SC2Mapster

I read of an interesting question not long ago:

Quote:

A dragon and knight live on an island. This island has six poisoned wells, numbered 1 to 6.

If you drink from a well, you can only save yourself by drinking from a higher numbered well. In this case both poisons will neutralize each other and you are healed.

Well 6 is located at the top of a high mountain, so only the dragon can reach it. One day they decide that the island isn’t big enough for the two of them, and they have a duel. Each of them brings a glass of water to the duel, they exchange glasses, and drink.

Both the knight and the dragon cannot be sure of what the other one will give them. Of course they're looking for ways to surely win their duel.

Who dies and who lives? And how?

• There is no wonder cure hidden anywhere on the island.
  
• It doesn't matter if they can leave the island or not afterwards. The riddle says they carry out their duel.
  
• They do not spy on each other
  
• The dragon is a vegetarian and does NOT eat the knight.
  
• The knight is not a dragon slayer.
  
• The poison doesn't have any other effects apart from killing you after a while.
  
• Nothing happens if you drink a lower numbered poison when you are already poisoned by an equal or higher numbered poison.

It requires a bit of thinking but it's pretty cool :)
Who knows the right answers?

(People who already know the question: please don't forestall the answer.)

@Abion47: Go

What they do after the duel is up to themselves. It is assumed that the poison doesn't instantly kill the other person, but takes a little while (as it's usually with poison).

@yukaboy: Go

Yea, I guess there are different versions. But the number of wells doesn't matter anyway.

Quote from yukaboy: Go

The dragon has well 6 and the knight has well 5. Duh! The highest is well 6. They trade and the dragon drinks well 5 and the knight, well 6. However, I'm assuming since this happened, the knight can only live until his well 6 drink is gone, and he had to drink from well 5. The knight lives because of his knight's trick. They switched glasses, which made the pure water on the knight's side and the poisonous water on the dragon's side. It's total logic! My favorite!

I can't follow. If the Knight would drink from a glass of pure water that means the Dragon must've brought pure water to him (since they switch glasses).

There's a reason to argue in favor of your answer, but your logic is wrong - or I still don't get it.

You're saying the dragon brings well-6-water and the knight brings well-5-water.
They trade glasses and then drink.
The knight is now poisoned with well-6-poison. He can only be cured by drinking a poison of a higher degree. But 6 is highest so at this point he's destined to die. He cannot live by drinking well-5-water, because it's too weak.
In theory the dragon could even bring level-5-water for the knight to drink.

The dragon drinks well-5-poison. He can now go and drink from well 6 to cure himself.

The result would be:
Dragon lives, knight dies.

@s3rius: Go

The Knight drank Well 5 water prior to the duel, knowing the Dragon would bring him Well 6 water so he was cured by drinking the water that the Dragon brought him and the Dragon simply went and drank Well 6 water to cure himself as well. Both live!

Unless of course the Dragon just decided to eat the Knight instead of trading water, lol.

@s3rius: Go

if you had to drink a higher well.... wouldnt the higher well just poison them?

so I drink well one... then i have to drink well 2 but well two poisons me then I go to well 3 and so on untill... I drink well 5 and get poisoned.... but i cant make it to well 6. and even if I get to well 6 and cure the posion from well 5... the water in well 6 would then poison me and I would die.

The logic to this isnt that logical.... imo.

If I was the dragon... Id just ripe the fucking knight in two and drink his blood... fly away.. and find some tastey sheep and treasure.

@SouLCarveRR: Go

Yeah that's what I initially thought the numbered well's meant but it says it saves you by drinking a higher well so i'm guessing it means it cures you and you're no longer poisoned at all and therefore don't have to keep drinking a higher well.

Quote from yukaboy: Go

Updated new post.

Ok, the question is, is the water from well 6 poisonous?

Quote from s3rius: Go

This island has six poisoned wells, numbered 1 to 6.

Yes.

For example if you're infected with well-2 water, then the water from wells 3 to 6 can save you.
HOWEVER: If you're NOT infected with any poison then the wells 3 to 6 will infect you.
Mean: If you're not infected and you drink well-6 water you're done for.

We could say they neutralize each other.

Quote from Bronxsy: Go

@s3rius: Go

The Knight drank Well 5 water prior to the duel, knowing the Dragon would bring him Well 6 water so he was cured by drinking the water that the Dragon brought him and the Dragon simply went and drank Well 6 water to cure himself as well. Both live!

Unless of course the Dragon just decided to eat the Knight instead of trading water, lol.

Let's assume the knight has a very spiky armor on :)
To your solution: If they do it like that you're right. However, remember we're on an island. It's easy to get water which is not poisoned at all. In this case the dragon would drink well-6 water after being given pure water by the knight and is sure to die.
The same way the dragon could bring pure water to the knight. If the knight drinks well-5 water and now gets pure water (or any poison from ANY other well) he'd die.

Both the knight and the dragon cannot be sure of what the other person will give them. Of course they're looking for ways to surely win their duel.

Quote from SouLCarveRR: Go

if you had to drink a higher well.... wouldnt the higher well just poison them?

The riddle says: "you can save yourself by drinking from a higher numbered well."
I interpret "saving yourself" as in he's going to live after that. Not he's going to die from an even worse poison.

There are actually many examples of anti-dotes which are poisons themselves in reality.

In short: Both poisons neutralize each other. Only if you're not poisened you do get poisoned.

PS: Read the riddle carefully :)
I think it provides you with all answers, as long as you don't try to interprete things you don't know of.

PPS:
No, both do not leave the island.
The riddle explicitely says that they're doing their duel.

@s3rius: Go

lol BUT to make it simple, assuming the Knight didn't drink well 5 prior to the duel, then the Knight would die and the Dragon would live.

Having drank well 5 the Dragon could then go drink well 6 and be cured.

Having drank well 6 the Knight would die no matter what since there is no well 7.

Updated the first post for you lot of nickpickers :)

Remember that both of them cannot be sure what they get. It could be any poison (except that the knight cannot reach well 6) or it could be normal water.

Quote from s3rius: Go

Remember that both of them cannot be sure what they get. It could be any poison (except that the knight cannot reach well 6) or it could be normal water.

Well then surely there can't be one answer!

The Knight has 6 options to give, wells 1 to 5 and ocean water.

The Dragon has 7 options to give, wells 1 to 6 and ocean water.

The Knight can cure himself with 4 options, 2 to 5.

The Dragon can cure himself with 5 options, 2 to 6.

There's a chance that both could die and both could live! But in any situation it would be based on guessing and luck. Although The Dragon has slightly better odds but could still die. I would put my money on the Dragon though.

And I still stand by the fact that if the Knight doesn't drink Well 5 prior to duel then he will die 100% of the time if given Well 6. And the Dragon then has a 1/6 chance to survive after that.

@s3rius: Go

I would have to say surely that ...

The dragon would not serve the knight well 6 water. He would mostly likely serve him well 1 water. (in this case the knight would die from well 5 water) because the knight drank well 5 water prior to the duel.

The knight served the dragon water not from the well. (dragons have uncanny ability to smell. surely he would be aware of the well the water he was given has come from.) Therefore the dragon would not die because he knows exactly whats in the water.. Whether or not it came from a well. and exactly the type of "poison" in the water. If theres any poison at all he knows to drink well 6. Other wise he doesnt need an antidote. Assuming the knight doesnt give him well water .... is the island in fresh water or salt-water. Im assuming that since they both seem to be stuck on the island its gonna be salt water..

so .... dragon lives... knight loses.... as it should be