A puzzle based on the icebreaker game.

Two truths and one lie:

  1. I have a twin.
  2. I used a random number generator to decide whether to place a true or false statement in #1.
  3. I do not understand the rules of “two truths and one lie.”

Solution inside.

Hint

The solution to the puzzle consists of assigning a truth value (true or false) to each of the three statements.

Solution and explanation

Start by taking cases; there are eight:

  • Suppose I used the RNG. Then we have 2: true and
    • 1: false and 3: false is an inconsistent assignment, because I claimed to understand the rules but broke them by writing two lies and one truth.
    • 1: false and 3: true is an inconsistent assignment, because I denied understanding the rules but followed them.
    • 1: true and 3: false is a consistent assignment, because I claimed to understand the rules and followed them.
    • 1: true and 3: true is a consistent assignment, because I denied understanding the rules and broke them.
  • Suppose I didn’t flip a coin. Then we have 2: false and (applying similar logic)
    • 1: false and 3: false is inconsistent.
    • 1: false and 3: true is consistent.
    • 1: true and 3: false is inconsistent.
    • 1: true and 3: true is inconsistent.

The consistent assignments are as follows.

Statement: 1 2 3
Assignment A true true false
Assignment B true true true
Assignment C false false true

It appears that any of the statements could be true or false under a consistent assignment. However, since I could not know the result of the RNG in advance, I could only have used it if I knew that the three statements would admit at least one consistent assignment whether the RNG returned 1: false or 1: true.

But this is not the case: There is no consistent assignment in which I used the RNG and got the result 1: false. Therefore, I must not have used the RNG at all, which rules out assignments A and B and leaves assignment C, namely 1: false, 2: false, and 3: true, as the only option.

See Wikipedia, “Boolean satisfiability problem.”