Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Puzzle

Sunday 21 June 1998 23:02 BST
Comments

HERE'S AN interesting question to think about that may cause you to reassess the closing scenes of several cowboy films:

Three logicians are involved in a shoot-out. They draw lots to determine the order of firing, then shoot one bullet each in turn until only one of them remains alive. One of them is a poorish shot and hits what he is aiming at only 55 per cent of the time. Another is a much better shot and hits his target 75 per cent of the time. The third is an ace sharpshooter with 95 per cent accuracy. Assuming any hit is fatal, and dead men can't shoot, who has the best chance of survival?

Friday's answer:

The professor's pin numbers are 5746 (=47x47) and 4356 (=66x66) the only four-digit perfect square other than 5746 to consist of a rearrangement of four consecutive digits.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in