Answer to brain teaser #1, solving probability brain teasers

Answer to brain teaser #1

Red in the face

How do I tell if a mind teaser requires an answer that involves probability?

When you read the brain teaser, the first words on the last line will be ‘how likely’, ‘what are the odds’, ‘what is the probability’, etc.. These types of questions will tell you that probability is involved.

How do I answer brain teasers that involve probability?

That’s easy. You have probably done a little bit of probability sometime in high school. Solving brain teasers involving probability doesn’t get much simpler than this. However, you also need a bit of logic in order to solve the brain teaser – some are not as straightforward as it looks. The answers will make sense if you let you mind think laterally and logically.

Here’s this week’s mind teaser to keep you going.

Brain teaser #2

In Clue (called Cluedo in some countries, including its origin, England), you attempt to solve a murder mystery. There are six possible suspects, six possible weapons that the murderer could have used, and nine possible locations for the murder to have occurred.

If you guess a random suspect, a random weapon, and a random room, what is the probability of getting at least one right?