Can you solve the prisoner boxes riddle? - Yossi Elran

View full lesson: ed.ted.com/lessons/can-you-sol...
Want more? Try your hand at the buried treasure riddle: • Can you solve the buri...
Your favorite band is great at playing music...but not so great at being organized. They keep misplacing their instruments on tour, and it’s driving their manager mad. Can you solve the brain-numbing riddle their manager assigns them and make sure the band stays on their label? Yossi Elran shows how.
Lesson by Yossi Elran, animation by Artrake Studio.

[@christianc487]

You know this is a fake riddle because the drummer was the first one to propose an idea.

[@CST1992]

There were 3 minutes given to prepare. And the silence was limited only to what they found.

[@numbereight886]

lol, the drummer got sacked anyway for being a stoner.

[@chrisedwards4995]

&

[@Ghonosyphlaids]

Beat me to it

[@beastdrummer555]

As a drummer you are right.... We're dumb af

[@sprazz8668]

Going to the box with the instrument found: 35% success rate. All going through and smacking the manager with a trombone: 100% success rate.

[@trashhh_hhh9441]

lol

[@kai-kea]

i did this in a math class not long ago, so I was pretty happy that I knew this :)

[@LAVDV]

Sprazzal this is the best idea ever

[@0ll046]

Bwop bwop bwop

[@manicflying1289]

**plays incidental music**

[@cynicalnerd2529]

Manager: Is frustrated that his band is unorganized Solution: Gives himself a 65% chance of damaging his career

[@akisa7865]

Modern problems require soviet solutions

[@SirVelo]

@@akisa7865 exactly comrade

[@g.k684]

@@akisa7865 *chugs vodka*

[@vevericac3294]

63%. good at math

[@alexchandler4213]

@@akisa7865 *soviet anthem begins*

[@mr.cup6yearsago211]

Manager: *Is frustrated that the band isn’t getting to shows on time* Also Manager: *Solves problem by trapping them all in a room, giving them a 35% chance of escape, making it very unlikely they’ll be able to perform*

[@colorfulchameleon9891]

eh, seems reasonable to me.

[@confusionkale]

eh, seems reasonable to me.

[@senaahasan5182]

eh,seems reasonable to me.

[@wadejg_blaze0n213]

eh,seems reasonable to me

[@ultra-flamaxus]

eh,seems reasonable to me

[@yeokei]

My solution: Pick up each box. If they're about as heavy as your instrument, open it

[@Rayka_96]

That's actually not bad, and doesnt break the rules

[@forestwow1487]

KittyKiana that is the right answer than the one in video

[@janicemarler9185]

Sounds good to me.

[@nro1003]

Connor Anderson if YOU listened , u wouldve heard them say that u cant mark the boxes, shout out what u found, or communicate in any way and can look inside the box before they take u back . they cant take u back if u didnt look into it . 😂 so this makes sense

[@ManDancingMoji]

woooooooow XD

[@arubberduck2910]

Ok kids, today we learn about something called *“ 9 1 1 “*

[@Bedic-Mag]

Funny, but living in the UK it's 999

[@Baddie_ate]

In my country it's 100

[@ricosmoovetv]

in canada its 911

[@Alvionalx]

191

[@artemixzs]

In my country we learn to play along/ read the joke and move on

[@anonymouspuppy]

“Windowless sound proof practice room” manager opens small window.

[@daerdevvyl4314]

puppies are cute I think that’s a mail slot.

[@anonymouspuppy]

@@daerdevvyl4314 mail slot small window same thing

[@nia-marieryan4196]

@@anonymouspuppy no wonder my mail is thrown throw my bedroom window also I thought I was the only one to enjoy the view through the mail slot

[@giomorrison9531]

@@nia-marieryan4196 Yeah, I agree there is a difference.

[@snowybob5498]

IT'S THE ROOM TO IT NOT THE PRACTICE ROOM

[@Doggywoof1]

Step 1: wait 10 days Step 2: deduct that you all have green eyes Step 3: ask the manager to leave the practice room

[@hazymeadows]

Now thats a smarter idea of the green eye riddle (still overused -_-)

[@checcmac8693]

69th likes

[@genechia2605]

*deduce

[@genechia2605]

@ThePotato what, mine?

[@silvanobianchini6924]

what if the manager responds "ozo"?

[@renbies2304]

Or maybe if they had their phones, they could call the cops because that manager literally tied them up in a room!

[@aidanmacivor4881]

Fingers

[@electerz4781]

janice ravelll Why would you type to a police?

[@aidanmacivor4881]

Dialing

[@mightydragongamer8712]

PurpleTurtle how could they call the police their hands where tied.

[@aidanmacivor4881]

Just because their hands were tied doesn't mean the couldn't dial the police

[@McSlobby]

Isnt it like, illegal?

[@aniariegel653]

Ana the Guy yes it is

[@danthehedgehog3978]

Unless it was in their contract that is

[@thalespro9995]

Isn’t dogs being soldiers like illegal

[@andy-tm5re]

Contract Clause: you will be locked in a room with boxes

[@buzzy33]

But apparently not in this universe 😐

[@shascircus]

"The musicians wake up in a windowless room, tied up by their manager" *Ah, yes. Work laws.*

[@jeffdmmacdonald2747]

Epilogue: After the musicians' grand success they contacted the label and asked for a new non-abusive manager. The old manager got thrown in jail for ten years.

[@SistaBear]

Yes because that guy obviously should be put in jail for literally kidnapping the band members.

[@rgxyz1233]

1 year for every person kidnapped

[@mid9moth]

No. Make that 20 years

[@atchaaa]

@@mid9moth How about 30

[@stick3915]

A few days later the Label CEO called the manager because there's a counterfeit coin in their treasury

[@danshen3827]

So how is this even supposed to help them with their poor organization problem skills though?

[@irrelevant_noob]

It would show them clearly why it's bad to not leave your instrument whereever, and why instead they should use the correct box. ;-)

[@Shrektacular2468]

Scar them for life. PTSD usually fixes problems, right?

[@geetaagarwal4622]

Just pause at 2:19 all boxes are of different sizes

[@theisjepsen22]

I guess ir is just like saw

[@nguyenhuong3655]

Haha is you going to come over and get me

[@kewl-asian]

why is he a drummer tho if he's got Einstein's brain

[@hijabiart8653]

- ̗̀ Kazumi ̖́- right?

[@soumyadatta4514]

Because he was Richard Feynman.

[@potatowedge6597]

becuase

[@SuperNuclearBoss]

- ̗̀ Kazumi ̖́- all he did was do a eureka and make a plan

[@vb4070]

Because we percussionists are the best

[@abigailschmitt7423]

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

[@bts_army_girl_50]

It's a too old joke.

[@gentrydean3789]

I knew this would play in!

[@cuauhtemocarellano5455]

Idu

[@zahranikpour3886]

Gentry Dean it’s literally in *EVERY* vid

[@EHaoK1]

Zahra Nikpour it’s an oldie but a goodie

[@CheeseTheWhistle]

I've rewatched this 10 times, and I'm wondering why the band members don't sue their manager for kidnapping.

[@sarad2487]

Now you see, that’s the epilogue

[@misterbrick4276]

They could, AFTER they solve the puzzle

[@canadianshark2625]

The manager has green eyes so if he goes to jail he can just get out

[@ir0ngamer393]

Why was security in on it? If anything they should be trying to stop this psychotic manager

[@mysticmushroom_]

True

[@Bedic-Mag]

Probably blackmail or bribery

[@destroyerofeps2714]

@Dark Pink Cow actually it's more similar to burning your paycheck and then questioning why your boss fires you

[@RafaelMunizYT]

I'm dying

[@SnootDog]

He paid them probably

[@joninfiction]

I have another answer... size. They never mentioned if the boxes are in similar size. Drums would have to be in the biggest box.

[@chuugummy975]

That's what I thought it would be.

[@joninfiction]

Lymarie Guzmán Pérez it's still an option

[@acowthatflewby621]

they could have made all the boxes big though

[@WaffleCat3367]

make all of the boxes huge

[@joninfiction]

WaffleCat3367 that isn't mentioned in the rules therefore it is irrelevant.

[@imeldasuryanti2335]

manager: shaped like a triangle TED-Ed: cut the sharp points of the triangle and there you go! you've got a pentagon

[@flyingaegislash6272]

It’s not a pentagon, its a hexagon lol

[@k3ose455]

reference to unstoppable blob riddle

[@EnriqueLaberintico]

He's a trapeze.

[@cleoyogi1235]

My solution: 1, confirm that one person has a phone. 2, confirm you have service 3, text your friend and ask them to sneak over to where you are and text you which instrument is in which box. backup 3, if the boxes are heavily guarded or your friend can't get there in time, call the police to arrest your manager and hold him for kidnapping. 4, get a new manager that doesn't have a criminal record.

[@captainnomekop5056]

Well if you’ve been Kidnapped and put in a windowless room I don’t think you’ll be able to tell anyone where you are.

[@mrsillytacos]

​@captainnomekop5056 you realize most police stations have a tracker to where the call was, right?

[@deb1717]

Is mayonnaise an instrument

[@ash-gl7hd]

Eeyore The Donkey No. Horseradish is not an instrument either!

[@kranjos]

Underrated comment

[@emmavg3070]

Yes , Yes it is

[@homeslicebreadslice6667]

a box with a mayonnaise label. the box with mayo will spill boi

[@gabygacha6609]

No Patrick, mayonnaise is not an instrument.

[@huaen8880]

I think I would just fire that manager after that final concert.

[@princessevangeline410]

@Some Stuff ! where is that from? It seems familiar

[@princessevangeline410]

@Some Stuff ! wait I know it's asdfmovie right?

[@finnskywalker2273]

1) order band members to pick boxes in order of how heavy their instruments are. 2) first band member (who has the heaviest instrument) picks up each box without opening them. they open the heaviest 5 boxes. 3) second band member (who has the second heaviest instrument) picks up each box without opening them. they open the heaviest 5 boxes. so on so forth. should be within the rules and 100% successful.

[@mariustan9275]

That's pretty good

[@Rootingforresidentevilfinale]

If this counts as a correct answer this will be the first riddle from this channel I’ve got correct

[@hyperfairy7779]

No moving boxes, marking boxes or communication, So long as the boxes are not moved from where they are, this is fine, just lift them enough to gauge the weight

[@doggoboihour9746]

Pick up the guitar. *bonk manager on head* *r u n*

[@m.magarwal5287]

Buuut also get dropped by your label

[@hziub]

manager has security.

[@doggoboihour9746]

hamza arshad siddiqui *hit them too, what they gonna do?*

[@a_literal_crow]

@@hziub then b o n k security on the head too

[@sineadthomas2024]

The tuba

[@mry6458]

I never even try solving these riddles yet I get so excited when they post another one.

[@viddhi8015]

Mry64 Relatable xD

[@aroosasohail5198]

Mry64 me to too exited to solve one and TED-ED PLS😭😭😭😭😭😭😭 make more

[@a.jonsson6696]

Mry64 sooo true! :D

[@petermcmahon9576]

Mry64 AGREED

[@Haburg]

me too

[@TheWeco]

Aahahaha... the drummer figured it out, yeah right

[@coomcake]

+1

[@bobrianfo104]

he said drummer, not Lars Ulrich.

[@nazliar790]

k

[@kyleb2691]

yeah but you drummers good so maybe you should go solo for a while then when you do you'll find him and he love to find you a very nice toothpick and use your toothpick you'll be the best starting the movie if you do it good enough well you give me a dollar and I'll tell you later but and it is a book you will not remember this tomorrow and for the rest of your life you're going to be reading KZbin comments like the noob you f****** b**** no can I go back to doing my hair combing bye bye

[@lexisl3231]

Songs From the Lake's Head I'm a drummer and I figured it out

[@Godtierlee]

I actually got this one right for once. I do the same thing with CDs I have in the wrong box.

[@jaypee9575]

That's a great analogy for what's going on in this riddle. It helps a lot in understanding why this works.

[@masapopovic9022]

'They wake up in a windowless sound proof practice room' OSHA: Allow us to introduce ourselves

[@andrewg9433]

I don't get why people keep getting mad when they demonstrate that it's possible to fail. The video never claimed this is 100% certain to work. He said himself that it only has a 35% chance of succeeding, but that chance is still better than picking at random.

[@SeedlingNL]

It works better because you are eliminating all loops that do not have your instrument. The only way the band would fail, is if there was a 6 or longer loop, and the manager could easily prevent that by splitting the boxes into two groups before randomizing each group.

[@MidasOfMesses]

And here I am saying "Okay so he told them not to touch the instruments, so they can just carry the box in with them because that's not technically touching them"

[@meljoy213]

Singsong423 XD

[@eliasbouhout1]

Well,they would probably have to do the concert using boxes and not instruments :/

[@sias8594]

i thought the same just take a box and shake it if you hear your instrument you open it

[@ionascheer2563]

+supahReford ;p that would brake any strings and or fragile instruments.....

[@MidasOfMesses]

What I meant is that they could open a box and if it's theirs just take the box into the room with them. That's not technically touching the instruments, and eliminates the choices for the others that go after

[@marcusscience23]

Alternate riddle, same strategy: You're allowed to discuss the strategy with the band (you're not in the band) and go before them and look into all the boxes and swap any 2, and only 2, of the instruments. You can swap 2 instruments in the loop that is more than 5 instruments (if there is one) Same riddle, alternate strategy: One of them get out and call the police

[@Stella-John_Learning]

LOL

[@bmsvg7356]

If poker has taught me anything, 35% is a horrible percentage. I always seem to miss the cards I need with 35% odds.

[@bottinator22]

rigged

[@matthewsouthall736]

I find I get sucked out more when I have 80% equity.

[@yinghungman4471]

yes, over 50% chance of being murderer in roblox mm2 mm2: *You are Innocent*

[@carealoo744]

But it's better than 1 in 1024

[@moon4236]

If gacha games have taught me anything is that 35% is an amazing percentage.

[@sabrinasteele6958]

Is no one going to mention the fact that there are *10* people in a band?????????

[@sabrinasteele6958]

you see, i kind of meant _besides_ me

[@etirun1517]

2's a company, 3's a crowd, 10's a band

[@ahsuna5109]

@@sabrinasteele6958 There is a group with 21 members, but on the other hand they do have sub units. (The Group is called NCT. )

[@salti_bich580]

@@zainabwadee7597 seventeen actually have 13 members in total

[@mcsy98]

*at least its not a one man band* *_looks at your pfp_*

[@Tahmis_Googboi]

I've watched this series for years, but something still confuses me about this puzzle. The puzzle explains that they open boxes until they find their instrument. And after five boxes, or after they find their instrument, they are escorted to the tour bus, presumably with their instrument if they found it right? Which means that this solution wouldn't actually work, because certain items within each chain would be removed after each musician. For example, in the example at 2:30, it's possible that before the singer takes her turn opening boxes, the drummer already found his drums in a previous turn. Meaning that after the singer opens the first box and finds nothing inside, she'd be completely in the dark. If anything, using this strategy may lead certain musicians into loops that will never contain their instrument. The only way this solution works is if the instruments stay in their box, which seems pretty counter-intuitive to the goal of the musicians, even if it's very much intuitive in a puzzle mindset. I kind of wish TED-Ed had made this a more explicit clue, that the instruments stay even after they're found - I feel like it would've made us really think about how this clue would've been useful as a strategy.

[@louise4152]

They could've left them in the box while the rest of the band members do the puzzle, and whoever managed to find their instrument would get them afterwards.

[@Tahmis_Googboi]

@@louise4152 True, but they never explicitly stated this.

[@persephone1015]

This is the question that’s been haunting me!!!!!

[@Bladethird]

The manager literally says you can't touch the instruments. The instructions is to find the instruments, not take them out of the box. Presumably, the staff would pick up the boxes and load them into the tour bus after all the band members get on board.

[@paperbag4956]

It literally says at 0:50 you cant touch the instruments until after

[@johnchessant3012]

If you're wondering where the 30% number at 4:18 comes from, it turns out to be exactly 1 - ln 2, or about 30.7%. You can prove this by solving the limit of the expression at 4:11 as a Riemann sum.

[@igorralic515]

My brain hurts

[@danielpronkin6657]

Your should go see a doctor

[@igorralic515]

Yep :D

[@dosonhuynh4528]

Daniel Pro

[@kevinphilipsanders]

Igor Ralic have you tried using it.

[@igorralic515]

Yes,thats why it hurts,im a student,whit all 10ns(in my country)best in the school

[@baalston4746]

My solution...... Dont play in the band so the manager will be bankrupt

[@adelmundoppo1485]

Yup

[@OneDicz]

“... it depends on you, the detective” Me: Well today is your lucky day, thief”

[@shreyanshumalviya]

watching it after Veritasium's video..

[@amberlavenderreed6520]

10 in a band? K-pop. Gotta be

[@wooyomeong]

true 😂

[@galaxyrose9513]

Ikr lol

[@user-xz1vg3rd1l]

Omg too true.

[@msonal26]

You You Can @1 A 2 2 2

[@msonal26]

@aaaaaa#a@

[@adrijarambhatla3898]

Wait. If the person found their instrument and took it away. Then the next person who goes to that box won't know which box to go to next because that instrument is missing. So technically only the 1st person would get their instrument

[@Tigercup9]

Hey! Good point.

[@empresselilyho8425]

*YOU OWNED TED ED...HERE IS YOUR AWARD*

[@nananou1687]

The box gets removed that way..... That is the why the chances of finding yours increases....

[@lulzgalore6249]

Adrija Rambhatla i think they can't get it. They just show that they found it

[@adrijarambhatla3898]

Udayon Sen oh ok.

[@ccsuny2000]

For those getting stuck, think about it with a more simple example. Let's say I'm the Microphone, and you're the Guitar, there are only two boxes, and we only get one pick each. If we both pick at random, there is a 25% chance we are both correct (0.5 x 0.5 = 0.25). But, if we each decide to pick the box with the logo of our instrument, there is a 50% chance of that scenario being correct. The key here is eliminating duplicate picks. If I go first, and pick correctly, then you are guaranteed to pick correctly as long as we decided ahead of time to pick different boxes. So we have eliminated the scenarios where we both picked the same box, which is a guaranteed fail. Basically we've decided ahead of time that we are either 100% correct, or 100% incorrect, and eliminated two scenarios where we are partially correct. My potential picks: - Box with Microphone Logo (KEEP) - Box with Guitar logo (ELIMINATE) Your potential picks: - Box with Microphone logo (ELIMINATE) - Box with Guitar logo (KEEP)

[@jaypee9575]

Ah, so the point is they are all picking unique patterns. This video did a poor job explaining that. Thanks for clearing it up.

[@DeathnoteBB]

Well there’s a 50% chance you’re correct, both of you. Gambler’s fallacy _says_ previous odds effect present odds, but it’s a fallacy. Right??

[@alibalik4481]

I thought i could solve all TED-ED riddles but after 15 in a row this one here made me resign I understand the solution and its brilliant, but its really hard to find. Respect to everyone who finds this

[@timothyreheht6485]

Everyone just takes some instrument. In the end they give it to the corresponding person. Done

[@Silverizael]

Rules say you can't take any instruments with you. Follow directions next time.

[@whataghost1524]

+Silverizael They never said you couldn't telepathically tell your friends that their instruments are in the certain boxes

[@dongray3258]

absolutely this is how we get things done in a democracy love your answer it rocks and it really would work LOL.

[@sometimesismile]

It says all ten must find their own instrument

[@farrahmuhammad5689]

It doesn't say if they give you your instrument if you find it...

[@bidoofer7514]

Who else only watches this for the answer

[@studtistics2448]

Me because there seems to already be people who studied these problems so that they automatically know the answers.

[@user-dy5dx1fy5b]

Here

[@strangeusername]

Me

[@strangeusername]

😎😌😍🤑😛😝😜😏😻😸😺🙄💩😷

[@hakasebiscuit]

Bidoof 456 that face tho

[@gnehsse]

This is the most insane riddle, I've solved all of TedEDs riddles so far except the 3 gods one, but there's no way I could have solved this in a million years

[@snowycavern3312]

Answer: *The manager is psycho just cancel the contract and Sue him*

[@Schnoicky]

Option 1: You lift all the boxes up to check their weight BEFORE you open up any. You end up opening 5 boxes with a weight similar to your instrument. Since you have played your said instrument for a long time, it is easy to tell which boxes are close to your instrument’s weight. Option 2: You use this same method, and once you find your instrument you switch its box with the box containing the next musician’s instrument. Then, you switch the box containing the next musician’s instrument with the box that is the closest to the entrance of the room. The next musician finds his or her instrument in that box and proceeds to look for the next musician’s instrument using the weighing method. This continues until the last person has their instrument. (Note: If you do not find the next musician’s box while you are searching, the next musician will have to find their instrument and try to find the next musician’s instrument. If you don’t find the next instrument, simply put the empty box that contained your instrument in the spot closest to the entrance of the room. If the next musician weighs this box and finds it to be empty, the won’t waste a turn and will have a better chance of finding both his and the next musician’s instruments.) Sorry for how long this is...

[@avivastudios2311]

Not bad.

[@SapphireSorceress]

Dam ur a genius

[@KamileLapenaite]

That is so clever!!

[@KamileLapenaite]

The musicians can’t find empty boxes because they say at 0:50 that they can’t Tuch the instruments which means that they cannot take them out of the box until after. Your strategy sounded good before I remembered the no touching clue… :)

[@Inkyminkyzizwoz]

He said they couldn't touch the instruments, so they can't swap them round

[@dracomancer6237]

the drummer looks like an angry neighbor

[@dracomancer6237]

the box I meant, the picture of the drums look like an angry neighbor

[@Orangibus]

Muiz Khan it looks like heisenberg x)

[@nocturnalkoala8870]

Step 1: confirm that you have green eyes Step 2: show your eyes to the manager Step 3: take your instrument and leave

[@Epicly_Eating_Oranges]

No offense, but why do I always(sometimes) see a comment with green eyes?

[@UluenaLove]

Because it's meme

[@1Robkip]

The Drummer is a genius. Many other people would not think of that.

[@redactdead]

I watch MinutePhysics so I knew the answer.

[@wanyinleung912]

Me2, haha!

[@JackofaIITrades]

So thats why this riddle sounded so familiair

[@TanmaiNiranjan]

ikr!

[@jinglechut704]

which video is it?

[@1101]

search 'impossible bet'

[@extraordinarymeatbun]

I know this one. The horse's name is Friday!

[@Miguelito_patricio.]

ExtraordinaryMeatBun Bro

[@ganbaatarjadamba6398]

ExtraordinaryMeatBun dude i think youre on the wrong video..

[@gremlin8652]

Found the REAL drummer...

[@mintchi7956]

Why does everyone say that on these riddle videos?

[@asmahappy6373]

ExtraordinaryMeatBun wait where did you get that? Like that's the answer to the question you're thinking of but where is the questioning the video

[@librastellium185]

How can you put the most Charming Narrator Voice on someone so grumpy.

[@hungthiem6491]

This is me here watching it.3 years later and I have watched it over and over again

[@anna.t._7224]

The real question is, Why is their manager kidnapping and tying them up. Are they being drugged?

[@surelock3221]

Plot twist: They were already on drugs

[@obbsidiann_games9398]

@@surelock3221 what drugs?

[@random_person_i_guess]

@@obbsidiann_games9398 too much coffee probably

[@obbsidiann_games9398]

@@random_person_i_guess fair

[@sarahdrummond5334]

as bad as simon cowell it sounds

[@meltossmedia]

why would their manager tie them up in a room, that shit is illegal!

[@meltossmedia]

and why would they play for the manager after that!

[@dreddkk]

+Mahamud Hussein ikr

[@meltossmedia]

And if they keep losing their instruments, why would he make it harder for them.

[@nationalist4099]

He's Phil Spector

[@mistiepartin7720]

+Mahamud Hussein I was rather relieved to see that I wasn't the only one thinking that the manager could have been charged with a crime. LOL Also that it was pretty dumb to make it harder for already scatterbrained musicians. One thing you didn't point out that I thought of was that the manager doesn't employ the band but rather the band employs the manager. That means he held his bosses hostage!

[@user-dg7gl9pj9t]

I've rewached this five times and I still have no idea how this is more reliable than just opening random boxes

[@Inkyminkyzizwoz]

Because it increases the chance of them ALL finding their own instruments

[@asheep7797]

If one of them finds their instrument after opening 4 boxes, it is guaranteed that 3 others will, since their instruments are in a loop.

[@ChipsMcClive]

Amazing that the drummer can tell what instrument each picture is of!

[@Rogue237]

just pick up each box and weigh it to see if it matches your instrument, or even shake it. there are no rules about that. higher than 35 percent chance

[@eckospider]

That is what I said mate

[@brri948]

Nice I only thought about shaking the box :)

[@TheCnBoyz]

But you can only do it to 5 boxes tho

[@jasonmnosaj]

yep. and at that rate you may as well just open them.

[@elsamoonlight1357]

Well no you can touch all of the boxes but can only open 5 so you can also pick it up and judge by weight in that sense.

[@keeeeisha]

Every riddle i watch in this channel i am always nervous and scared too but when it is solved i am ok already. 👍🏻😅😂😁

[@keeeeisha]

And i really loke your riddle solving vids

[@jeaya]

Anika Keisha Revilla how dafuq do u loke?

[@Moon_Bloom]

Anika Keisha Revilla I love their riddles!!

[@shruthisjarali]

i didn't understand 1-[1/(n+1)+........1/2n]😕.... what is n? what r v finding here😢

[@feckusmaximus3234]

When the answer is explained to you in detail and you still don't get how it works :/

[@thedumbasswhospeaksthetrut2695]

That's me in every TED ED riddle.

[@thichinhphan4010]

The silver coins and the Ozo/Ulu solutions are the most frustrating ones to me.

[@fos1451]

*for more explanation,* This works because each person would open up different boxes with different combinations, So let's think of 4 people, A, B, C, and D Let's say, A > cards B > iPad C > apple D > clarinet Let's say Box with cards label (have clarinet) Box with iPad label (have cards) Box with apple (have iPad) Box with clarinet (have apple) Each person can only open up 2 box, A would go to cards > clarinet (and find apple) B would go to iPad > cards ( and find clarinet) C would go to apple > iPad (and find cards) D would go to clarinet > apple (and find iPad) Yes, on this example because I'm bias and I willfully make all the box can't have a match, it's all wrong, but that's not the point, the point is, everyone has a different combination and let's say A got it right, B would be more likely to get it right because it has different combination so they won't overlap. Now I will make a scenario with A got it right but with other box still random and no match Let's say Box with cards label (has apple) Box with iPad label (has clarinet) Box with apple label (has cards) Box with clarinet label ( has iPad) A would go to cards > apple (and find his cards) ✓ B would go to iPad > clarinet (and find his iPad) ✓ C would go to apple > cards (and find his apple) ✓ D would go to clarinet > iPad (and find his clarinet) ✓ As you can see, even though I simply change the scenario to make it A got it right, with others box still random, all of them managed to get it right, Do you understand it now?

[@fos1451]

@@thichinhphan4010 About so/ulu, It's the hardest puzzle in the world, what do you expect, It's simply double plus and double minus to find a positive, Let's say, Ozo > yes Ulu > no If the answers of 2+2 is 4, would you answer ozo (yes)? If they're telling the truth, they would say ozo (yes) If they're telling a lie, they would say ulu (no) Let's reverse it, Ozo > no Ulu > yes If the answers of 2+2 is 4, would you answer ozo (no)? If they're telling the truth, they would say ozo (no) If they're telling a lie, they would say ulu (yes) Do you see a pattern here? The pattern is, For any' if question' that you know for sure it's right with the ending of .....Would you answer ozo? The truth will have an answer of ozo (the same as the one with what you say) Or if it's a lie they will answer ulu (the opposite of what you say) Because if Ozo is negative > double negative would make it positive (the truth) Ozo is positive > double positive would make it positive (the truth) Hope you understand it now

[@fos1451]

@@thichinhphan4010 About the silver coin riddle, Let's say there are 20 coins, you know that 10 of them are facing silver up and you need to separate them to 2 piles, So we can say, S¹ (silver facing up rn) = 10 Let's say you take and stack 10 coins from those 20 coins in front of you, At first there are 10 silver side up coin on the 20 stacks, Now because you probably have taken a few of them to the second pile, The remaining coins on the first pile, would be S¹ = 10 - S² (silver that are in the second files) Since there are total of 10 silvers coins and the remaining total of silver coins in the first pile is depends on how many coins we move to the second pile While the gold facing up coins in the second pile, we can write it as G² = 10 - S² (silver that are in the second pile) Why Gold in the second pile = 10 - silver in the second piles, you may ask? Well, because, gold in the second pile + silver in the second pile = 10 (since the total of coins we move to the second piles are 10) Now, as we can see here, Since, S¹ = 10 - S² G² = 10 - S² S¹ = G² (silver in the first pile have the same amount as gold in the second pile) So... Since we want these 2 files has the same amount of silver facing up coins, how can we change G² to S², so Instead of S¹ = G² it will be S¹ = S²? You just need to simply flip all of the coins on the second pile, this will change gold to silver and silver to gold, which will make G² > S² Which will make, S¹ = S² Sorry if my writing colossally hard to understand but I hope it would be useful, I would say Ted Ed explanation is probably still much much better than mine and I will be honest, I don't really understand it too the first time I watch it

[@smthnbatey]

2:02 this is literally like that one VSauce2 (i don't remember if it's 2 or 3 lol) video and I guessed right

[@R2D2_444]

Do they take the instruments or leave them? Because then what would happen if you looked in a box with nothing in it?

[@baumwollaugenjohannes6770]

"they are not allowed to touch the instruments"

[@mct_3551]

if they FIND it. then it count,s but they keep it in there for others.

[@mayaquinquito8836]

Rian MacLenna? n pepapr

[@Queen_Bread]

Rian MacLennan they couldn't touch the studf

[@kjimmy8258]

OH YEAH, who said the drummer is always the dumbest one in the band

[@chicken9697]

ikr

[@burntsushii]

A jerry, I guess.

[@tystromberg5288]

I think that's considered the case only when there's no tambourine player in the band.

[@mooperino1245]

But there is a tambourine guy

[@mooperino1245]

There IS a tambourine guy though

[@rybiryj]

What I learnt from this video: when considering a permutation of n elements, the probability of existence of a cycle of length exactly k, with k>n/2, is 1/k. It seems obvious now that someone pointed that out for me.

[@nicholaskruger8620]

Thank you for making the drummer come up with the solution

[@MadBunnyRabbit]

Shouldn't a riddle be solvable, not propably solvable?

[@MaxAndHisBike]

it is solvable; the question was which method of searching will give you a better chance than random guessing. You should read the question more carefully

[@MadBunnyRabbit]

Fair enough, my bad. I focused on finding the instruments not the wording of the question.

[@LilcanVR]

Based on the rules, you can "solve" it by picking up each box, each instrument has a different weight, and each musician should be familiar with the weight of their instrument. The rules don't state you can't pick up boxes, or if you are limited to the times picked up. so that makes it so you can find you instrument within 5 boxes based on weight, giving them a 100% probability of getting their instrument.

[@MadBunnyRabbit]

DeadSpiderVenom that's actually interesting

[@nathanrotlisberger5022]

+DeadSpiderVenom not a 100% chance... You STILL have a 50% chance because of how you have to decide which if the ten you want to open. If you could lift them ALL up then that would be much easier

[@isaacsayolpiedra4060]

To bring a little light! 1. Moving the boxes is assumed to be as sort of marking them: If not many other solutions are better than the proposed one. Imagine this situation. You make a circle, table... (anything with 10 different positions in 2D space (a line can't be used due to being 1D)). Then the group sets previously the position of each instrument on the grid. The first musician opens five random boxes and locates them in the order of the pre-stablished . Then the next one looks the boxes 5 which are distributed so he knows what is inside each of them. If It is one of the 5 that the other musician picked goes directly to it, if not opens the other 5 to find its instrument. 50% chance for the first one, 100% for the others. See that if the second one also moves the boxes he opens. From the 3rd to the 10th they already know its instrument position. 2. In the case, moving is not allowed. Why 35% chance is that great? (Actually is the best one you can get) If each of them opened the boxes randomly they would have a 50% chance for each musician. That means a global probability of 0,5*0,5*0,5...=0,5^10=0,00097...%

[@Atravessada]

Isaac Sayol Piedra Cool, I had the same idea you had (option 1), except that I didn't think about a grid, I thought about placing the box where the instrument is usually played on set (ex: microphone: first row, middle position).

[@4iq333]

Hablo español

[@weckar]

Fun thing: If one person fails, more than half will fail automatically.

[@RefoProduction]

yeah

[@jessicamckendrick5622]

Does anyone else not even try too work it out they just like listening to the genius riddle and answer

[@UluenaLove]

Same

[@shunnedtoast2299]

The answer to every locked door riddle FBI OPEN UP

[@jasonmnosaj]

no seriously. every gamer can solve this problem. we pretty much do it everyday when we go to look for one game but find a different game in the game case.

[@DavidAlex]

OH MY GAHD This is pretty much how I find the game. never thought of it that way XD

[@chuugummy975]

Not me, 'cause I always put the game in the right case. :v

[@subwayvesubscriber]

I hadn't even thought of that!! SO genius. We just moved and everything's a mess and I'm really upset about the way my partner just randomly tosses one game in another game case and now I can finally sort them with the semblance of a system. Thanks!

[@Zeldinkskya]

Why do people still use discs?

[@rshintz]

DUDE!!! Awesome real-life application to this problem. HAHA! It blew my mind!

[@ricosmoovetv]

3 minutes is just enough for me to watch a ted Ed solutions BC they have the solution to anything now

[@Anurag_2024]

Rarely understood Ted ed riddles, still watching every one of em....

[@Sluggernaut]

WTF do you do when you're the last 5 musicians and most of the boxes are empty? Where do you check next?

[@Sluggernaut]

***** oh I see. Thanks.

[@3-E]

This is a poorly conceived riddle as the answer is not the best option. A musician would know how much their instrument weighs so they could pick up every closed box and narrow down the options. They would then be guaranteed to find what they were looking for. It never says they cannot touch the boxes before looking in them.

[@Silverizael]

It also never said on whether the manager weighed down the insides of the boxes with something like rocks. Which in reality he would to avoid the trick you are trying to pull

[@whataghost1524]

+Silverizael How the hell would he think to do that?! You just want to put people down, He was totally right on that one!

[@TeganBurns]

hahaha both great answers. They really gotta be more specific in their videos.

[@mannyboob9671]

S3E

[@jgoemat]

And good luck fitting the drums in the flute box...

[@sophiesmidnightsquad]

One of the only Ted ed riddles I’ve ever solved, I’m proud.

[@Ritahstped]

First riddle i solved on my own! I am so proud of myself!

[@rainydays7698]

My first thought was- all the instruments are in random boxes, sure, but a drum set isnt going to fit in a box that is longer than it is wide, and would be more appropriate to fit a guitar. You'd risk breaking the larger instruments by just cramming them in boxes they don't fit. Plus, what do they do with the empty boxes once a player has found their instrument?

[@eliasbouhout1]

At the beginning it says that the boxes are all "large" so we can assume that are all of the same size of the box that can fit the biggest instrument in it. You can't pick up any instrument,you leave them in the boxes even if you find yours,it's not a matter of taking it,it's a matter of finding it.

[@rainydays7698]

I guess I missed that part. Ah well, I wouldn't have figured out the solution anyway.

[@alienlover6663]

either way the band would play that night by the logic that they can look in any amount of boxes proves they could look in all the boxes and get their insterment

[@80ramiens]

Same...

[@gregorymoran6641]

steamdragonfly -_- they can only look in five boxes whether the instrument inside has already been been taken or not

[@ericwang6826]

Isn't this just the 100 dollar bet thing

[@snivader]

yeah it is

[@1224chrisng]

Minute Physic ?

[@turun_ambartanen]

no, I'm pretty sure it's the 50 dollar bet thing.

[@nedrapaul4135]

i thought to myself there's another one just like this one.

[@somerandomuserontheinternet]

this video is exactly like the Minute Physics video wtf

[@Yesytsucks]

Turns out that the manager made a loop of 10 instruments and swaped them so that the instrument that a person currently was searching for was in last box every time.

[@DeathnoteBB]

Seriously I don’t get how this solution works at all

[@flowyflowers]

Oof, this is *my* answer, in the 5 boxes you open, you take one of your musician''s instrument and fake that the instrument you picked is yours, repeat and in the tour bus, all the musicians exchange the instruments 😂

[@mikeyunovapix7181]

Wouldn't your manager pretty much know which instrument is yours in the first place? I mean that would be information any manager of a band would know, given they would watch you practice and perform.

[@mikewazowski1816]

My guess before looking: The first person picks up each box without opening it to feel the weight. They then arrange the boxes in order from lightest to heaviest. Then, each person should be able to guess the weight of their individual instrument in 3 guesses at most.

[@mikewazowski1816]

After watching the video my answer is definitely more accurate.

[@xnadegod1053]

When you're sty that you were not even close.

[@xnadegod1053]

They couldn't touch the boxes

[@neverangel]

the question never said that they couldn't touch the box. it said that they couldn't touch the instruments

[@xnadegod1053]

They couldn't move or mark the boxes. they could touch the instruments that's it

[@pacattack2586]

... 1:09 HOW EXACTLY DOES THIS PREVENT THEM FROM MISPLACING THEIR INSTRUMENTS LATER? Also I'm fairly certain you've already done this one - each one opens the picture they use - then follow the patern... However if they are truely randomly placed then there's a chance that this can't be solved... and thus the manager is just being a jerk...

[@pacattack2586]

2:10 35% chance... yah this isn't even coin flip odds they managed to win, this is REALLY low odds ... they got lucky

[@Nick-sn8sl]

Stephen West he's just being stupid if they can't go to the uh thing then he doesn't get money

[@Pumbear]

A 0,35 chance is still way better than the original 0,001 chance. Sure it's still ~1/3 but compared to 1/1024 that's a huge increase in winning chance, just by applying a strategy.

[@pacattack2586]

Sander Think about it this way - A: How does this in any way shape or form prevent the musicians from losing their instruments later - this test is literally doing NOTHING in that way B: Imagine you and everyone you love were given a .35% chance to keep YOUR jobs simply because someone was a bit irked at you (Yes good instruments can cost money - but if you weren't making more money than you cost you would have been flat out fired) - again if completely random and not set up in a order in which the strategy succeeds - you're kind of being a jerk

[@allenl5960]

It doesn't, but it does give the manager a 65% chance of being able to replace the current musicians with ones who don't misplace their instruments.

[@junxilin8308]

The key for these Ted Ed puzzles is to use the factors themselves into the equation to find the solution. Normal methods won't work, which is why it's so confusing.

[@EpicHeroes713]

the correct answer: don't be so forgetful

[@ryananamates]

Or your manager will turn into Saw

[@EpicHeroes713]

@@ryananamates true

[@cat1554]

Ok but how does the drum set fit in the microphone box?

[@coradoesntknow]

CAT1554 I think he just put his snare drum in there.

[@daerdevvyl4314]

CAT1554 You get 10 boxes that are each big enough for a drumkit, then you put the microphone in one of them.

[@constancesmoothpiee1286]

Exactly my thoughts. And what do they do if the box is empty

[@constantageorge8805]

He's a really bad manager. If the musicians are so good they would obviously be making the guy a bunch of money, and he's willing to throw all that away because they are unorganized.

[@NC-ij9rb]

@@blankname6657 and yet you’re here

[@harrison805]

The manager said that the record deal would fail if they lacked instruments one more time.

[@ifeoluwatododo2294]

@@harrison805 so he makes sure that they only have a 35 percent chance of playing.

[@harrison805]

@@ifeoluwatododo2294 Yeah, he's not a genius

[@cheryl9809]

Hey manager you’re the one who’s in disadvantage here if the band doesn’t play

[@marycruz3403]

But what if the person who found the instrument took it out and when another person went to check that box and it was empty what would happen then .

[@hk4124]

1:30 Yes I think I can. They sue the manager/record label for kidnapping and use the money to start their own label?

[@jayak8217]

I don't know if I'm misunderstanding, but why bother creating a riddle that gives you a 35% rate at success? Not even 50, but 35. This just seems dumb to me.

[@luisquezada9806]

Natasel he is not debating that. He's saying that why bother make a riddle that has such a low chance of making it. This riddle seems just bad to me. My solution was to kick the managers ass then fire him. Then try to sue him.

[@jayak8217]

Luis theboss I'm a girl :D

[@jayak8217]

Natasel Did you make that up, or is it a thing I've somehow missed out on?

[@jayak8217]

Natasel Well, they say it's an adage, coz a truism refers to an obvious truth. I do get what you're saying, but it feels weird being called a he. I tried to brush it off when I saw your message, but I just had to correct you. It's dumb but it was bothering me XD.

[@jayak8217]

Lol

[@user-ph3wx3cr7j]

you did something like this in another video, but I LOVE strategies like this!

[@zoyaalikhan473]

This was an easy one since I've seen a couple of riddles using the same solution on this channel.

[@chip6210]

Holy fuck for once in my life i actually solved one of these riddles.

[@bodhisattwasen2007]

wow. congrats. I see these videos with that hope everytime.

[@poppunkrock141]

+Psych IKR

[@Hanesboi]

me too i was so excited.

[@earlgreymilktae]

I've only solved the five house riddle with the stolen fish.

[@doublexolon]

Wait you guys actually try the riddles? I just sit there until they give the answer

[@arkan205]

unrelated: i love the drawing style of the characters

[@polishedjoy123]

I know right?!

[@mattkim96]

Their generalized formula wasn't given much of an explanation, so here's my attempt at explaining it. The formula given is 1 - [1/(n+1) + 1/(n+2) + ... + 1/(2n)], where n is half of the total # of musicians. I think I've figured out where that equation comes from, which I'll get to in a minute. But first, there's a lot of comments saying that this solution changes nothing and that the odds are still 50/50 for each band member. That isn't the case. This solution works because the musicians' strategy creates looping "networks" of boxes (nodes) which as you'll see increases the chance of finding your instrument. Say that the drummer opens the drum kit box and finds a cello. He then opens the cello box to find a keyboard. He opens the keyboard box to find his drum kit. That's a network of 3 nodes which loops (if he keeps going, the next step is to open the drum kit box, which is the start of the loop). There is a 50% chance that the drummer finds his kit, which means that there's a 50% chance that there exists a network of 5 or fewer boxes. Consider for a moment that he finds his instrument on *exactly* the 5th box, making a 5 box loop. In that case, the remaining 10 people are *guaranteed* to find their instrument if they follow the same strategy. If their starting box is in the drummer's loop, then they will also find their own instrument on the 5th box (just go around the loop). If their starting box isn't in the drummer's loop, then there's only 5 boxes left. The largest a loop can then be is 5 boxes, so everyone will always find their instrument whether or not their starting point is in the drummer's loop. In other words, the only 50/50 chance is the first musician's attempt. Given that he succeeds (if he fails, the math stops immediately), the odds of the other band members increases now that a loop must exist. And if that loop is of length 5 boxes, then the odds increase straight to 100%. So this strategy *definitely* increases your odds of success, and by a substantial amount. Now the drummer's loop can be fewer than 5 boxes, which opens up the possibility of a loop of 6 or more boxes outside his loop. If this happens, then the plan fails. In fact, we can remove the drummer's POV here and simplify the entire question to this: *"What are the odds that a loop greater than 5 boxes exists?"* That will be the rate of failure, because if a 6+ loop exists anywhere, then anyone whose instrument is in that loop will not find their instrument within the 5 boxes they can open. To find this, look at the simplified example of 4 boxes and instruments. Here, if a loop of 3 or 4 exists, then the plan fails. For the four loops, there are 3!=6 unique four loops. This can be found by taking all possible ways to arrange three boxes (3*2*1=6) then adding a 4th box back to the front/end to loop them. And there are 4!=24 possible ways to arrange four boxes overall, thus the odds of getting a four loop are 3!/4!. For the three loops, ignore the fourth box. In this method, the fact that there are four boxes will be cancelled out in the denominator (the possible number of three loops and possible combinations of three boxes increase at the same ratio). Do the same as before, there are 2!=2 unique loops of the three boxes. And there are 3!=6 possible ways to arrange the three boxes, thus the odds of getting a three loop are 2!/3!. Take this simple case and apply it to their formula: 1 - [1/(1+2) + 1/(1+3)] = 1 - (1/3+1/4) = 41.6% Now apply it to our formula: 1 - [2!/3! + 3!/4!] = 1 - (1/3+1/4) = 41.6% We did it! The part in [brackets] is the rate of failure, so 1 - rate of failure = rate of success! Failure is the chance that there exists a network of boxes greater than half the number of musicians, and each element in the brackets is the odds that a network of specifically the denominator's length exists. These odds are calculated individually and summed. Now let's apply their formula to the actual riddle: 1 - [1/(1+5) + 1/(1+6) + 1/(1+7) + 1/(1+8) + 1/(1+9)] = 1 - (1/6+1/7+1/8+1/9+1/10) = 35.4% And with our formula: 1 - [5!/6! + 6!/7! + 7!/8! + 8!/9! + 9!/10!] = 1 - (1/6+1/7+1/8+1/9+1/10) = 35.4% It's consistent! Try it out yourself if you'd like, both work for any even # of musicians. And that's because they are essentially the same formula, my version simplifies down to the video's version. But I think my formula helps demonstrates how and why it works better than how the video presented it. If I made any mistakes let me know, hope that helped!

[@SpiritFryer]

Also, here is a good video exploring this puzzle kzbin.info/www/bejne/n4SxpJqgZrR2gqM&ab_channel=Veritasium

[@celetial3287]

i’m so proud of myself for solving it even though i only knew the answer because i watched the veritasium video last week

[@thdenwheja756]

Then comes the big question: what happens if another musician finds their instrument in your "loop"? Then you'd come across an empty box, meaning you'd have no choice but to randomly guess, meaning that with each person who finds their instrument, the odds drop pretty significantly.

[@EpicPinkCreeper]

they don't take it out they just find it

[@sergioflores477]

Jacob Wheeler they can't remove the instrument, they just look at it, pay attention to the rules he gave