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Are you a Moron App - Am I a Moron?

rburly said:
You are correct, sir.

The only possible answer is that he's looking at a picture of himself.
"This man's father [himself] is my father's son [himself]".
Click to expand...

If "this man's father" is [himself], how can "this man" be [himself]? Is "this man" and "this man's father" the same person?

I assume we agree that "my father's son" is the viewer. Let's call him that.

So "this man's father" is the viewer.

If "this man's father" is the viewer, how could "this man" also be the viewer?

How do you read the story???
 
ajbrehm said:
If "this man's father" is [himself], how can "this man" be [himself]? Is "this man" and "this man's father" the same person?

I assume we agree that "my father's son" is the viewer. Let's call him that.

So "this man's father" is the viewer.

If "this man's father" is the viewer, how could "this man" also be the viewer?

How do you read the story???
Click to expand...

I think the only thing we've established is not to get this app. I hope it doesn't cost money? Oh, and my head is starting to hurt too. ;)
 
A man is looking at a picture of a man on the wall and states:
Brothers and Sister I have none,
but this mans father is my fathers son
Who is the man in the picture?

Characters:

"A man", the VIEWER, a person without brothers and sisters (I assume that includes brothers or sisters too)

"this man", the person in the picture, let's call him RALF

"my father", whose son is the viewer, let's call him BORAT

"this man's father", Ralf's father, let's call him BRUNO, he is "my father's son", i.e. Borat's son.

The two fathers mentioned cannot be the same person because one is the son of the other. Hence Borat and Bruno are two different people even if they look like they are played by the same actor.

It is alleged that Ralf and the viewer are the same person, despite the fact that they don't share a father. Ralf's father is Bruno, the viewer's father is Borat.
 
It couldn't be any simpler.

Take the sentence as one statement: "this mans father is my fathers son".

For example, I am my father's son. If I look at a picture of myself, I would say "that (this) man's father (me) is my father's son" (which I am).
 
rburly said:
For example, I am my father's son. If I look at a picture of myself, I would say "that (this) man's father (me) is my father's son" (which I am).
Click to expand...

What, you are the father of yourself?

If you point at the picture of yourself and say "this man's father", that would be your father, where "this man" = you.

If you point at the picture of your son and say "this man's father", that would be you, where "this man" = your son.

Put another way, since you are viewing a picture of yourself, then "this man" = you/your = my. So, "your father is your father's son". It doesn't make sense.

FWIW, I believe the way it is worded, the answer is the viewer's son. However, I think they meant to say, "This man is my father's son".

This poster said it best, and I saw it in a different light:

colmaclean said:
This man = SON_A
This man's father = DAD_A
My father = DAD_B
My father's son = SON_B

The quote states that DAD_A = SON_B

Which makes SON_B father of SON_A.

So the answer is "his son", not one of those listed!
Click to expand...

Let's say the family tree goes like this (males only):

Fred (grandfather) -> Bob (son of Fred) -> Reggie (Bob's son, Fred's grandson)

If the viewer, Bob, is looking at a photo of his son, Reggie, the quote then turns to:

"Reggie's father is Fred's son"

where:

Reggie = "this man" (man in photo)
Fred = "my father" (the father of the viewer, Bob)

If the viewer, Bob, was looking at himself, it would translate to (and doesn't make any sense):

"Fred is Fred's son"

where:

Bob = "this man" (man in photo and viewer)
Fred = "my father" (the father of the viewer, Bob)
 
rburly said:
It couldn't be any simpler.

Take the sentence as one statement: "this mans father is my fathers son".

For example, I am my father's son. If I look at a picture of myself, I would say "that (this) man's father (me) is my father's son" (which I am).
Click to expand...
No

If it was himself, it would read "this man is my fathers son". Which would make the answer himself or a sibling, and he has no siblings so it would be himself.

But it's "this mans father is my fathers son". Meaning that this mans father is the son of my father. And since I'm the only son of my father, that makes me the father to the man in the picture. Making him my son.

And just to clarify your last sentence, if you looked at a picture of yourself you would say "this man is my fathers son". If you said "this mans father is my fathers son", it would be your son or your brothers son. Since this guy has no brothers or sisters, it's his son.
 
chimpboy74 said:
OK I admit I am a moron.

Can somebody pleeeease make this stop?


I'm so sorry. So very, very sorry…
Click to expand...

It has taken a life of its own hasn't it? Anyway, this is your punishment to read this thread! "You unlock this door with the key of imagination. Beyond it is another dimension - a dimension of sound, a dimension of sight, a dimension of mind. You're moving into a land of both shadow and substance, of things and ideas. You've just crossed over into the Twilight Zone." ;)
 
Just switch the statements on either side of the "is".

this mans father is my fathers son

becomes

my fathers son is this mans father

It becomes clear that "this man" the the son.
 
nick9191 said:
If it was himself, it would read "this man is my fathers son". Which would make the answer himself or a sibling, and he has no siblings so it would be himself.

But it's "this mans father is my fathers son". Meaning that this mans father is the son of my father. And since I'm the only son of my father, that makes me the father to the man in the picture. Making him my son.

And just to clarify your last sentence, if you looked at a picture of yourself you would say "this man is my fathers son". If you said "this mans father is my fathers son", it would be your son or your brothers son. Since this guy has no brothers or sisters, it's his son.
Click to expand...

You're getting caught up in semantics.

He says (while looking at the picture): "This man's father is my father's son".

This man's father (my father) is my father's son (me).
He doesn't say "This man is my father's son" because that's too easy.

He's stating "The man (me) in the picture's father, is my father's son (me)".
It would be too easy to say "The man in the picture's father is my father's son". Instead, it's changed to "the man in the picture's father" (which you take to mean his father) but it's not. Breaking it up again: "This man's (me) father (my dad), is my father's son (me)."

If I'm looking at the picture, it would be easy for me to say "that man in the picture's father is is my father's son". He says "this man's (my) father, is my father's son (me)".

My last attempt...!
 
rburly said:
You're getting caught up in semantics.

He says (while looking at the picture): "This man's father is my father's son".

This man's father (my father) is my father's son (me).
He doesn't say "This man is my father's son" because that's too easy.

He's stating "The man (me) in the picture's father, is my father's son (me)".
It would be too easy to say "The man in the picture's father is my father's son". Instead, it's changed to "the man in the picture's father" (which you take to mean his father) but it's not. Breaking it up again: "This man's (me) father (my dad), is my father's son (me)."

If I'm looking at the picture, it would be easy for me to say "that man in the picture's father is is my father's son". He says "this man's (my) father, is my father's son (me)".

My last attempt...!
Click to expand...

I tried to say this way back, but since everyone doesn't like the English/grammar, they say it's his son. I tried to say that riddles are not meant to be easy; that they seek to confuse. I tried! Anyway, I'm sure the debate will continue. :)

Edit: BTW, has anyone emailed the app maker to get what he says the answer is and his reasoning?
 
See
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8350742

Mem Cognit. 1993 Jul;21(4):506-18
"That man's father is my father's son": the roles of structure, strategy, and working memory in solving convoluted verbal problems.

896 people surveyed
From the abstract:
"The normative data revealed that the modal, but incorrect response to the brothers and sisters problem was "himself," whereas the correct response of "son" was given by only 17% of subjects for the traditional version..."

Interesting - though I wouldn't claim the authors understand the riddle any better than posters within this thread.
 
The answer is
SON

and it is not one of the choices.

It is without doubt. It was my first answer. After reading this thread I doubted myself and wrote equations and charted it. There can be no other answer without some odd twist of the English language.

The app programmer needs to change it.
 
mark34 said:
The answer is
SON

and it is not one of the choices.

It is without doubt. It was my first answer. After reading this thread I doubted myself and wrote equations and charted it. There can be no other answer without some odd twist of the English language.

The app programmer needs to change it.
Click to expand...
.....the end.


(please?)
 
rburly said:
You're getting caught up in semantics.

He says (while looking at the picture): "This man's father is my father's son".

This man's father (my father) is my father's son (me).
He doesn't say "This man is my father's son" because that's too easy.

He's stating "The man (me) in the picture's father, is my father's son (me)".
It would be too easy to say "The man in the picture's father is my father's son". Instead, it's changed to "the man in the picture's father" (which you take to mean his father) but it's not. Breaking it up again: "This man's (me) father (my dad), is my father's son (me)."

If I'm looking at the picture, it would be easy for me to say "that man in the picture's father is is my father's son". He says "this man's (my) father, is my father's son (me)".

My last attempt...!
Click to expand...
I can't comprehend that. I understand what you are saying, but I can't see how it is correct. You are basically saying that "this man is my fathers son" and "this mans father is my fathers son" is the same statement, worded differently, when they are two completely different statements.

Breaking it up again: "This man's (me) father (my dad), is my father's son (me)."
Click to expand...
But the statement says that the man in the pictures father is the son of my father. Not the man in the picture is the son of my father. If the statement was referring to the man in the picture then the first father variable would not be there.

This man's father (my father) is my father's son (me).
Click to expand...
Again you are saying that my father is my fathers son (me). That's impossible. To echo what Night Spring said, just looking at the brackets, you are saying my father is me.
 
No wonder some people still think the sun is running circles around the earth, and that the longest USA border has is with Mexico.

Sigh...
 
qpid360 said:
This was so easy, I beat it in a minute lol. I was expecting something more.
Click to expand...

I haven't tried it, but how did you beat it if the correct answer was not available for this particular question? Did you happen to get it wrong correctly?
 
mmoto said:
See
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8350742

Mem Cognit. 1993 Jul;21(4):506-18
"That man's father is my father's son": the roles of structure, strategy, and working memory in solving convoluted verbal problems.

896 people surveyed
From the abstract:
"The normative data revealed that the modal, but incorrect response to the brothers and sisters problem was "himself," whereas the correct response of "son" was given by only 17% of subjects for the traditional version..."

Interesting - though I wouldn't claim the authors understand the riddle any better than posters within this thread.
Click to expand...

I guess people are not reading the link that mmoto gave above. The answer is his son. That's not an answer that the app has, as we all know. The point of the link above (in case you didn't read it) is that this riddle was given to 896 people, and most people answered, himself, which is incorrect. Only a small percentage (17%) gave the right answer, his son. SO, all of us who thought it was "himself" are NORMAL, but wrong, and all those who thought it was "his son" are ABNORMAL, but right. :)

Hopefully, for the OP's sake this thread can end now. There's no point in arguing/discussing it. Or is there? ;)
 
David (my dad)
|
Jon (me) (no brothers or sisters)
|
Burton (my son)

this mans father = my fathers son

my fathers son = Jon (cannot be anything else as I have no brothers or sisters)
therefore this mans father = Jon
therefore this man = Burton

which means that the answer is 'My Son'
 
rburly said:
It couldn't be any simpler.

Take the sentence as one statement: "this mans father is my fathers son".

For example, I am my father's son. If I look at a picture of myself, I would say "that (this) man's father (me) is my father's son" (which I am).
Click to expand...

Really? You would say that?

Can you tell me which of the two below is true:

1. that man == you

2. that man's father == you

Or are both true? (How?)
 
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