Johnny Carson Memories: The Hat Puzzle

[@8044868]

All passed on but Doc. I'm glad I'm old enough to have been able to spend many happy hours with them.

[@ep4169]

Amazing that Johnny had such respect for his audience that he thought they would enjoy a ten-minute discussion over a puzzle. Maybe they did, maybe they didn't, but no late-night host would ever try it nowadays.

[@bjb7587]

Fallon is too busy with celebrity drinking games.

[@TheLarryBrown]

This is a left over from old school talk shows where they discussed things longer and more in depth. Dick Cavett did that style.

[@TheLarryBrown]

@@ep4169 It says something about Johnny's intelligence that he finds this puzzle interesting. Puzzles of this sort appeal to only a small percentage of people.

[@jason60chev]

Wouldn't you just love to go back and spend an evening with all four of these guys?

[@Facetimer864]

And do what? Are you in the entertainment industry? Are you a musician? Are you a rampant alcoholic?

[@sandramccauley8938]

Absolutely

[@seattlewa8500]

@@Facetimer864You must be a rampant alcoholic. That is obvious.

[@erichfreiler1681]

³³​@@Facetimer864

[@TheLarryBrown]

Of course. As did millions and millions five nights a week for 30 years.

[@simplicity6564]

There's only four possible outcomes. #1 R R R, #2 R R B, #3 R B B, #4 B B B. The only two outcomes where all three would raise their hands are #3 and #4. It isn't #3 because if either of the people wearing the black hats had seen a red hat, they would have realized they must be wearing one of the black hats. Since neither said anything, it must be outcome #4. I'm not good at these things and it took me 90 minutes to work through. Makes sense now.

[@ozzieman55]

Never been so confused and amused before in my life.

[@misfittoy327]

Me, too. As a retired H.R. manager who hated a lot of these weird interview techniques that came and went, I appreciate seeing one of them turned into a "Who's on First" routine! (And I dont think that was Johnny's goal.) 😄👏🤣

[@theohaas8092]

SCAMDEMIC sheeples here wear your slave muzzle

[@markkonzerowsky8871]

@@theohaas8092 WEREmuzzle hear demic yor sleeve scam

[@theohaas8092]

@@markkonzerowsky8871 follow the CNN CDC guidelines take all nine boosters to be safe and remember wear your slave muzzle proudly virtual signaling your neighbors how smart you are this message has been paid for and presented by your master Jacob Lord Rothschild

[@markkonzerowsky8871]

@@theohaas8092 It's a Johnny Carson upload, you paranoid wanker.

[@billdagoe7371]

Excellent logic puzzle. I love this kind of stuff. Johnny's explanation is perfect once you consider that it is impossible for two hats to be red (then all 3 would not have raised their hands).

[@JoeMra1]

thank you for reminding me the part about how there can't be 2 red hats. I really couldn't get it until I put that part back into my mind. that was a tough brain teaser.

[@solidpixel]

forgive me for commenting on a video from a year ago but since the algorithm is showing this to new people let me say that If only one person keeps there hand down there are 2 red hats. for example 1=red, 2= black, 3= red. 1 and 3 raise their hand because they see a black hat. 2 keeps his hand down because he sees no black hat

[@TheLarryBrown]

@@billdagoe7371 I'm not sure that you understood the solution. You are correct that with three hands raised there could not have been two red hats. But there could have been one red hat and that introduces an ambiguity that does not give the contestant enough information to solve the problem, so your comment does not clue yourself nor us into the solution.

[@inthejcurve7968]

great deduction Step 1: identify all possible outcomes Step 2: eliminate illogical outcomes Step 3: arrive at answer Step 4: be related to the boss, and get the job

[@jimclark6256]

Listen carefully to Johnny's explanation and you will see is does not solve the problem.

[@AbandonedMines11]

How did we go from something this fascinating to Jimmy Fallon playing simple party games?

[@riverbender9898]

Very simply...a very-much dumbed-down, classless audience.

[@peterbaruxis2511]

De-evolution.

Different trick question

[@TheLarryBrown]

The extra piece of information that is not obvious but that the smart guy made use of is "Neither of those two guys is able to solve the puzzle."

[@notintohandles]

Glorious obsfucation. He almost clairifys the explanation many times, and each time it becomes more muddled and complicated. Next level of Who's on First? !

[@jeffreygunn3150]

Doc essentially did exactly what Johnny described as the solution.

[@TheLarryBrown]

No. Doc made a faulty assumption that at least one of each color hat would be used.

[@brendalg4]

@@jeffreygunn3150 no, he said he had a red hat

[@karthik15981]

Let's look at the possible combinations: 3 Black 0 Red 2 Black 1 Red 1 Black 2 Red (In this case, at least one person would have seen 2 Red hats and kept his hands down. Ruled out) 0 Black 3 Red (In this case, everyone would have kept hands down, since there are no Black hats. Ruled out) So, the only two possibilities are: 3 Black 0 Red 2 Black 1 Red So, the maximum number of Red hats can only be 1. Since I see the other two persons with Black, if there is 1 Red, it can only be on me. At this point, I am assuming the other two are also Intelligent and they also figured out there can only be 1 Red hat. So, if they see a Red hat on me (max 1 red) they would have guessed their hat is Black. Since the other two did not answer, I make an assumption that I am also wearing Black. So the third guy figuring this out actually depends on his faith on the other two's intelligence. If they were dumb, there is no way the third guy can be absolutely sure :) .. and that's why the riddle starts with "3 Intelligent men apply for a job"..

[@packerfan2010]

If the three men were intelligent (or perfect logic), then all three would conclude after the pause their hat is black so the conclusion here is a little flawed.

[@BlakeAustin2011]

⁠@@packerfan2010That is why the riddle also says the “first” person to raise their hand and explain the color and how they arrived to the answer. It’s a question not only of intelligence, but speed in decision-making. If all 3 pause and think about it, the first person to answer is a decision-maker as well.

[@packerfan2010]

@@BlakeAustin2011 That doesn't prove anything. Unless we're splitting hairs and the difference between the man responding are fractions of a second, if they all dont respond immediatley then they all didnt arrive at the same conclusion and the rationale for the one who did answer would be completely unreliable

[@TheLarryBrown]

Almost but in the case of 1 red hat the 2 black hats don't have the "guess" like you said. If I see a red hat in #3 and #2 raises his hand, I "know" I have a black hat. If I had a red hat #2 would only see red and would not raise his hand.

[@rasistefanos1]

Not going to claim that I understood it right away, but the solution gradually sunk in. Okay, far more important is the hilarious exchange between Johnny, Ed, Doc, and Tommy.

[@brianarbenz1329]

The smart guy figured it out, got the job, but lost it 2 months later because of corporate downsizing.

[@PlanetEarth3141]

Tommy has the quickest wit of those four and has repeatedly proved it.

[@TheLarryBrown]

Tommy got zero laughs in this segment and also showed himself to be slow to understand the puzzle.

[@gravizfake]

I initially had trouble understanding it, so this seemed a good way to explain: If all three raise their hands, indicating they see at least one black hat, we know the possibilities are limited to there being either 0 or 1 red hats because if there were more, at least one person would not raise their hand. Suppose the ultimately successful applicant is indeed wearing a red hat. It would be as if it were emblazoned with fluorescent letters: “This the ONLY red hat!” If the others saw such a hat, they would know their own hats were black and shout out the answer. Since this did not occur, the successful applicant concludes he’s not wearing a red hat, so his must be black. This of course assumes the other two are smart enough to realize there can be no more than one red hat, but NOT smart enough to play the same waiting game as he does. If they all used the same tactic, they would each assume they had a black hat…and be right.

[@packerfan2010]

YES! Exactly! Someone gets it!

[@42976675]

The all black hat scenario is the only equal opportunity scenario which is the only one the employer would use to find the best applicant. But might find three.

But everyone would hesitate for the sane reason, would they not? The puzzle seems to show that not having enough info makes one guess, at best.

[@TheLarryBrown]

It's because solving the logic of the puzzle is trivial, but the outside the box thinking is not and not every intelligent person can go beyond where the straightforward logic ends.

[@jimreadey4837]

I wouldn't want to work there, anyway... they'd expect way too much from me.

[@modoc852]

Didn’t get it back then and still don’t get it today but that’s ok I’m retired

[@TheLarryBrown]

The fact that you say this on the air and are still alive today means you won. Retired is just gravy.

[@ThePopeII]

The hat puzzle is brilliant. I initially thought it was a silly experiment where none of the men would be able to figure it out since they all would see at least one black hat, and would not know whether their own hat was black or red. But the key was to assume your own hat is red and look at it from the other two men's perspective. The first man to figure that out is the most intelligent, and gets the job.

[@cjmacq-vg8um]

there's a flaw in this test. the person giving the test is lying when he says one of them has a red hat. that means to get the correct answer those taking the test must assume they're being lied to. no one would assume that because there's no reason to assume it. what the employer is actually saying is - the first applicant that deduces the employer is lying to them gets the job. what kind of way is that to run a business?

[@ThePopeII]

@@cjmacq-vg8um No, each person is simply told they either have a black or a red hat. They might assume there is at least one of each color, but they are never told that.

[@cjmacq-vg8um]

@@ThePopeII ... with the mere mention of a red hat people are going to assume there's a red hat in the mix. the test is purposely misleading. its what's known as a classic "trick question." there's many ways to reword the test so its clear there maybe no red hat at all. sorry, i think the logic and the test are flawed.

[@ThePopeII]

@@cjmacq-vg8um Yea I agree that makes the puzzle extra tricky. It can vary a bit depending on how the instructions are given. However it could still be seen as a test to see how well people pay attention to detail for the specific instructions given, as well as having the reasoning ability to solve it.

[@cjmacq-vg8um]

@@ThePopeII ... we also have to remember this was a thought experiment. it was never actually used by any employer to determin someone's employment. could you imagine if we had to start solving silly riddles and puzzles to get a job? this particular puzzle reminded me of those yt "i. q. tests" that contain nothing but trick questions, riddles and puzzles to solve. this was an interesting puzzle i was destined to fail because i'm TOO logical!

[@MaxExpatr]

Back then the tickets were free and and available in the front of the theater entrance or by mail. Shows were done in the afternoon. They were fun. Vaya con Dios

[@KTHKUHNKK]

That was a great one I never ever saw that before

[@TheLarryBrown]

Me neither and I love and collect this type of puzzle.

[@sjmarlowgm]

When's the last time you saw a legitimate logic puzzle on late night TV?

[@brendalg4]

On any TV

[@linkydinkydoodledumplin]

The puzzle that perplexes me to no end is why either Kimmel or Colbert is on the air at all? Talentless.

[@brendalg4]

@@linkydinkydoodledumplin because if all there is to watch his garbage, people will still watch it instead of finding something else to do

[@Crosley3251]

The best cure for depression ,Johnny Carson reruns .

[@linkydinkydoodledumplin]

Or Donald Trump winning the presidency 2024.

[@ljeansonne]

A simpler way to put it would be that three black hats are the only combination where all three hands would be raised and the answer wouldn’t immediately be obvious. Since the riddle must be designed to be difficult and not give an advantage to any one person, it must be three black hats. Another way to put it would be that the raised hands weren’t the only piece of info used the solve the puzzle - it was the raised hands plus everyone’s confused pause.

[@packerfan2010]

False, two black hats and one red hat would cause three hands to raise.

[@packerfan2010]

Never ever ever assume for a logic problem that just because the question/problem/riddle exists that it must be difficult.

[@ljeansonne]

@@packerfan2010 yes but the answer would be immediately obvious to the people with black hats

[@davidheathcoat3408]

Your first paragraph is false. No matter if all 3 have black hats or one has a red hat they all SEE A BLACK HAT....so the guy that says his hat is black has a 50/50 chance..the instructions are not giving enough info to do anything but guess. Now if the instructions say IF YOU SEE 2 BLACK HATS RAISE YOUR HAND THEN THERE IS ENOUGH INFORMATION TO BE 100%. SO, IF I SAID I HAVE A BLACK HAT THE CORRECT ANSWER IS I HAVE A 50% CHANCE OF GETTING IT RIGHT. BECAUSE IF I HAVE A RED HAT BOTH THE OTHER GUYS SILL RAISE THEIR HAND. 50% GUESS. THEIR IS NO 100% ANSWER SO NO CORRECT ANSWER.

[@letsgobrandon6281]

Even if Johnny had a red hat on, everyone would still raise their hand, because they all see at least one person with a black hat

[@TheLarryBrown]

That is correct but if Johnny had a red hat on the 2 black hats would instantly know they had black hats. In the case of three blacks they would not instantly know, thus they were momentarily puzzled and that's what allowed the smart guy to answer.

[@iainlogan9554]

@@TheLarryBrown That is correct but only if you assume the two black hats are thinking at the same strategic level as the red hat guy, and since we can assume that red hat can't read minds there's no way he can interpret their reaction to deduce a correct answer. This type of puzzle doesn't work in the real world, what actually happens is what happened on set, one of the candidates takes a guess and gets the job for showing enthusiasm and initiative 🙂

[@billyback1038]

With these three contestants, there could be no other solution.

[@FelonyVideos]

The hat logic was cute, but the real trick is that doc and ed gave it away to the other player (humor), then pretended that was accidental, then Johnny mentions that it worked in rehearsal yesterday (humor AND logic, once you realize they screwed the experiment up on purpose, for the sake of humor).

[@TheLarryBrown]

Doc gives it away by holding up 2 fingers and then later realizes his blunder by pretending that's just the way he raises his hand. How did Ed give it away?

[@paulshanahan135]

I don’t think I would take a job from a company that had three perspective employees perform this exercise. 😂😂😂

[@TheLarryBrown]

Microsoft was famous for administering this type of puzzle.

[@jasonsteverson4609]

In his explanation, Johnny should have reiterated that there can only be one red hat if there is a red hat at all. That clears up everything. The reliance other two men's deduction is crucial. However, only a moment should pass before they all know. Who's quickest to the buzzer?

[@t5aylor]

But he never did say that, did he?

[@jasonsteverson4609]

@@t5aylor yes. Just once, but the others were talking.

[@csabo1725]

That's not a rule in the puzzle. There can be 1,2,3 or no red hats

[@packerfan2010]

He never should have said that to begin with.

[@TheLarryBrown]

Wrong. It still works without a condition of "no more than 1 red hat will be used." If there are two red hats, the guy with the single black hat will not raise his hand. In that case all three men will instantly know the score. If there are 3 red hats, no hands will be raised and they also will all three know the score,

[@mibeatleman6767]

You're making my brain hurt! 😫

[@hgmarsh1]

one of the best logic problems.

[@shellthomas3123]

This is freaking hilarious 😂😂😂

[@jmadratz]

That was a complete bomb.

[@EmilyTienne]

Agreed.

[@therootsAFUMC]

Since Doc immediately says "I must be wearing the red hat,." the presumption that all three would hesitate has been proven incorrect.

[@TheLarryBrown]

Doc was not intelligent in that he mistakenly assume at least 1 red hat would be used when that was not a condition of the puzzle. "Three intelligent men." An intelligent man would not make Doc's mistake, the puzzle is easier than that.

[@Oldag75]

Since neither one of the fellows said that.... The key resides in the winner's hesitation -- which tells him that he must be wearing a black hat.

[@DonTruman]

Shows how sharp Johnny was.

[@Facetimer864]

No! it shows how sharp the guy is, that sent the problem and the answer to Johnny

[@TheLarryBrown]

​@@Facetimer864It takes an intelligent person to enjoy this kind of puzzle. Many people don't have the intellectual energy to enjoy working through these.

[@PlanetEarth3141]

My dog 🐕 and I watched this together. Guess who figured it out first.

[@TheLarryBrown]

Your wife, who linked you this from her business trip in London.

[@warrenlim2175]

Ah, got it. Makes total sense now. A bit confusing but the answer lies in the reaction of the other two men. Their uncertainty is the give away because if there really was a red hat then they would have known the answer.

[@cjmacq-vg8um]

there's a flaw in this test. the person giving the test is lying when he says one of them has a red hat. that means to get the correct answer those taking the test must assume they're being lied to. no one would assume that because there's no reason to assume it. what the employer is actually saying is - the first applicant that deduces the employer is lying to them gets the job. what kind of way is that to run a business?

[@67lionsoflisbon37]

And not a drop imbibed! Silly fun but genius. Great show.

[@aurelnegrea7617]

Yes sir. Excellent job

[@bugoobiga]

Either scenario of 3 black hats, or 1 red + 2 black hats = 3 raised hands. That's where the real thinking comes in.

[@TheLarryBrown]

1 red and 2 blacks is easy for the two black hats and they would have instantly called out the answer, so only 3 black hats is a challange.

[@csabo1725]

There are 8 combinations. You can only be wearing a red hat if two hands are down (meaning there are 3 red hats) or one hand is down (meaning there are 2 red hats). Either way one is on your head.

[@svjim1]

I think he should be saying raise your hand if you see two black hats.

[@jimreadey4837]

That would make it too easy.

[@packerfan2010]

no

[@johnlv12]

Ed should have won because Doc was looking at Ed when Doc opened his eyes and immediately raised his hand before looking in Tommy's direction. So, Ed new that Doc raised his hand because he saw Ed's black hat.

[@cjmacq-vg8um]

there's a flaw in this test. the person giving the test is lying when he says one of them has a red hat. that means to get the correct answer those taking the test must assume they're being lied to. no one would assume that because there's no reason to assume it. what the employer is actually saying is - the first applicant that deduces the employer is lying to them gets the job. what kind of way is that to run a business? thanks for the video. it was funny.

[@I_need_a_better_username]

No. The statement is, “you’re either wearing a red or black hat.” Doesn’t mean any one of the mean has to be wearing a red hat.

[@lacesout8292]

​@@I_need_a_better_username Exactly

[@lacesout8292]

@cjmacq-vg8um . Key word EITHER

[@packerfan2010]

The person giving the test did not say one has a red hat. He said EITHER one has a red hat OR they all have black hats. Its one of the three guys that ASSUMED there should be one red hat. He assumed wrong.

[@stuartmazzeo2516]

You have two buckets of water and you have to dump them into a barrel but you have to keep the water separate. How do you do that? You freeze one of them.

[@tryingtobefairandobjective3480]

Making the assumption is key.

[@packerfan2010]

The solution here is a little flawed. If we assumed all three were intelligent, then all three would conclude their hat is black after the pause. You're assuming that two of the men uses perfect logic only some of the time.

[@gravizfake]

One was just a bit more intelligent than the others? Sigh…

[@packerfan2010]

@@gravizfake In that case, no information infered from their actions is reliable so he was only correct by luck.

[@TheLarryBrown]

They are all intelligent enough to use the simple logic required to solve the easy cases of the puzzle instantly. But the hard case required an "out of the box" thinking that went beyond "intelligence" and went to next level creativity.

[@packerfan2010]

@@TheLarryBrown Using logic would solve the problem for three intelligent people. Claiming that only one could solve while the other two couldn't is flawed.

[@packerfan2010]

@@TheLarryBrown You're assuming the problem requires an "out of box" and "intelligent" other than simple logic solution. Why? Simple logic solves all cases easily. This is a very simple exercise in logical reasoning. Don't assume that just because its a problem, complex solutions are needed.

[@mikepeacock4725]

I get it It's what you call Logical Deduction or Process Of Elimination

[@TheLarryBrown]

Maybe, but more like "thinking outside the box."

[@Sunspot1225.]

Just a thought does anyone remember Jack Parr? Or Pinky Lee?

[@WhyKnot-lr1kk]

Of course

[@brianarbenz1329]

My first thought was that Doc looked like Chico Marx.

[@lacesout8292]

Its a equation. Here's a fun iQ quiz that most get wrong: < I'm 2 years old, my brother is half my age. I just turned 100. What age is my brother?>

[@EddiePunched]

99

[@robbs7248]

For clarity it should say, "WHEN I was two years old..." just saying 😃

[@linkydinkydoodledumplin]

The correct answer is 1. If you are two years old, and your brother is half your age, that means he's 1. You can't be 2 years old and be 100 years old at the same time.

[@Mxxx-ii9bu]

No the correct answer is 99. Separate the two sentences into two distinct propositions.

[@svjim1]

The King called the three wisest men in the country to his court to decide who would become his new advisor. He placed a hat on each of their heads, such that each wise man could see all of the other hats, but none of them could see their own. Each hat was either white or blue. The king gave his word to the wise men that at least one of them was wearing a blue hat; in other words, there could be one, two, or three blue hats, but not zero. The king also announced that the contest would be fair to all three men. The wise men were also forbidden to speak to each other. The king declared that whichever man stood up first and correctly announced the colour of his own hat would become his new advisor. The wise men sat for a very long time before one stood up and correctly announced the answer. What did he say, and how did he work it out? Solution The King's Wise Men is one of the simplest induction puzzles and one of the clearest indicators to the method used. Suppose that there was one blue hat. The person with that hat would see two white hats, and since the king specified that there is at least one blue hat, that wise man would immediately know the colour of his hat. However, the other two would see one blue and one white hat and would not be able to immediately infer any information from their observations. Therefore, this scenario would violate the king's specification that the contest would be fair to each. So there must be at least two blue hats. Suppose then that there were two blue hats. Each wise man with a blue hat would see one blue and one white hat. Supposing that they have already realized that there cannot be only one (using the previous scenario), they would know that there must be at least two blue hats and therefore, would immediately know that they each were wearing a blue hat. However, the man with the white hat would see two blue hats and would not be able to immediately infer any information from his observations. This scenario, then, would also violate the specification that the contest would be fair to each. So there must be three blue hats. Since there must be three blue hats, the first man to figure that out will stand up and say blue. Alternative solution: This does not require the rule that the contest be fair to each. Rather it relies on the fact that they are all wise men, and that it takes some time before they arrive at a solution. There can only be three scenarios: one blue hat, two blue hats or three blue hats. If there was only one blue hat, then the wearer of that hat would see two white hats, and quickly know that he has to have a blue hat, so he would stand up and announce this straight away. Since this hasn't happened, then there must be at least two blue hats. If there were two blue hats, then either one of those wearing a blue hat would look across and see one blue hat and one white hat, but not know the colour of their own hat. If the first wearer of the blue hat assumed he had a white hat, he would know that the other wearer of the blue hat would be seeing two white hats, and thus the 2nd wearer of the blue hat would have already stood up and announced he was wearing a blue hat. Thus, since this hasn't happened, the first wearer of the blue hat would know he was wearing a blue hat, and could stand up and announce this. Since either one or two blue hats is so easy to solve, and no one has stood up quickly, then they must all be wearing blue hats.

[@Facetimer864]

Are you serious? You wrote all that out. It was more boring than seeing them do it

[@svjim1]

@@Facetimer864 I got it from Wikipedia.

[@20alphabet]

@@Facetimer864 👈🏼 ADHD

[@hotrox2112]

@@Facetimer864 it must be challenging for you to hold a thought?

[@kevindorland738]

All other possible scenarios were eliminated.

[@manuelcastaneda7838]

Good show

[@TheTriplelman]

when Ed said "and if we guess what do we get" Johhny should have said, "you get to keep your job"

[@GaryBickford]

This is actually an early example of "social engineering" as used in computer science, used for investigation rsther than hacking.

[@jumpkeys]

The real 3 black hat puzzle is worded differently by a university professor which makes it mich easier to decipher

Yes, this. The info Johnny gave was misleading, as there is an assumption of at least one red hat, correct?

[@ase713]

that may be true, but Carson's way of stating It works perfectly

[@jumpkeys]

@@ase713 if perfectly means confusing as hell

[@Mxxx-ii9bu]

@jumpkeys That you don't understand it while others do doesn't mean that the puzzle is confusing. It means that you are confused.

[@Sunspot1225.]

Johnny got confused

Tommy, as always, was The Man!

[@ivanleterror9158]

My hat is white because I'm one of the good guys.

[@multitrackers9599]

this probably works on radio better

[@anthonywright9103]

Who's on first?

[@peterbaruxis2511]

Thank's, that' what I was gonna say!

[@42976675]

The winning applicant would raise their hand and say black because an all black hat scenario is the only equal opportunity scenario that would pick an applicant based on response time although there is a risk that all applicants would respond with the correct answer simultaneously. An all red hat scenario, no one raises there hand or gives a reason, or is hired; either one red or one black hat scenario eliminates one applicant unfairly; a one black hat scenario two applicants could simultaneously raise their hand with correct reason but the other applicant could not and would not be eliminated based on reasoning; one red hat scenario three applicants would simultaneously raise their hand and two could accurately identify their hat color based on number of raised hands, the hat colors the see, and give reason but one would be eliminated unfairly by giving a wrong hat color black when red. The all black hat scenario all raise hand, all could could correctly identify their hat color, all could give a correct reason, so answering first is key but scenario risks all answer correctly simultaneously then the employer could choose randomly.

[@packerfan2010]

The flaw here is that the smartest guy would reason his hat is black because if it was red, then the other two would have answered with no pause. The very assumption relies on the reason the other two paused or not paused. But if the other two don't reason the same at the same time, that assumption becomes unreliable. If they were not smart enough to reason their own hat is black at the same time as our smartest guy, then they may pause even if they see a red hat or may answer quickly even if they see two black hats. The smartest guy would still interpret the assumption and reason similarly but his answer would be wrong.

[@42976675]

The employer would not have chosen the one red hat scenario because it would be unfair to the red hat candidate. Why eliminate potentially the best candidate for no reason.

[@packerfan2010]

@@42976675 That's all you learned from my comment? That's not the point. You wouldn't hire the guy who answered his hat color quickly but gave a flawed reason. Why conduct the test for no reason.

[@johnlv12]

1. An all red hat scenario, nobody raises their hand. It would then be easy to logically deduce that "I must be wearing a red hat; otherwise (if I had a black hat), both the other applicants would have seen my black hat and would have raised their hands". The first one to figure it out would provide that reason and get the job. 2. The one black hat scenario, one person does not raise their hand because they see two red hats. The one with the black hat can easily figure out their hat is black because the other two raised their hands. But, the two with red hats can also easily figure out theirs is red since the one with the black hat did not raise their hand (meaning that person saw two red hats, one of which is mine). 3. The one red hat scenario. Everybody raises their hands. The person wearing the red hat cannot tell what color hat they have, but the other two wearing red hats can tell. They only have to deduce that if their hat was red, the other person they can see wearing a black hat would have seen two red hats and would not have raised their hand. 4. Three black hat scenario. This relies on the fact that case 3 applies. Since nobody was able to quickly deduce that they have a black hat using the logic explained in case 3, therefore all three people can deduce that they must all have black hats.

[@johnlv12]

also, it's not part of the rules that it has to be an equal opportunity scenario. The interviewer may have already narrowed it down to only 2 candidates, but they need 3 candidates to play the game. But, if you want an equal opportunity scenario for all three candidates, all of them are valid except the one red hat scenario. The one red hat case is valid if you want it to be equal opportunity for two candidates- give those two the black hats.

[@friends4-everlearningcen-df9mn]

This has me so baffled if all three are wearing a black hat, which is the case, but they don’t know what color their hat is if they see a black hat, each person sees two people with black hats on. As long as one person that you’re looking at has a black hat on then you can easily assume you’re wearing a red hat. And all three see two black hats then that person assumes they may have the red hat on.. So how is it that a person would say I’m wearing the black hat because neither of the two said they’re wearing the red hat? Is it because they did not mention that they have the red hat on is supposedly makes the most intelligent person realize he must be wearing black? Then suppose they did answer that they were wearing the red hat they would’ve been mistaken, but how does that confirm that your head is black? It is only then that you could correctly assume that your hat is now black because you know he’s wearing black. The other person who hasn’t mentioned what color his is you know it’s black because you can see that it is…regardless both opponents are gonna see a black hat, thus raising their hand. OK you’re wearing the black hat and everybody raises their hand. There is no true correct answer because you could definitely be wearing a red or a black hat and you could’ve been wrong had you said black and you were truly wearing red….and lost the job so I do not get this riddle and I don’t think I ever will. Each person sees a black hat, whether it’s two people wearing a black hat or one they raise their hand…..

[@packerfan2010]

So, there's some element of timing because he said PAUSE and its bascially process of elimination. The guy who answered correctly eliminated every other possibility. If you were one of the three guys and saw two black hats, there's two possibilities. Either your hat is red or its black. Suppose your hat is red. Let B and C be the other two guys. B raises his hand because he see's a black hat on C's head. C only sees a black hat and a red hat but because B raised his hand, C knows his own hat must be black because B cannot see his own hat. Thus, C would insanity reason that his hat is black. Similar logic suggest that B would also reason his own hat is black as well. But the PAUSE would imply that neither immediately deduced this. Therefore, this is not the case: the case where your hat is red. Therefore, the only other possibility is your hat is black. But then again, if we assumed they all knew perfect logic as is the case with these types of problems, all three would conclude their own hat is black after the pause.

[@ImranKhan1976]

Scenario 1 Everyone wears red No-one raises their hands Explanation: "We are all wearing red because no-one raised their hands." Scenario 2 Two people wear red, one wears black. Two people raise their hands Explanation: "One of us is wearing red, the person wearing black didn't raise their hand" Scenario 3 Two people wear black, one wears red. Everyone raises their hands The people wearing black know they are wearing black because in Scenario 2 (2 red hats) two people not 3 would have raised their hands. However in this scenario all three have raised their hands and the black hat wearers can see one red hat. So there can only be one red hat. Scenario 4 - the trick scenario Everyone wears black The cleverest guy figures out "if I was wearing red then guys wearing black hats would realise they are wearing black hats because we all raised our hands (scenario 3) and they can see my red hat. But they didn't say they were wearing black and are still thinking about it - so we must all be wearing black hats. The puzzle relies on an extra step in logic, the first 3 scenarios are fairly easy to work out for someone in that situation. But the final scenario (4) requires you to visualise the other three scenarios to figure out the answer.

[@brettrinker7012]

3 hands, 3 hats, "all" black because of hand count.

[@packerfan2010]

Nope, two black hats and one red hat would result in three raised hands as well

[@BetterOff735]

I still don't get it. Must be because i haven't had a good bowel movement today.

[@TheLarryBrown]

With that level of humour, something tells me you *really* don't belong in this discussion thread.

[@briandavis6898]

That makes sense

[@istvansolymar5297]

You can say that again

[@whodidit99]

But the solution assumes that both of the other men would be able to figure out that he has a black hat?

[@TheLarryBrown]

Yes. It's an easy puzzle if it works out that you should know your hat. Anyone would be smart enough to solve it instantly. "Three intelligent men."

[@gregoryunderwood4121]

In reality, the guy that figured this out, would not have gotten the job, as employers don't want employees who are able to think. They're too dangerous. They only want employees who mindlessly do what they're told.

[@jeffreyirish3646]

Isn't that the truth.

[@toreckman8899]

Hear hear. A Manager definitely doesn’t want a subordinate smarter than he/she.

[@kenhaley4]

Here's the proper answer: The smartest person reasons as follows: If I'm wearing a red hat, the other two guys would quickly reason that they're looking at each other's black hat and would have already claimed their hats are black. The only reason they don't do that is because I'm not wearing a red hat. My hat must be black.

[@packerfan2010]

But the other two men would reason exactly the same as the first guy and thus all conclude their hat is black simultaneously. Because if you otherwise assume the other two men are less intelligent, then you couldn't assume the reason why they would (or would not) answer. You can't assume they'd be smart enough to recognize they don't immediately know that they have a black hat and not smart enough to draw the same conclusion as the first guy to deduce that they do have a black hat.

[@kenhaley4]

@@packerfan2010 No, the idea is to determine who is the smartest. Assuming one guy is smarter than the other two, he's the one who will first figure out that his hat must be black.

[@packerfan2010]

@@kenhaley4 you should read reply then because if only one was smart enough to deduce his own hat is black and the other two couldnt then his rationale is flawwed because its based on assuming the other two are smart enough to respond or not respond when they did If you assume only one of the three guys is smart enough to figure out his own hat color and the other two are not, you create a paradox because the reasoning that would lead the smart guy to his conclusion relies on the other two to be equally smart but you're assuming otherwise, completing the contradiction

[@kenhaley4]

​@@packerfan2010 Let me reiterate. Assume I'm one of these guys, and I know the other two aren't stupid. After all, we're all applying for the same job. So, I look at the others and see 2 black hats. Now I think, either my hat is red or black. If my hat is red, each of the other guys sees one red and one black hat. We all raised our hands, so they know we all see at least one black hat. It would only take them a few seconds to realize they're looking at each other's hat, and they would almost immediately announce that their hat is black. But several seconds go by, and no one says anything. So I conclude, they must not see a red and a black hat. They must be looking at 2 black hats, the same as me. Therefore my hat must be black. Now, sooner or later, we can assume all 3 guys would reach the same conclusion, but the smartest guy would reach that conclusion first. It wouldn't be simultaneous, because it's not an easy conclusion to arrive at. This is a classic problem--I first heard it decades ago.

[@packerfan2010]

@@kenhaley4 The difference between the first guy answering and the third guy answering would only be a few seconds but you're just splitting hairs at that point.

[@jimdenzler389]

I’d change to a babooska!

[@cliftonwoodman]

Johnny screwed up the puzzle info.😂Still funny.

[@ase713]

Nope, It was said perfectly.

[@kato1400]

The problem is everyone is wearing all black hats. It would work if one is wearing a red hat.

[@pascal1947]

It does indeed simplify the problem. It also sucks the mystery and delight out of the problem. If there are 3 men and I know one of the hats is red, then if I see only black hats on others, don't bother raising hands. My hat must be the red one.

[@JohnBerry-q1h]

🐈‍⬛ 🙄 How come I got a black cat??

[@scobrado]

But what if you have to give the what-color-you're-wearing answer alone or first? _Then_ can you solve it 100% of the time? Final mental test: If you have _three_ smart people, they'll all say black and be correct.

[@packerfan2010]

exactly

[@KitchenerLeslie2]

Doc doesn’t own a doghouse

[@DoubleDoubleWithOnions]

Gay.

[@KitchenerLeslie2]

@@DoubleDoubleWithOnions hey! My father’s gay!

[@TheLarryBrown]

You guys are deep in deductive reasoning territtory.

[@leonardmcdermott7703]

The real question should be...which one was colour blind? 😂

[@markbarry9945]

Was this a Linux advertisement?

[@ase713]

hahahah, funny guy

[@recidivistfighter4673]

Doesn’t work in tik tok era …..

[@victor.huy.8021]

If all intelligent, possibilities: 1. No black, everyone know cause no one raise their hand 2. 1 black, everyone know too cause 2 hands raise 1 doesn’t 3. 2 blacks, if no one jump to answer, the one seeing 1 black 1 red would know he has a black. 4. 3 blacks, if no one can quickly be #3, than each wearing black.

[@davidheathcoat3408]

Even if the person has a black or red all three see a black hat and if there is a red hat they still lift the hat.

[@michaelbradford6990]

We never got to know who was on first, and what color THAT hat was.

[@WhyKnot-lr1kk]

That was a stupid routine and yours is a stupid comment

[@pascal1947]

The beauty of the puzzle is when you can make the transition to any number of men, not just 3. For instance, if there are 4 men, then the 4th man should reason that if his hat were red, then each of the other 3 men would be able to use the solution for 3 and give the correct answer. But since they did not, the 4th man knows his hat is black.

[@davidheathcoat3408]

What???. The problem said 3. I Don't get the job because if one has a red hat he sees 2 black hats but it's if you see a black hat. So, if one has a red hat they all 3 still rase their hands. So, one with a red hat still rases his hand.

[@pascal1947]

@@davidheathcoat3408 Maybe I didn't explain it well. Lets accept the 3 men, 3 black hat solution of the video. In a group of 3 men where they each see black hats on the other 2 and all 3 raise their hands, THEN blessed with perfect logic, each of them should conclude that their own hat is black and each should race to give the correct answer. NOW, introduce a 4th man who thinks, I see 3 black hats. If my hat is red, then I don't matter to the other 3 men and they should STILL find the correct answer with their perfect logic. But none of them are speaking up. It can ONLY be that my hat is NOT red, so my hat MUST be black and I shall give it as the correct answer.

[@ThePopeII]

@@pascal1947 It wouldn't work with 4 men because if your hat were the only red hate, each of the other 3 men would see 2 black hats. So they would not know their own hat was black, because the other two men wearing black hats would be seeing each other's black hat.

[@cjmacq-vg8um]

there's a flaw in this test. the person giving the test is lying when he says one of them has a red hat. that means to get the correct answer those taking the test must assume they're being lied to. no one would assume that because there's no reason to assume it. what the employer is actually saying is - the first applicant that deduces the employer is lying to them gets the job. what kind of way is that to run a business?

[@davidheathcoat3408]

​@cjmacq-vg8um they did not say there was a red hat. Either means maybe. Each of you will either have a black or red. Not one of you will have a red hat.

[@letsgobrandon6281]

It's not a good explanation

[@packerfan2010]

The explanation of "there was a pause then the man knew his hat was black" is correct. However, they would all know this, not just one of them.

[@haroldnewman7682]

These were the good old days of the tonight show ,now in 2022 the tonight show host calls me a racisit or trys to shove that homasexual garbage in my face, i havent watched any late night trump bashing gay networks sence jay leno step down.Glory to jesus christ"

[@peterbaruxis2511]

Yes, Jay Leno's leaving was the end of a era.

[@timower5850]

This isn't the puzzle

[@ase713]

Yes It is

[@timower5850]

@@ase713 In the proper puzzle, the men are seated one behind the other. The guy up front obviously sees no one, the second guy just sees that first guy, and the third guy sees the first and second guys. You may look up the rest.

[@ase713]

​ @timower5850 I see what you are saying. That his puzzle may be derived from another puzzle. Well, that may be, but this puzzle is still perfectly valid. I see in several comments that they believe the puzzle is told incorrectly thus making It unsolvable, when in actuality It is very solvable.

[@bettycogswell9851]

This is as bad as "who's on first?",,,,Abbott and Costello.

[@freddyfurrah3789]

Mensar

[@stevec6455]

Already bored, you too?

[@20alphabet]

You won't do well in life.

[@TheLarryBrown]

A small subset of people, including me and Johnny, enjoy working through this type of puzzle. Lots of people don't. I'm OK with that, but I do find it annoying when such people insult us.

[@roseymalino9855]

For the problem to make any sense there must be at least one of each color and the instructions would so state. I think Johnny is misstating the problem. If all black hats, everyone would see at least 1 black so all would raise hand. If all red, no one would see black, so no hands raised.

[@packerfan2010]

No, to demonstrate the logic of the problem you need to have everyone wearing black hats or two wear black and one wear red hat. 0 black and 3 red: no hands raised 1 black and 2 red: two hands raised 2 black and 1 red: three hands raised 3 black and 0 red: three hands raised The solution is obvious and immediate if you see 0 or 2 hands raised so you need 3 hands raised to figure the logic of the problem.

[@roseymalino9855]

@@packerfan2010 Your delineation is correct which illustrates the problem's problematic issue.

[@packerfan2010]

@@roseymalino9855 The problem's problematic issue is not the necessity of Prescence of each color, which is your assertion. My replied proved that's not the case.

[@peterbaruxis2511]

Actually, the first one to realize that none of them can answer, and also realize why- understands that his own hat is black.

[@packerfan2010]

@@peterbaruxis2511 your flaw is assuming only one can draw that conclusion. The rationale for one getting it correct fails if the other two dont also get it correct You can't assume the other two are smart enough to know their hat cannot be red while also assuming they aren't smart enough to know that their hat must then be black

[@thomasschroeder5327]

Holy Trinity Lutheran Church fl

[@EmilyTienne]

Borrrrring, Johnny. Pretty sure his entire studio audience nodded off.

[@WhyKnot-lr1kk]

Not really, people used to be able to think. Today they have short attention span’s and lack the ability to do any kind of thinking

[@EmilyTienne]

@@WhyKnot-lr1kk Nobody had the vaguest notion what he was attempting to explain. Not Ed, and not the guest. The audience had zero audible reaction (and it wasn’t because they were spellbound). They were bored.

[@linkydinkydoodledumplin]

@@EmilyTienne It was like attending a Biden rally.

[@EmilyTienne]

@@linkydinkydoodledumplin News flash: Biden isn’t running, nor is he holding rallies.

[@danstiverson]

Intelligent??? No.

[@WhyKnot-lr1kk]

Sorry If it got to be too much for you buddy.

[@jimmygarlon750]

Moe, Curly, Larry and Shemp

[@birderjohn3396]

If only guy#1 had a red hat on then guy#2 and guy#3 would be able to figure out their hat is black. They would see that the guy with the black hat has his hand raised because he is seeing his black hat(the other guy’s is red, that he can see for himself). Since guy#1 sees two black hats and neither one figures out the question, he deduces it’s because his hat isn’t red.

[@modoc852]

😤🤯👈

[@I_need_a_better_username]

Who’s on first?

[@bjb7587]

What?

[@WhyKnot-lr1kk]

That routine is so old and so stupid it’s not worth thinking about.