the best position would be third in line.

[@namlehai2737]

If you are at place 5 and the dog yoinks the person at place 3, you will start your game at place 2.

[@mrjoestar2862]

@@namlehai2737 lol

[@rafetizer]

In fact, moving to the first three is the only way to guarantee your starting conditions.

[@joshsolders5543]

Kinda surprised on this one. I figured trying to go for the last position would be the best and try and force yourself to be the only one left on the platform. If you are the last one in line and there is one person, then you are guaranteed to live, if there are two, then either you go free or they grab the guy in front and then you loop back to the previous situation. If you are third, either you get taken or you end up in the other two situations. Basically the last person in line seems guaranteed to succeed because it always reduces down to him being the only person available for Cerberus to eat or him being eaten and skipping over whoever is unfortunate enough to be in front of him. Guess the puzzle included an extra thing where he can choose to bite down on a pedestal with no one on it.

[@theanonymoustime3631]

Exactly, same thing came to my mind! It seems the TED-Ed have missed something this time with their answer...

[@colgatelampinen2501]

Sure if you invent your own extra rules like "Cerberus' heads won't bite on empty pedestals" you may get different answer, but that is answer to different problem.

[@zapzya]

@@colgatelampinen2501 I mean, the video says Cerberus "bites down on the soul in front of it" which implies he only bites on non-empty positions. The solution implies otherwise though.

[@colgatelampinen2501]

@@zapzya. And context for that is "When one of his three heads bites down on the soul in front of it,...", it doesn't imply at all that Cerberus only bites non-empty positions, it merely tells what happens when it happens to bite down soul. Later it said "Each of the dog’s heads has an equal chance of being the one to bite each time," if heads with empty spots in front of them had 0 chance to bite, it would not be equal chance. Also rule 3 is quite explicit about it: "Rule 2 still applies at the end of the line, so Cerberus may bite down on an empty spot if there's no one to fill it. Any souls to the left would then get out of line."

[@zapzya]

@@colgatelampinen2501 I'll be honest I didn't bother reading the list of rules, I just assumed I understood it from the explanation lol.

[@ptkbsq]

I calculated the chances per platform and I was able to determine the best spot to land onto. But on the part where I would have to think of a number to give to Hermes, I was trying so hard to find a pattern for all the 100 spots, thinking this is another case of the hostile AI riddle. When I continued the video I just realised why didn't I just pick the direct spot lol

[@im1085]

cause it said place in line and we assume in line means not one of the 3 currently on the blocks

[@LightningMo3]

@@im1085 EXACTLY, if you don't see the few seconds of it showing the numbered people and just listen, any adept problem solver would think that, it's more of a wording technicality that isn't necessarily wrong but is certainly confusing.

[@MartinPantovic]

I solved this one quite easily and I think you've purposefully made it not difficult just to boost my confidence. thank you I needed it.

[@LuisCassih]

That's bad riddle, by what you told on 0:55, the line already started, and you need to choose in the NEXT 99 positions but then in the solution the cerberus' selection hasn't started yet and the first three spots are empty, we didn't get this information to resolve the "riddle".

[@justinvawter5551]

Agreed. The riddle is worded and pictured that the line has already started.

[@srn306x]

Yea, they just commented about it.

[@OneRichMofo]

How does it matter really? If it is as shown in 0:55 and you have to choose out of 99 it is completely random at that point and you might as well choose the 1st one next to get on to the podium

[@fededefe94]

Totally agree, it's also not true that being 3 step closer to cerberus give you a Better chance. The Logic behind that starts from a much more general scenario, where the odds cannot be worst (so equals or greater). But in this scenario, they are ALWAYS equal. The only exception would be if the platforms are empty and so being the third mean you have 100% chances to go to the right platform if you are third in the queue. But from the fourth and beyond, the chances are equals.

[@AnthonyDrogon]

@@OneRichMofo Because the goal is not to get to the podium, but to its 3rd spot. And having an empty podium to start with allows to secure it, as shown in the solution. Which is very different to how the problem was stated, with a podium already filled, and therefore no way to secure that spot. The question becomes how to maximize the chances to get to that 3rd spot, and I'm too bored to look at whether there's a solution for it. Aren't chances equal no matter where in line?

[@sakshamtayal6534]

The best place is 96th. If you consider in a long term each head eatings will be same as there is equally likely outsome ( as if we toss 100 coin head and tall will be 50/50) so keeping this in mind. After every 3 round the possibility of people eaten would be ( 1-3-6, 1-4-6, 2-3-6,2-5-6,3-5-6,3-4-6) if all 3 eat one by one equally So standing on multile of number 6 will save you 100%. But here they eat randomly some so we choose last multiple of 6 which is 96 we increase our chances. By believing each head eating will become same in long term.

[@PexySancakes]

There’s an argument that if the hound’s bite did not have a strict (33%) random probability, you’d prefer to stand at the back to see the variance of the bite distribution. While the third position in the lineup is always most favorable, (survive or up to 2 tries thereafter), you’d still prefer to be farther away to see how often the bite occurs. I’d choose position 100.

[@Alexis-bg5rf]

TED-ed Riddle: Can you solve the riddle and escape Hades? Percy Jackson: Done and dusted

[@blueberryjackson7539]

This… this is underrated. Percy Jackson is awesome. great to meet a fellow fan

[@Alexis-bg5rf]

@@blueberryjackson7539Yes! I totally agree with you.

[@zoe1701]

-Hazel Levesque and Nico Di Angelo nervous laughing-

[@janhavimishra1958]

Multiple times

[@Godgiftedxxx]

I don't understand. When Hermes froze time, there were three people already on the stands. The math depicted on the solution won't work if that's the case.

[@spodq33]

They never said exactly when, Cerberus could’ve just eaten the person on the right

[@kenthedawg6383]

I thought the same thing! By the same logic the answer should still be the third spot (assuming there are 3 people already on the stands). We would like to be on that third stand. The third spot in line maximizes your chances of being in that third stand position.

[@saumyashree4926]

Hi Linkin Park fan Do you miss Chester ?? 🥺 We always will love him stay connected

[@idiosyncraticlawyer3400]

They have acknowledged that.

[@luanmotta4906]

Me too. I solved the puzzle in my head considering that I couldn't change places with those on the stands. The best position, as metioned before in this comment section, is the third.

[@markcolbert8719]

this is the only riddle ive ever gotten on this channel. Very proud of myself!

[@MiketehTV]

I chose #3 because once there I would be guaranteed at least 2 chances to leave. Where as if I chose anywhere else I may wind up next to go on the blocks and the person in front of me gets bit, then I would go straight to the first block, only having 1 chance to leave.

[@TheFuturistTom]

I love Ted-Ed! They’ve inspired my sci-fi/futurist channel!

[@EmiToast]

The fact you're spamming this for attention

[@esscate]

Doubt it

[@bananamonkeygaming14]

X

[@EmiToast]

X

[@potatinator9831]

X

[@aryashetty3924]

3:38 shouldn't the 123 part be ticked as well? Also this question is mind-blowing. Didn't think that probability could even exist in this!

[@waldeniv]

Yes, I believe it should be and the odds are 17/27 not 16/27. I'm glad someone else recognized this.

[@eelisirkia7833]

I was looking for this

[@aron7089]

@@waldeniv it is still 16/27. Te counting is correct, it's just the marking that isn't

[@Tolli12345]

@Nino Mae 21 the numbers represent the heads of Cerberus, whether the left (1), middle (2) or right (3) is biting down

[@arson9730]

hold up. do you mean to tell me that we’re Sisyphus? 0:52

[@eli5950]

man if sisyphus is the one we're playing as i dont think hades is EVER gonna let us out

[@TheFirstAifos]

“Got a message for you, coz. It says ‘It sure is nice here up on this mountain, not having to escape the underworld. Come join us soon, won’t you?’” -Hermes, Hades

[@cifer8070]

This is literally first time I got the puzzle right, it was an instinct though I simply chose 3rd spot in first line because I it's 75% chance of survival, after first 3 it can get completely random

[@biogoo]

It is little bit easier to solve if you start in the front. First, determine what is the best spot out of the 3. Then, determine where to position yourself to maximize the chance to get that spot - in other words, simly position yourself right there to guarantee it.

[@khosani1726]

I guessed correctly, but only because I figured with spot #3 you are guaranteed 2 chances to be saved with the possibility of a 3rd; while any other spot behind that is only guaranteed 1 with a possibility of 3 chances (and with spot #1 you get one chance only, and spot 2 you get 1 chance with a max of 2). After that first round, you have no idea if you will start on platform 1, 2, or 3, so it's almost pointless to consider any behind #3.

[@nicholasblackney6465]

Im so proud of myself this is like the first TED-ED riddle I've solved

[@ubtpixielox]

I’m kind of confused about the rules, but based on how I understand the way they first said them, wouldn’t just being the last one in be the best?

[@makaniwebb9358]

No. If you take the third podium, you have as many as three chances and as little as two. If you ended up on the first podium, you have one chance. If you end up on the second podium, you have as many as two and as little as one. Even if you take last place, you don't know that you'll end up on the third podium. 100 is not divisible by three, so even if the third one was always chosen, you'd end up at the first spot. But it is not always the third one, sometimes there is only one new person on the podium (if the first podium was chosen), and other times, all three of the people on the podium are new (if the third podium was chosen). This makes the progress in the line inconsistent, and you have no way to know which podium you'd end up on, which means, you don't know how many chances you will be able to get. Thus, the third spot is the best, because your minimum number of chances to get resurrected is two, which is more than any other place.

[@danielyuan9862]

Rule three of the pause screen says that you can still lose at the end of the line.

[@mattkim96]

@Makani Webb and to add on to that, obviously you want the third podium, and the third spot in line gives the most chances to get there. But that doesn’t guarantee you’ll actually get the third podium, it just gives the best odds. The first podium is the worst, and the first place on line is most likely to end up there, so it’s the worst place in line. The second place is average, or very close. As you separate each group of three on line into trios, as you get further and further back down the line, you find that the first spot in each trio is improving in odds while the last spot in each trio is worsening in odds. They’re normalizing, and the number they approach to (if we extended the line to be infinitely long, in other words the limit as the line approaches inform) is roughly the same odds as the second spot in line/each trio. Now we’ve proven the extremes have to be in the very first trio, that was the true proof/riddle. And of the three, position 3 is obviously best.

[@Zarrocss]

My thought process over this is if the heads will bite down on a soul not on an empty spot so if you are technically the last person in line wouldn't you be guaranteed to go back to the surface if you are the only so that was left or can he bite down on an empty spot? It seems like if he has to bite down on a soul when he bites and not just randomly bite down the last spot would be the most secured way of escape because you would have a 100% chance to escape.

[@evanwong8748]

Even if that was the case, you can’t guarantee yourself to be the only person on the stands at the end, because Cerberus does not eliminate three people from the line every time he bites. He will inevitably at some point leave one or two people still in the queue after a bite, throwing off your count. The more times this happens, the less certainty you have that you’ll be alone on the last bite.

[@jxnuary81]

This is the easiest Ted Ed ever, it’s the first and only one I’ve ever gotten right

[@abel2farago453]

I thought of just going to the end of the line. When it's my turn, i would be the third or there would be the 2 of us or just me. I assume then there will be no head which bites nothing, so my chances are improved

[@aaronbitler6428]

I agree. But I think the rule is that the heads bite whether or not there is a soul on the pedestal. Which doesn't really makes sense but then the solution would no longer be about probability.

[@danielyuan9862]

@@aaronbitler6428 It's not just "I think", it's literally stated.

[@kingreaper212]

​@@danielyuan9862 "It's literally stated" when?? I think 0:26 onwards states it pretty clearly: "...when one of its 3 heads biites down on the soul in front of it..." AND "...at which point Cerberus will FEED again.". A head won't bite if there's no soul in front of it and the Cerberus ALWAYS feeds, based on the intro information.

[@MasterCivilEngineering]

Nobody can escape the death ~Hades

[@pierrecurie]

Schwarzenegger voice: you'll be back

[@chrispienaar3848]

Hey i got it by thinking in terms of probability of the heads biting a spot. 33,33% chance of the head biting the spot you are in. Every trio has a number designated as 1 2 3. The 1st and 2nd spots in any given point in the line increase the chances for every 3rd spot to be bit even after moving, so by defintion every 3rd spot has largest probability to get bit. Since there are a 100 spots and only 3 heads with differing outcomes after the line finishes, 100! * 3 is used to determine the outcomes of your spot being bit, leaving an aburd number of 9.33e+157 outcomes in front of you where a guaranteed 33% of it is you getting bit. So reduce the number of spots in front of you by a large number as the last spot is the worst possible spot to be in. The least amount of spots you can be placed in is in the very first trio of 123 right in front of Cerberus. Initially every spot at that exact moment has same probability to get bit. The number of outcomes for any of those 3 spots is only 12 different outcomes for those initial first bites. The 1st spot gives only 1 chance. A very low 33%. The 2nd spot gives you 2 chances to live and 1to instantly die. 3rd spot gives last 6 outcomes where you die only 2 out of those outcomes.

[@MohdQamarSayyad]

This is the only ted ed puzzle I have ever solved.

[@elizabethk2527]

I just won’t look back while dragging my gf out of the underworld

[@Alphapkmn]

Sisyphus is straight up the ONLY person outside of Pirithious Hades would never let out

[@turbowarrior9918]

Tantalus

[@mannyfernandez2983]

this was one of the very few riddles i actually understood and chose correctly