The Pirate Riddle

[LongLiveYorke 38]

I am confused. Are thye really mean......or are they really oily?

Both, actually. They are pirates, for god's sake.

[princeof56k 0]

I'd try to convince pirates 4 and 5 they would get more my way than if they killed me and split the money evenly 4 ways.me - 497pirate 2 - 0pirate 3 - 0pirate 4 - 252pirate 5 - 251I gave 4 one extra gold piece just to to convince him he's better than 5.

[LongLiveYorke 38]

I'd try to convince pirates 4 and 5 they would get more my way than if they killed me and split the money evenly 4 ways.me - 497pirate 2 - 0pirate 3 - 0pirate 4 - 252pirate 5 - 251I gave 4 one extra gold piece just to to convince him he's better than 5.

I think this works, but we can do better than 497.

[princeof56k 0]

me - 998pirate 2 - 1pirate 3 - 1pirate 4 - 0pirate 5 - 0EDIT: I dont think i have to give 4 anything.EDIT 2: I think I realized we can take it all if the other pirates value their lives

[LongLiveYorke 38]

me - 998pirate 2 - 1pirate 3 - 1pirate 4 - 0pirate 5 - 0

You'd be voted dead if you did it this way.

[princeof56k 0]

You'd be voted dead if you did it this way.

I guess, but here was my logic. To convince the others they eventually get nothing in the long run because everyone thinks in their own interest.If they vote me down, that leaves 4 pirates left with 2 in charge. Well all 4 and 5 have to do is create a tie and 2 is dead.That leaves 3 pirates left with 3 in charge, and its where it get interesting. 5 can try to vote 3 down but there's no way 4 can go along with it. Think about it, if only 4 and 5 were left, who do you think 5 will vote for (he'd create a tie and 4 is dead). Therefore if 4 values his life he will go along with 3 for nothing. If he purely thinks in terms of value, he will take 1 gold piece (which is more than he would get in death).Take that last idea and apply it to the whole group. Convince 2 and 3 they end up dead with nothing in the long run. Therefore they would each take one gold piece and vote with you (or take nothing and vote with you if they valued their lives).

[LongLiveYorke 38]

I guess, but here was my logic. To convince the others they eventually get nothing in the long run because everyone thinks in their own interest.If they vote me down, that leaves 4 pirates left with 2 in charge. Well all 4 and 5 have to do is create a tie and 2 is dead.That leaves 3 pirates left with 3 in charge, and its where it get interesting. 5 can try to vote 3 down but there's no way 4 can go along with it. Think about it, if only 4 and 5 were left, who do you think 5 will vote for (he'd create a tie and 4 is dead). Therefore if 4 values his life he will go along with 3 for nothing. If he purely thinks in terms of value, he will take 1 gold piece (which is more than he would get in death).Take that last idea and apply it to the whole group. Convince 2 and 3 they end up dead with nothing in the long run. Therefore they would each take one gold piece and vote with you (or take nothing and vote with you if they valued their lives).

You're close, but you're a bit off. Keep at it

[princeof56k 0]

Well I guess by my logic, 3 would always think of himself since he would love to be in driver seat by the scenario I layed out (he aint gonna vote for you). And 5 can get it all if 4 is an idiot. That 2 as basically being a dead man and 4 is always getting screwed. If you can convice them of that, 2 would probably take one gold peice rather than nothing. 4 would probably still end up with one piece if it got down to 3 pirates so you might have to give him 2 gold peices to convince him. Here's my last guess.me - 997pirate 2 - 1pirate 3 - 0pirate 4 - 2pirate 5 - 0

[LongLiveYorke 38]

me - 997pirate 2 - 1pirate 3 - 0pirate 4 - 2pirate 5 - 0

Not sure, but I think you die. Soooo, soooo close, though.

[Jerry 0]

are we allowed to post answers? hope so...(997, 0, 1, 0, 2)

[thehidden 0]

My friend told me this one a while ago. Figuring it out was a lot of fun, and the answer is very satisfying in a certain way. Let's see if you guys can figure out the Pirate Riddle. Here's how it goes:There are 5 pirates on a ship. One day, the ship comes across a chest of gold that contains 1,000 gold coins. Now, they are all very happy to have come across the chest, but the question arises of how they are going to split the money.The pirates are quite democratic and they have a very strict hierarchy. You are the head pirate, the number 1. The other 4 pirates are aware of their positions in this hierarchy. Here's how it looks:Pirate 1 > Pirate 2 > Pirate 3 > Pirate 4 > Pirate 5So, as the leader, it is up to you to decide how the gold is going to be split among all the pirate. However, there's one catch. Though they are democratic, they are also pirates, meaning that they are quite viscious.You will come up with a way to distribute the wealth among the pirates. Upon hearing the plan, all the pirates (including yourself) will vote on whether or not they like it. If the majority of the pirates decide that they don't like the plan, they will have you killed and Pirate 2 will become the new head pirate. He then will have to come up with a plan that they like or he too will be killed and it will continue down the line.Here are the rules: the pirates, though they are pirates, are perfectly logical. They will like a plan if in the plan they will get more money then they would get if they had you killed. They are viscious, though, and if there's a tie between how much money they would get if you lived or died, they will have you killed anyway for the fun. Also, if there's a voting tie, you (or whoever the leader is) will be killed.So, here's the task: Come up with a plan to distribute the 1,000 pieces of gold and figure out the maximum amount of money that you, as the leader, can get out of this.Feel free to ask questions if I made the premise unclear. I'll let you know when someone gets it or if you all give up. Good Luck.

each pirate gets 200, 1-5...then after the distribution the #2 pirate is killed and his 200 is divided up among the 4 remaining pirates, each getting 250 + 1 from you as you give them a finders fee...so in total each get 251 and you have 247 pieces now...and each move up the order in importance

[dapokerbum 0]

This reminds me of my favorite pirate joke:So there are these pirates the have just gotten all this loot when they see another pirate ship coming to try and steal it from them. The head pirate yells" Bring me my red shirt" so they have a fight with the other ship and win and keep sailing.The next day they see 3 other pirate ships at sea and the head pirate yells"Bring me my red shirt" then they fight off the others and continue on the way. That night one of the shipmates asks the head pirate why he always asks for his red shirt when they are in a fight. the pirate tells him that he needs that so that if he gets stabbed or anything he keeps fighting and no one thinks he's hurt so they fight harder. the shipmate is very impressed at this.The next day they see 7 other pirate ships coming and the shipmate asks the head pirate if he should grab the red shirt. and the head pirate says" NO bring me my brown pants!"

[mrdannyg 274]

Though they are democratic, they are also pirates, meaning that they are quite viscious.

i hate riddles, but i love pirates.

[alf13 0]

Okay..so what's the answer?

[JadeTiger 0]

Have you guys seen the new Pirate movie that just came out? Its pretty good, I cant remember what its called and its not really a family movie. its rated 'ARRR'!!! yes thats right. bringing back a classic.

[LongLiveYorke 38]

Okay..so what's the answer?

So, here’s what I would argue that the answer is:We can solve the problem using backwards induction. If it gets down to Pirate 4 and 5, Pirate 4 will offer all the money to pirate 5. Pirate 5, because he is quite malicious, will opt to kill pirate 4 anyway and will end up with all the money. So, there’s nothing that Pirate 4 can do to prevent dying if it’s down to the two of them. Therefore, he will do everything in his power not to get down to two since he values his life:Down to 2Pirate 4______Pirate 5$0__________$1000Yes_________NoWhen it is down to three, therefore, Pirate 4 will vote yes to any proposal to avoid at all costs it going down to 2. Pirate 3 knows this and can take all the money for himself and still get pirate 4’s vote. There’s no reason to give pirate 5 any money:Down to 3Pirate 3_______Pirate 4________Pirate 5$1,000________$0____________$0Yes___________Yes___________NoWhen it is down to 4, Pirate 4 knows that if it gets down to 3 he will get no money but will keep his life. Therefore, if he gets any money at all he is better off and will vote yes. Pirate 5 knows that he will get no money if it gets down to 3, so he will also vote yes if he gets any money at all:Down to 4Pirate 2_________Pirate 3_______Pirate 4_________Pirate 5$998____________$0___________$1 _____________$1Yes_____________No___________Yes_____________NoSo, Pirate 4 and 5 are guaranteed one dollar each. They will vote no against any proposal that gives them one dollar or less. Pirate 3 is guaranteed $0 but is malicious so will vote no unless he gets any money at all. I would argue that the two solutions go as follows:Pirate 1________Pirate 2________Pirate3 ________Pirate 4________Pirate 5$997___________0_____________1_____________0________________2Yes_____________No____________Yes__________No_______________YesOR:Pirate 1______Pirate 2_______Pirate3_______Pirate 4_______Pirate 5$997_________0_____________1____________2_____________0Yes__________No____________Yes__________Yes___________NoSo, we can get up to $997 for ourselves. Pretty neat, huh?

[brvheart 1,752]

Those pirates are just stupid.

[RodReynolds 87]

When it is down to three, therefore, Pirate 4 will vote yes to any proposal to avoid at all costs it going down to 2. Pirate 3 knows this and can take all the money for himself and still get pirate 4’s vote. There’s no reason to give pirate 5 any money:Down to 3Pirate 3_______Pirate 4________Pirate 5$1,000________$0____________$0Yes___________Yes___________No

I believe I couldn't find the second solution because we differ at this point. I gave Pirate 4 1 dollar here, because it seems we have to if we follow your prescription exactly: "They are viscious, though, and if there's a tie between how much money they would get if you lived or died, they will have you killed anyway for the fun". Of course, a truly rational Pirate 4 will vote yes if you give him zero dollars.Thanks for the riddle.

[cuddlemonkey 0]

Have you guys seen the new Pirate movie that just came out? Its pretty good, I cant remember what its called and its not really a family movie. its rated 'ARRR'!!! yes thats right. bringing back a classic.

Ah, my second favorite pirate joke.So a pirate walks into a bar with the wheel of his ship sticking out of his pants. As he orders his drink, the bartender notices this and comments on it."Hey buddy, you know you've got that wheel sticking out of your pants?""Aye," replies the pirate, "and it's drivin' me nuts."

[runthemover 39]

Game Theory is cool. They were among my favourite undergrad classes.