That Viral Math Problem (Cheryl's Birthday) - Numberphile

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  • Опубликовано: 26 сен 2024
  • Simon Pampena gives his take on THAT viral math problem from Singapore.
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Комментарии • 2,2 тыс.

  • @ProtatoYT
    @ProtatoYT 9 лет назад +5076

    (In a parallel universe)
    Albert: "When's your birthday?"
    Cheryl: "July 16th"
    The End.

    • @felixreim657
      @felixreim657 7 лет назад +135

      TheProtato In an other parallel universe:
      Albert: ,,Who do you go with? Bernard or me?"
      Cheryl: ,,Well... Bernard ugly af... so definitely you"
      Bernard: ,,But i know your birthday!"
      Cheryl: ,,Who cares m8?"

    • @xtraflo
      @xtraflo 6 лет назад +38

      In this case - if we have an Infinite amount of Universes - any date we pick can be the correct date.
      So - September 5th is my answer.

    • @Rekko82
      @Rekko82 6 лет назад +6

      White Noise Lots of universes. I hope we have lots of students then too. Did you graduate BTW?

    • @albertwarren641
      @albertwarren641 5 лет назад +8

      It would probably happen on earth. This Earth.

    • @-YELDAH
      @-YELDAH 5 лет назад +7

      Meanwhile, in a parallel universe where books are sad:
      Tom appears.

  • @brodieboy255
    @brodieboy255 9 лет назад +2921

    One of my favourite math jokes operates on a similar principle:
    Three mathematicians walk into a bar. The bartender asks "Do you all want a beer?"
    Mathematician A: "I don't know"
    Mathematician B: "I don't know"
    Mathematician C: "Yes"

    • @michaeljoel4857
      @michaeljoel4857 6 лет назад +50

      :)

    • @gideonreszka9486
      @gideonreszka9486 6 лет назад +347

      Ok so the answer is the first to arent opposed to it because they would have said no because not all of them were opposed. So the last mathematician knows they want beer and he does too so he says yes.

    • @driversetup6483
      @driversetup6483 6 лет назад +7

      gideon reszka why?!

    • @xXRaffo96Xx
      @xXRaffo96Xx 6 лет назад +719

      I'm not sure, but I guess it's like this: Mathematician A Can't say "Yes", because he doesn't know if the others want beer, but if he wouldn't want beer, then it would definitely be "no". So he wants beer but doesn't know what the others want. So now Mathematician B knows that A wants beer but not if C wants beer or not, so the same applies to him. Since he wants beer to he also says "I don't know". Since A and B could've said "no" if they did not want beer, C now knows that A and B want beer, and since he also wants beer he says "yes". I hope it's kinda understandable.

    • @v5ed
      @v5ed 6 лет назад +145

      The principle is pretty simple. When asked if ALL three wanted beers, any of them could have said "no", simply because one of them not wanting beer is sufficient information that not ALL of them wanted a beer. Since the first two said "I don't know", it means they wanted the beer, but couldn't assess if the others did. The third one, seeing the two first guys wanted a beer, wanting on himself, said "yes".

  • @garethdean6382
    @garethdean6382 9 лет назад +1160

    I think the bigger question is, who wants to be friends with a woman like Cheryl? Can you imagine what it'd be like?
    'So what time's the party?'
    'It's either on the hour or the half hour, between 10am and-'
    'OK, forget it. Not going.'

    • @luni1946
      @luni1946 5 лет назад +12

      What do you want to eat?
      Pizza Hut McDonald’s
      Burger King subway

    • @Raison_d-etre
      @Raison_d-etre 5 лет назад +6

      Afraid of intelligence, are we?

    • @tofidu
      @tofidu 5 лет назад +8

      Wouldn't that be interesting? I mean i can imagine some friends pulling out such as jokes. I'd love to be friends with cheril

    • @Megamean09
      @Megamean09 4 года назад +7

      It's like living in a Layton game.

    • @Triantalex
      @Triantalex Год назад

      false.

  • @DarkdustDragon
    @DarkdustDragon 8 лет назад +400

    I heard a person tell this before but he forgot to limit the dates to a specific range, making it seem like they somehow figured out the Birthday from 365 possible days.

  • @nogoat23
    @nogoat23 5 лет назад +907

    Came for the math. Stayed for the seductive whispering.

  • @Kwpolska
    @Kwpolska 9 лет назад +601

    Real world version of this:
    Albert: “July.”
    Bernard: “Sixteen.”
    *high five*
    They clearly communicate somehow, why couldn’t they be like normal people and just tell each other?

    • @theflash9735
      @theflash9735 5 лет назад +42

      Because Math.

    • @amyythest
      @amyythest 5 лет назад +59

      But what if they both had guns to their heads and if either said their information they would be shot

    • @ingenuity23
      @ingenuity23 5 лет назад +9

      @@amyythest yeah. Oof

    • @m1nato746
      @m1nato746 5 лет назад

      They could be telling lies

    • @amirunhaziq8296
      @amirunhaziq8296 5 лет назад +40

      Albert: Obviously not July
      Bernard:Obviously not 16

  • @SaxandRelax
    @SaxandRelax 5 лет назад +1793

    Bernard: “Cheryl, when is you’re birthday?”
    Cheryl: “I have a boyfriend”

  • @DisRes
    @DisRes 9 лет назад +1454

    The best thing about this problem: people getting excited about math.
    The worst thing about the problem: viral sites and people implying that people who solve a fairly straightforward logic prob, similar to those found in any popsci mag quiz page, are geniuses.

    • @DodderingOldMan
      @DodderingOldMan 9 лет назад +92

      DisRes Agreed; I'm no genius, believe me, but I got this after a minimal amount of painful brain activity.
      The other thing that annoyed was people saying, 'Pfft, this is logic, not maths'.

    • @devilhunterred
      @devilhunterred 9 лет назад +30

      Buffoon1980 This is logical deduction and play on words, not real math but it uses the same logical processing as math.

    • @flurryous2
      @flurryous2 9 лет назад +18

      Buffoon1980 I am among those who said "this is logic, not math." I still believe that assessment. I figured it out with minimal effort once I stopped looking for the math in this "math" problem. I instead focused on the verbage exclusively and almost immediately deduced the correct answer.

    • @whatshendrix
      @whatshendrix 9 лет назад +60

      Garnett F That's the same as saying "a problem about triangles isn't math, it's geometry".

    • @devilhunterred
      @devilhunterred 9 лет назад +9

      whatshendrix Depends what the actual problem about the triangles is.
      If the problem is trying to stack the triangles into a square like those woodblock puzzle games that kids play, then it is geometry.
      If the problem is trying to find its height or width or total area, then it's math.

  • @interestedbee5389
    @interestedbee5389 8 лет назад +2168

    I think solving the actual problem is really messing up priorities; honestly we should be more focused on the totally genius cognition of Albert and Bernard. I mean, they solved such a spontaneous question with such speed and precision, it's amazing Harvord isn't on their case. 😜

    • @durteedan7836
      @durteedan7836 8 лет назад +5

      Very true

    • @Mutantcy1992
      @Mutantcy1992 8 лет назад +99

      +Star Cats >Harvord

    • @MumboJ
      @MumboJ 8 лет назад +155

      +Star Cats And strangely, their solutions require both to know of each other's genius ability to solve this problem.

    • @anotherlover6954
      @anotherlover6954 8 лет назад +44

      Albert and Bernard don't want to go into debt.

    • @miles2419
      @miles2419 8 лет назад +79

      Bernard has horrible grammar. That's why Harvard isn't after him. :')

  • @chloecassidy2800
    @chloecassidy2800 8 лет назад +1606

    Happy birthday Cheryl

  • @limyutong8622
    @limyutong8622 7 лет назад +24

    The moment he finished drawing the table, I knew exactly what his explanation was going to be, though I didn't know the exact answer. That table cleared everything up so elegantly.

  • @PinkChucky15
    @PinkChucky15 9 лет назад +359

    Great problem, but it seems I have been living under a rock because I hadn't heard about it before.

    • @googletropcurieux8670
      @googletropcurieux8670 7 лет назад +5

      2 yrs later .. me too !

    • @spacejaga
      @spacejaga 5 лет назад +2

      Well it's always that way with math.... Didn't you learn at school that all math problems are made up? Same is this one. Aaaaaand same is with the "media....". It's a math problem pretending to be not a math problem so people would look at it :D

    • @Mr-Noro
      @Mr-Noro 4 года назад

      @@googletropcurieux8670 2 extra years, haven't heard of it

    • @sashanktalluri844
      @sashanktalluri844 4 года назад +1

      @@Mr-Noro 2 extra weeks, haven't heard of it

  • @joshuafetter3831
    @joshuafetter3831 9 лет назад +290

    There are two kinds of people: Those who say Ber-nerd and those say Ber-nard.

    • @Chironex_Fleckeri
      @Chironex_Fleckeri 5 лет назад +14

      You forgot people that say Bear-nard

    • @Terrus_38
      @Terrus_38 5 лет назад +1

      Lobster Johnson I say Bear-nard

    • @agiar2000
      @agiar2000 4 года назад +7

      Or, Bər *NARD*

    • @medina2529
      @medina2529 4 года назад +3

      Actually, the pic he uses is from the Brazilian Football Player Bernard, and nobody in Brasil, not even Bernard, pronounces like any of the comments here.

    • @EternalDensity
      @EternalDensity 4 года назад +2

      And those that say Arnold.

  • @midounefateh5265
    @midounefateh5265 5 лет назад +230

    2019 and I'm still laughing about : "19 (kiss)" lol

    • @HRDP21
      @HRDP21 4 года назад +7

      It really got me off guard... Im still laughing.

    • @agiar2000
      @agiar2000 4 года назад +14

      5:23

    • @aaronleperspicace1704
      @aaronleperspicace1704 4 года назад +2

      Yea 🤣🤣🤣

    • @omikronweapon
      @omikronweapon 2 года назад +1

      OMG! I watched the video at least twice and somehow never caught that. It's great xD thanks for pointing that out

    • @nehiruztug2009
      @nehiruztug2009 21 день назад

      I'm still laughing

  • @uraldamasis6887
    @uraldamasis6887 6 лет назад +33

    An underappreciated fact of this brilliant logic problem: It's amazing enough that both Albert and Bernard can deduce Cheryl's birthday in this manner. It's even more amazing than an outside observer can also deduce Cheryl's birthday without being told the month OR the date.

  • @Xeverous
    @Xeverous 8 лет назад +48

    4:00
    "so we have one, two, three, FOR May"
    This scared me 4 a short duration

    • @muixtheblob1710
      @muixtheblob1710 8 лет назад +11

      >4 minutes
      >4 may
      >4 a short duration
      >4 likes.
      4d confirmed.

    • @gcwarkenyout
      @gcwarkenyout 8 лет назад

      I liked Xeverous comment, but then I read Muix The Blob reply, realized I gave the 5th like and undid my wrongs. 4d still confirmed, boys!

    • @andrewbishay657
      @andrewbishay657 7 лет назад +2

      Xeverous 16 likes...
      =4 squared

    • @thebestcompletely9078
      @thebestcompletely9078 7 лет назад

      ChaseTug 18 likes

  • @ayyythatguy
    @ayyythatguy 8 лет назад +81

    99 problems, but Cheryl ain't one

  • @rinilachatterjee9839
    @rinilachatterjee9839 5 лет назад +144

    The only mathematical thing I need to know is how many Sharpies Numberphile has

  • @sghaiermohamed2905
    @sghaiermohamed2905 9 лет назад +77

    still less complicated than social interaction

  • @thebestcompletely9078
    @thebestcompletely9078 7 лет назад +149

    Did Bernard's grammar bother anyone else?

    • @staudinga
      @staudinga 7 лет назад +35

      At first I am not bothered by it, but I am now ;)

    • @thnidu
      @thnidu 5 лет назад +10

      Yeah, "not... too". It should've been "doesn't know, either".

    • @ganeshkumars3383
      @ganeshkumars3383 5 лет назад +1

      He is mathematician idiots!

  • @UltimateBreloom
    @UltimateBreloom 9 лет назад +236

    3 am numberphile. What am I doing wrong in my life?

    • @yousorooo
      @yousorooo 9 лет назад +10

      ***** You are not the only one.

    • @TheHaybai
      @TheHaybai 9 лет назад +1

      Haha same...I love math and logic and riddles too much

    • @Ramzuiv
      @Ramzuiv 9 лет назад

      ***** Uhhh... Same here

    • @crismonBlue
      @crismonBlue 9 лет назад +12

      ***** Actually i would say you do everything right ,good random internet sir.

    • @cheezelz100
      @cheezelz100 9 лет назад +5

      ***** I find late night maths much more fun for some reason.

  • @ArsonBjork
    @ArsonBjork 9 лет назад +1290

    This problem is not hard, people just don't understand what the problem wants them to do.

    • @juliocesarcaye2946
      @juliocesarcaye2946 9 лет назад +32

      Arson Bjork id rather say most people are just incapable of thinking logically

    • @ArsonBjork
      @ArsonBjork 9 лет назад +160

      Júlio César Caye “Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.”
      ― George Carlin

    • @icecubatron
      @icecubatron 9 лет назад +60

      Arson Bjork Basically this, and I think the poor grammar in the problem throws a lot of people off.

    • @ArsonBjork
      @ArsonBjork 9 лет назад +2

      Rented Mule It doesn't matter which one knows what

    • @Niki_0001
      @Niki_0001 9 лет назад +3

      Arson Bjork *this one too*

  • @zoeychevalier5132
    @zoeychevalier5132 8 лет назад +285

    A: I know B doesn't know because there are 2 options in my month.
    B: If A knows I don't know, then it can't be May or June. There is now only one month to my date. I know the birthday.
    A: Now I know the birthday, since there is only one date for July.

    • @ninab2509
      @ninab2509 8 лет назад +15

      That was so simple and it makes total sense thank u

    • @zoeychevalier5132
      @zoeychevalier5132 8 лет назад +3

      Nina B No problem

    • @iskander_lou
      @iskander_lou 8 лет назад +12

      Can you explain why it can't be May or June? It's still complicated to me. I understand why it can't be May 19 or June 18, but why do you exclude the whole May and the whole June?

    • @iskander_lou
      @iskander_lou 8 лет назад +6

      Hold on, never mind. I got it now. I just looked at other people's comment where they already explained that.

    • @neoyikhao
      @neoyikhao 8 лет назад +15

      It makes total sense and easy to understand, but for people who still doesn't get it, try this version:
      A (the one that knows the month): I know B doesn't know because there are AT LEAST 2 options in my month.
      B (the one that knows the date): If A knows I don't know, then it can't be May or June. Thus, By looking at the remaining months: July and August. There is now only one month to my date. I know the birthday.
      A (the one that knows the month): Now I know the birthday, since there is only one date for July. (Wonder why A picked July 16 instead of Aug 15 & 17? Well A is the one that knows the month, hence July 16 is the only option A would pick)

  • @matthewclaiborne229
    @matthewclaiborne229 6 лет назад +26

    Math problem: how much do I have to pay for Simon to whisper “19” then kiss me on the cheek before I go to bed every night?

    • @rwb966
      @rwb966 2 года назад +1

      I don't know but I know that you don't know.

  • @TheDarkvoid455
    @TheDarkvoid455 9 лет назад +169

    It's 1am and I have to get up at 6am tomorrow for work. So I decided to watch this math video :)!

    • @numberphile
      @numberphile  9 лет назад +23

      Justice good for you!

    • @jdgrahamo
      @jdgrahamo 9 лет назад +27

      Justice So you have 29 hours to go before work?

    • @BAKI_H4NMA
      @BAKI_H4NMA 9 лет назад

      Gammel Prutte hahahahahha :D

    • @LittleLionRawr
      @LittleLionRawr 9 лет назад

      Gammel Prutte Nice!

    • @Jake-kn3xg
      @Jake-kn3xg 7 лет назад +4

      the first premise of this statement logically contradicts the second premise. And the conclusion is a non sequitor.

  • @ArduousNature
    @ArduousNature 6 лет назад +6

    It's nice that you guys include some easy questions to make us feel smart

  • @jimbo-fk4dq
    @jimbo-fk4dq 7 лет назад +119

    Bernard and Albert should have just shared the info they had with each other. Save themselves time.

    • @felixreim657
      @felixreim657 7 лет назад +2

      jimbo 2346 unfortunately we live in an egocentric world m8

    • @FinBoyXD
      @FinBoyXD 7 лет назад +7

      jimbo 2346 Nah, Bernard and Albert are like super geniuses, it wouldn't have been any quicker for them to just say the answer.

    • @mynewaccount2361
      @mynewaccount2361 5 лет назад +1

      Wow, you're so clever. When's your Harvard graduation?

    • @mitesh8utube
      @mitesh8utube 5 лет назад +3

      That's exactly what they did. They shared the info they had without letting cheryl know that they were sharing info.

  • @jakeym9823
    @jakeym9823 9 лет назад +7

    I love Simon's sense of humour! Every video featuring him is brilliant!

  • @glebkachur8033
    @glebkachur8033 3 года назад +1

    oh, this is satisfying to solve by yourself. that moment when it clicks and you know the answer is priceless

    • @FeathersMcGraw_
      @FeathersMcGraw_ 3 года назад

      I was hoping to find someone else who solved it themselves! This was a fun one.

  • @CultOfRevan98
    @CultOfRevan98 9 лет назад +56

    How odd, a video on birthdays uploaded on my own birthday!

    • @MrNacknime
      @MrNacknime 9 лет назад +8

      CultOfRevan98 Happy birthday!

    • @vaniadesmonda
      @vaniadesmonda 9 лет назад +14

      CultOfRevan98 I hope you're not Cheryl

    • @KyleNoelMusic
      @KyleNoelMusic 9 лет назад +3

      CultOfRevan98 happy birthday. have a blessed day ;)

    • @alvierahman90
      @alvierahman90 9 лет назад

      Then have a very happy birthday

    • @mmatt314
      @mmatt314 9 лет назад +2

      There's been 93000 views and even more subscribers. What would've been odd if it had been nobody's birthday! There's probably even plenty of cheryls whose birthday it is!

  • @glarynth
    @glarynth 7 лет назад +165

    Three logicians walk into a bar. "Would you all like a beer?" asks the bartender. The first logician says, "I don't know." The second logician says, "I don't know." The third logician says, "yes."

    • @loofa1707
      @loofa1707 5 лет назад +4

      Thats dope

    • @kev117_
      @kev117_ 5 лет назад +2

      @@loofa1707 can you explain to me what it means

    • @loofa1707
      @loofa1707 5 лет назад +60

      @@kev117_ the question was, "Would you all like a beer". That means that if the first dude didnt want a beer the answer to the question would have been no. But instead he said that he doesnt know which means that he wants a beer but its possible that one of the other dudes dont. The second guy said he doesnt know so that means that he wants a beer too but he doesnt know if the third guy wants one or not. So the third guy knows that they both want a beer based on their answers and he wants a beer so at that point he can say yes, they all want a beer.

    • @kev117_
      @kev117_ 5 лет назад +7

      @@loofa1707 oh lol thanks a lot bro

    • @dickurkel6910
      @dickurkel6910 5 лет назад +5

      This would be way more funny if the top comment in this comment section wasn't the exact same comment, with way more likes and was made 2 years ago.
      Basically I'm saying you might've copied the comments

  • @Paxsali
    @Paxsali 9 лет назад +26

    I remember in University we had a similar problem presented, but I forgot what it was exactly. I had figured it out though...
    It was something like...
    - there are two persons Alice and Bob
    - we are looking for two numbers a, b
    - Alice knows the sum of a and b
    - Bob knows the product of a and b
    - then there is a conversational snippet presented to us, very similar to the one from the video, where it goes back and forth and then they suddenly know the answer
    - what are the numbers a and b
    Don't know how much I remembered or changed or missed in that story,
    but if this sounds familiar to anyone, please do post the complete (proper) problem.

    • @Paxsali
      @Paxsali 9 лет назад

      ***** Maybe there are always three persons and I really might misremembered it, I admit that...

    • @manpreetkang6842
      @manpreetkang6842 9 лет назад +1

      The puzzle that you're describing sounds very much like a logic puzzle, but the names Alice and Bob make me think of crypto as well. That's probably why Vanko got confused.

    • @Paxsali
      @Paxsali 9 лет назад +1

      Manpreet Kang lol, no the name Alice and Bob I made up, because I couldn't remember the real test's names. It was in german anyways... we did this during maths tutorial after lecture.

    • @unclesteez2934
      @unclesteez2934 9 лет назад

      Thomas Bischoff 3 4 and 6?altho idk what the sum of the billing address means

    • @thomasbischoff3553
      @thomasbischoff3553 9 лет назад

      Uncle Steez Perhaps I should have been more clear about that. I meant the sum of the ages is the same number as that of A's street address.
      And sorry to say that's not the right answer.

  • @guilhermefernandes222
    @guilhermefernandes222 6 лет назад +2

    0:45 basically how maths works. You never know why you’re doing it, you just do it, solve it, nail it and then realize its all for nothing because I will not use it even if Im a rocket scientist!!

  • @arielfuxman8868
    @arielfuxman8868 5 лет назад +4

    I still did not understand why he took july and may out

    • @Scurvebeard
      @Scurvebeard 4 года назад

      May was removed because it contained a gimme. If Albert had been told a month that contained a gimme, then he would not have been able to say that he knows Bernard doesn't know. Off with May and June.
      July didn't get taken out. We ruled out May and June, then we ruled out the 14s, and then - since Albert could claim to know - we knew he must have gotten a gimme as well. If he'd been told August, he wouldn't have had a gimme. Therefore, if they can figure it out, we could (finally) rule out August.

  • @Gamesaucer
    @Gamesaucer 9 лет назад +211

    Oh wow, paused the video around 2:08 and I've managed to solve it. This is actually pretty great; the wording of the problem gives you information where you least expect it. Other than that, it's quite straightforward.

    • @majorgnu
      @majorgnu 9 лет назад +6

      Gamesaucer Same here. I did it with a table just like the video, except I didn't have cells for option counts.

    • @woodfur00
      @woodfur00 9 лет назад +2

      Gamesaucer Me too! There's no way I could have explained it coherently, though. I kept losing the train of logic.

    • @Gamesaucer
      @Gamesaucer 9 лет назад +2

      ***** It means that the info you have directly leads to the solution. For example, if you have a list of dates like in the video, 18 and 19 don't occur more than once, meaning that you can deduce the month from the day.

    • @livedandletdie
      @livedandletdie 9 лет назад +1

      ***** It means A Give Away. but it's also what lil kids say when they want something so.. Gimme that ICE CREAM NOW! Gimme comes from Give me.

    • @jercki72
      @jercki72 9 лет назад

      Gamesaucer me too ! At first I tried to guess it but then I realized I needed a table to understand it better

  • @bradymeyerhoeffer3703
    @bradymeyerhoeffer3703 5 лет назад +18

    I always love watching this channel because i feel like they are talking to me lol

  • @justinhebert5155
    @justinhebert5155 6 лет назад +5

    "In his head or really in his heart because we're dealing with Cheryl here" haha this guy is great! 😂

  • @colechristie6903
    @colechristie6903 8 лет назад +26

    I guessed July 16 for no reason and got it right

    • @andrewbishay657
      @andrewbishay657 7 лет назад

      Cole Christie haha

    • @clotz1820
      @clotz1820 7 лет назад +2

      me too but i guessed that if you have to deduce something it got to be in the middle cause if it was on the side t would be easier to guess

  • @SasukeUchiha-bz6se
    @SasukeUchiha-bz6se 9 лет назад +33

    The thing that pains me the most is the fact that anyone who ever solves this(or sees a solution for any problem,not just this one) goes like : yeah, I knew this, totally easy.. easiest logic math problem ever bla bla" .. It is not that easy, and it's quite amazing to have such a problem at hand. Wonderful video as always.

  • @linkVIII
    @linkVIII 9 лет назад +183

    No link to singing banana's video :o

    • @numberphile
      @numberphile  9 лет назад +47

      gosh, I get the impression that linking to everyone's videos and articles about this would be quite a task...

    • @McJaews
      @McJaews 9 лет назад +62

      Numberphile Not everyone's videos:P Professor Grimes is a numberphile regular, so that one could be considered a "gimme" ;)

    • @johnhilbert7640
      @johnhilbert7640 9 лет назад +1

      McJaews James Grime doesn't teach

    • @McJaews
      @McJaews 9 лет назад +1

      John Hilbert I didn't know this:)
      What would be the proper title then?

    • @johnhilbert7640
      @johnhilbert7640 9 лет назад +4

      McJaews You can call him Dr Grime or something

  • @hunortoth6641
    @hunortoth6641 8 лет назад +7

    I didn't watch the full video, didn't look at the comments, but let me try to solve it....
    If 1st said that he knows that 2nd doesn't know either, that means that we can cross out May and June, which leaves us with 5 dates. The second immideatly solved the problem after that, which means that it isn't 14th, because it had 2 dates left. Because after that the second also realized what is the answer, it means he also had only one option left= July 16 (August had 2 possible dates).
    Hopefully I was right :3

  • @ouie-fl4qo
    @ouie-fl4qo 4 года назад +3

    Can we just appreciate Bernard's smartness
    He does, what took Simon took 8 minutes to explain, in 5 seconds in his head. That is 96-fold the smartness of Simon
    Bruh

  • @blondekat
    @blondekat 4 года назад +1

    I am unreasonably proud of myself for solving a four year old logic problem.

  • @Jreaming1212
    @Jreaming1212 4 года назад +1

    Finding this again after a few years and being able to solve it feels amazing

  • @bigsalo8598
    @bigsalo8598 5 лет назад +4

    I don't understand how Bernard's response is enough information for albert to also understand. How is bernanrd to state the last bit of necessary info?
    edit: I mean, Albert could say he knows the date because it's a 15 or a 17. He doesn't state that bernanrd would also know from his new response.

    • @mrillies
      @mrillies 5 лет назад

      BigSalo But he knows the month.
      A1: eliminates May/June
      B1: eliminates the 14th,
      A2: he knows it’s July and only 16th is left

    • @connerhartman9336
      @connerhartman9336 5 лет назад

      Yes, so he eliminates the 14th, which leaves two single dates in one month and one date in the other. but, all 3 numbers are different, so there's really no way that albert could have deduced which of those 3 separate dates it was. There was no indication that is was 16 rather than 15 that bernard was thinking but with either of those numbers bernard would know the birthday. Work through the problem as if its august 15th. Albert says "I dont know, but neither do you", eliminates may and june. Then bernard, knowing its the 15th says "Oh, I didnt know before, but now I do", and now albert thinks its july 16th but its actually august 15th. I dont see where august gets eliminated.

    • @SvenPek
      @SvenPek 5 лет назад

      @@connerhartman9336 The point is. Had Albert had August he wouldn't have ended up saying, oh! I know then. But he had July. So he could state it as fact. The only scenario where he can end up saying it for a fact after the 14th is eliminated is that he had been told July is the month.
      Because you are right. It could have been 15, 16, 17. But the only conditions where all their statements are true is July 16th.

  • @megamanexe4
    @megamanexe4 8 лет назад +10

    Fun Fact: It has been a usual trait for tough math questions from Singapore to include 3 persons with names starting with A, B and C.

  • @pgn42
    @pgn42 6 лет назад +3

    When he said “if your living under a rock” I instantly thought about Patrick from spongebob.

  • @Terrus_38
    @Terrus_38 5 лет назад +2

    I have similar riddle: There are two camels. One is purple. How much does the dog weight when it's dark?

  • @qubatistic4788
    @qubatistic4788 3 года назад +1

    It's July 16th in 36 minutes. Happy early birthday, Cheryl!

  • @mitchelletzkin1321
    @mitchelletzkin1321 8 лет назад +4

    I like the ending: *Pencil Drop, then leans back like a G*

  • @sloonzz1012
    @sloonzz1012 9 лет назад +87

    Question: At 6:34, why is the month May a 'gimme'? There are still two choices left, right? 15 and 16? Or am I missing something here?

    • @numberphile
      @numberphile  9 лет назад +61

      sloonzz1012 19th is a gimme for Bernard, not May for Albert!

    • @sloonzz1012
      @sloonzz1012 9 лет назад +29

      I know that, but then how can you be sure that it can't be May? I understand June because there's only one choice left and Albert still doesn't know, however, there are still two choices for May. So how?

    • @emersonhoskin960
      @emersonhoskin960 9 лет назад +44

      sloonzz1012 if he was told may, then he wouldn't have said I know he doesn't know, because if the other guy was told 19, he would know.

    • @michaelbrown6459
      @michaelbrown6459 9 лет назад +19

      June isn't crossed off because there is only one possibility left. May and June are actually crossed off for exactly the same reason. This reason is that they both have a date number that is not present in any of the other months. So, for Albert to say that he knows that Bernard doesn't know, he is essentially saying that he knows that it is either July or August - because July and August both have dates that are repeated in the other months and therefore knows that, with the information that Albert has been given, albert could not possibly know the correct month and date at this stage.

    • @BankaiPwn
      @BankaiPwn 9 лет назад +4

      sloonzz1012 Because the 18th and 19th are the only gimmies in the first section (for Bernard), and because Albert somehow knows that Bernard doesn't know. You can eliminate both May and June as potential months. If the birthday WAS in May/June, Bernard COULD possibly know the exact date, but because of the first sentence (Albert saying that he doesn't know and that he also knows Bernard doesn't know) - Cheryl's birthday can be confirmed to not be in May and June

  • @kalebbruwer
    @kalebbruwer 8 лет назад +16

    my approach was very similar, except I threw out all the gimmes untill there was one date left. So I ended up screwing up at the end and almost solved it but didn't.
    what a Parker's square

  • @LaughingMan44
    @LaughingMan44 3 года назад +2

    It's one of those math problems that are complicated because of the structure/grammar of the question/problem and knowing what is expected of you rather than the actual solution. I always hated worded math problems for this reason.

  • @jing-yulye9910
    @jing-yulye9910 6 лет назад +1

    There is actually a problem my math teacher gave in my P5 math class called Denise’s birthday, which has Albert, Bernard, and Cheryl knowing the month, day and year respectively about Denise’s birthday.

  • @ryantanski3756
    @ryantanski3756 9 лет назад +7

    This is easy. I stopped right after the problem was explained. It is May 19th

  • @zeineb7373
    @zeineb7373 4 года назад +7

    At 6:51 I don't get why they removed may though

    • @robbiemize
      @robbiemize 4 года назад

      @Zeineb THANK YOU. I have been wondering the same thing. Makes sense vertically but not horizontally, if that makes any sense. Same for June. Strange.

    • @beaulayer23
      @beaulayer23 4 года назад

      Because Albert realized that if the birthday was May then Bernard may have known the birthday. But since Bernard does not know then it can’t be May or June.

    • @vinishthanai2128
      @vinishthanai2128 4 года назад

      Yeah same

    • @peach8352
      @peach8352 4 года назад

      June was eliminated for sure. May? Still had two possibilities for May, so that leaves the 17th as the only day with only one Month possibility, so at that point if he is certain it must be Aug 17, because every other day at that point had multiple possibilities. Right? What am I missing?

  • @SuperMegaCoffeeGuru
    @SuperMegaCoffeeGuru 9 лет назад +6

    I love how he sits back and sighs at the end like some great load just flew off his shoulders.

  • @eeDixx
    @eeDixx 9 лет назад

    My first solve: Bernard doesn't says the correct answer right away, so June 18 and May 19 strikes out (1). As Albert says that he KNOWS (2), that Bernard doesn't know - it has to be because of the [1] assumtion. Bernard says, that he knows (3) the answer, but didn't know it at first, because of Albert's keyword [2]. If Bernard knows the date after this turn, it has to be June 17, as it's only month+date left after [1].

  • @bcat010
    @bcat010 9 лет назад +2

    very fascinating stuff. Could you do more puzzle videos? I love listening to someone deduce their logic.

  • @EPICGUYDUDE
    @EPICGUYDUDE 9 лет назад +4

    In this video,
    Albert is Albert Einstein
    Cheryl is Cheryl (Cole)
    Who's Bernard?

  • @satoshinakamoto5710
    @satoshinakamoto5710 9 лет назад +4

    This is precisely why symbolic logic needs to be applied more.

  • @CompanionCube
    @CompanionCube 9 лет назад +4

    Why did Cheryl not tell them directly? WHY

  • @SapphireSiren
    @SapphireSiren 7 лет назад +2

    This is explained really clearly! I love this guy.

  • @gamemeister27
    @gamemeister27 7 лет назад +2

    before I look ahead, July 16th. if he knows the month and knows the guy knowing the day can't know which it is, it can't be may or June, since those contain unique days. Now that the guy who knows the day knows it's June or August and the day, so it's a unique day to those months, removing 14. Going back to the original guy, if it was August, he wouldn't know if it was 15 or 17, since there's two unique numbers, but because he knows it's July, is has to be July 16th

    • @LitosRampage
      @LitosRampage 5 лет назад

      Exactly my train of thought, no need for tables and whatnot.

  • @q23main
    @q23main 6 лет назад +20

    "18" or "19 :*"
    Love the role play :)

  • @PongzeLor
    @PongzeLor 7 лет назад +8

    “My month sounds like ju-lie”
    “I know the answer”
    “I do not know the answer. Why didn’t you tell me the day?”

  • @thirdmonkeyent_llc
    @thirdmonkeyent_llc 4 года назад +1

    I don't understand why he can cross out May and June after the first exchange, because if the birthday was May 15 or 16 it June 17, they still could have had the same first dialogue exchange. Because Albert would have been told June and Bernard told 17, which they still would not have automatically known at the beginning. All three of those dates are within rows and columns with more than one choice.

    • @MuffinsAPlenty
      @MuffinsAPlenty 4 года назад

      It's because Albert knows the month. And Albert says that he knows Bernard doesn't know the birthday either.
      This is the most confusing part of the puzzle because people interpret it differently. _HOW_ does Albert know that Bernard doesn't know the birthday? The people who wrote the puzzle intended it so that Albert knows this because he is able to _deduce_ this based on the possible birthdays and his knowledge of the month. A lot of people think Albert is able to guess it from Bernard's expression or the fact that Bernard didn't speak up. But this is _not_ what was intended. It was intended that Albert is able to deduce with 100% certainty that Bernard _cannot_ know the birthday. But since Bernard _cannot_ know the birthday, it means that the date cannot be 18 or 19.
      But remember that this information comes from _Albert_ who knows the _month._ The only way Albert could be certain that Bernard didn't know the birthday is if the _month_ Albert was given didn't have a unique _date._ This means that Albert cannot have May or June.
      If, for example, Albert had May, then May 19th could have been the birthday (as far as Albert knew), and it would have been possible that Bernard had 19, meaning that Bernard could have known the birthday exactly. So Albert would not have been able to conclude that Bernard didn't know the birthday. The same sort of reasoning shows that Albert could not have June.

  • @Donbros
    @Donbros 10 месяцев назад

    My take: at beggining i thought its not from the set but from all days of the year.
    But if from sets its extremely easy. Albert says they both dont know, its actually big help for Bernad. We have to know Bernard can only know at the BEGGINING if he knows june 18 or may 19. So its either may or june. As second guy answers now i know, its obviously june because Albert said he couldnt know - at first he had two choices june 17 or August 17 but when he said he couldnt know at beggining he knows he talk about june. And when Bernard answers that it becomes obvious to Albert too

  • @ELP1125
    @ELP1125 4 года назад +4

    @5:24 that was so weird 😰

  • @felipemorales6954
    @felipemorales6954 8 лет назад +55

    U lost me at 0:00

  • @Demasturbot
    @Demasturbot 6 лет назад +3

    And then they shared Cheryl.

  • @BlitzPSH
    @BlitzPSH 6 лет назад

    Started at this problem for about a minute to figure out the answer then skipped to the end.
    A to B: Obviously eliminates May (unique day in May).
    B to A: Obviously eliminates everything except July (if ruling out May gave B the answer, then it's on a day shared by only by May and one other month).
    The only day that satisfies both steps is July 16, no paper/pencil required.

  • @ToxicJuiceb0x
    @ToxicJuiceb0x 7 лет назад

    This explanation was so unnecessarily convoluted that I got lost even though I already understood the problem before watching it.

  • @VirtualMarmalade
    @VirtualMarmalade 9 лет назад +8

    Singingbanana got to it first :P

  • @BudderKingCool
    @BudderKingCool 5 лет назад +3

    Idk about you guys but that's my birthday so me and Cheryl boutta go gang out together.
    Edit: where my July 16 bois at

  • @timsim408
    @timsim408 4 года назад +10

    I dont get this at all even after watching this 5 times. I get how he got the solution but not how Albert or bernard got the information.

    • @icantthinkofausername8964
      @icantthinkofausername8964 4 года назад +6

      Okay, I'll try to break it down step by step.
      The answer: July 16
      The possible dates:
      May 15, May 16, May 19, June 17, June 18, July 14, July 16, Aug 14, Aug 15, and Aug 17.
      Albert is aware of the month while Bernard is aware of the date.
      Albert says: "I don't know when Cheryl's birthday is, but I know that Bernard does not know too."
      The answer is July 16th. That means Albert is aware that the month of Cheryl's birthday is July. The possible dates for July are the 14th and 16th. Both of those dates are repeated-- there are August 14th and May 16th, so Albert knows that from the dates alone that Bernard cannot know Cheryl's birthday.
      Bernard says: "At first, I don't know when Cheryl's birthday is, but I know now."
      How does Bernard know now? When Albert said that he's aware that Bernard does not know the birthday, he showed that he somehow knows Bernard got a date that repeats since if Bernard did get a date that occurs once, Bernard would know the answer. For Albert to be sure Bernard got a date that occurs more than once, Albert must've got a month in which every single date repeats. Months that follow that rule are July and August. Since Bernard knows the date is 16 and there is a July 16 but no August 16, Bernard now knows it's July 16.
      Albert says: "Then I also know when Cheryl's birthday is!"
      What Albert could've first done to figure this out is put himself in Bernard's perspective and do the work Bernard did to realize Bernard's options got limited to July and August. Reminder: Albert knows the month is July and the only dates in July and the 14th and 16th. If Bernard got the date "14", there is a July 14th and August 14th so Bernard would not know Cheryl's birthday. However, Bernard *does* know Cheryl's birthday so Bernard must've not gotten the 14th. The only remaining date in July is the 16th so Albert knows it's the 16th.
      I hope that helped! Feel free to ask questions if it didn't.

    • @timsim408
      @timsim408 4 года назад +2

      thank you for the explanation but im more confused about whether or not Albert and Bernard were given the full list of d
      ates or did they figure it out with only a month/day.

    • @icantthinkofausername8964
      @icantthinkofausername8964 4 года назад +2

      @@timsim408 They were given the full list

    • @franz009franz
      @franz009franz 4 года назад +3

      @@timsim408 did you watch the video? they were obviously given a list of 10 dates. its literally being said at the start of the video. i solved this whole issue not watching the video within 8 minutes of stopping the video at 2:50 on my own all the way.
      dafuq is wrong with ppl lul

  • @GetMeThere1
    @GetMeThere1 6 лет назад

    What initially throws me about this problem is that I assumed that we would know at the same point that Albert knows. When in fact, we can only know AFTER Albert tells us that he knows.

    • @luken476
      @luken476 5 лет назад

      This is exactly it! People do not realize when they are arguing with each other that one arguee has the 3rd party viewer train of thought (as we watch the exchange unfold), and the other arguee has the 'If I was in Albert's shoes" train of thought. This is the the source of the issue.

  • @CiscoWes
    @CiscoWes 10 месяцев назад

    Albert knows that Bernard doesn’t know the year. But when Bernard realized Albert doesn’t know the year, Albert realizes what the year was and then Bernard knows. All without any exchange of information.

  • @nikodeza6120
    @nikodeza6120 8 лет назад +3

    Plot twist: She lied.
    Lmao

  • @aWildKITsune
    @aWildKITsune 4 года назад +6

    Is it just me, or was this solution immediately obvious?

  • @coolboyrocx
    @coolboyrocx 9 лет назад +9

    Like if you saw this awesome guy at ‪#‎NCSS2K15‬!

  • @rwb966
    @rwb966 Год назад +1

    Although the video is over ten minutes long, the hands on the clock donot move. The time is 7:16.

  • @HunterJE
    @HunterJE 3 месяца назад

    One quirk to note is that a problem like this (and other problems like the various "line of people with or without hats" puzzles) is the solution relies at each stage not only on Albert and Bernard's reasoning correctly but on their both of their belief that the other is reasoning correctly, and telling the truth, and not acting on outside information

  • @Meckan
    @Meckan 9 лет назад +5

    Congrats on 1,234,567 subscribers :D

  • @Aleciko218
    @Aleciko218 9 лет назад +8

    Illuminati Confirmed!!! #NCSS2K15 #NSCC #NCSS2015

  • @dillonjefferson2016
    @dillonjefferson2016 4 года назад +1

    What I find interesting is how Albert would always know the answer no matter if Bernard knew the answer or not.

  • @bleachie
    @bleachie 9 лет назад +1

    I solved it used a grid too! Organizing information makes problems a lot easier to solve.

  • @wolphe
    @wolphe 9 лет назад +4

    Can somebody explain why May 15 and 16 were crossed off?
    I understand May 19 and June 18 are crossed off. And following that June 17 goes away since that is the only one left in the month. But why does that remove the rest of May? May would still have 2 options. 15 and 16 both would still have 2 options as well.

    • @michaelbrown6459
      @michaelbrown6459 9 лет назад +6

      The whole of May and June have to be crossed off because Albert knows that Bernard doesn't know the correct month and date at that stage. Meaning that Albert either knows the answer is july or August. We can deduce that Albert knows it is July or August when he says that Bernard doesn't know. For Bernard to not know at this stage, Albert must know that it is in a month where there are no dates that do not appear in any other months (18th or 19th). If, for example, Albert was told it was may, then he would know that there would be a possibility that Bernard could know the month and date straight away (if Bernard was given 19).

    • @TheRhinehart86
      @TheRhinehart86 9 лет назад +1

      wolphe Because the guy who knew the months knew it wasn't in May. If the birthday was in May there would be no way either of them could know the precise date because the information would be too ambiguous.

    • @wolphe
      @wolphe 9 лет назад

      Jono Brown I understand that the gimmes go away but it still doesn't clearly explain why the rest of May goes away.
      From Bernard's POV:
      May 19 and June 18 go away immediately since they're gimmes.
      Then he hears Albert saying "I don't know what the day is but I know Bernard doesn't know it either.' With just that, Bernard knows June 17 goes away too and subsequently Aug 17.
      But that should still leave May 15 and 16, July 14 and 16, and Aug 14 and 15.
      I guess my question boils down to, How did Bernard know which date it was just from that one statement.

    • @juliocesarcaye2946
      @juliocesarcaye2946 9 лет назад +2

      wolphe albert said that he was sure bernard didn't know it. The only way bernard would know it straight away was with days 18 or 19. And the only way for albert to be sure those days are off, is if the month cheryl told him was NOT may nor june.
      In short, Albert always deals in entire rows, Bernard in entire columns.

    • @hazco12
      @hazco12 9 лет назад

      Because he says for sure that Bernard doesn't know, if it was in May then there would be a chance Bernard would know for sure, as there is a unique date in May, so the month must have non unique number dates

  • @MrKostaCoffee
    @MrKostaCoffee 9 лет назад +8

    Not enough #NCSS comments.
    #NCSS2015 #NCSS2014 #NCSSreturnerreasons
    inb4 illumitati video

  • @SuperKatieThe2nd
    @SuperKatieThe2nd 4 года назад

    The real winner is Cheryl who just secured two more birthday presents

  • @jonathancarey6082
    @jonathancarey6082 7 лет назад +1

    Pretty sure someone used an "o" instead of a "0" at around 11:03 (far left column).... I can't look past this transgression

  • @DigginJoe
    @DigginJoe 9 лет назад +9

    Illuminati Confirmed #NCSS2015

  • @astronosmage3722
    @astronosmage3722 4 года назад +3

    just solved this, drunk on new years eve

  • @MayoungPunte
    @MayoungPunte 5 лет назад +2

    Could anyone explain me why Albert can cut May and June out. I can really use some helps here. Thanks.

  • @dphdmn
    @dphdmn Год назад

    Albert can speak the first phrase only if the answer month has a unique day, excluding May or June.
    Brendan then claimed to know the answer, eliminating the possibility of 14, leaving us with July 16 and two August dates.
    Since July is unique compared to August, Albert deduces the answer: July 16.

  • @jennifersiagian
    @jennifersiagian 8 лет назад +5

    You are so handsome. ,, those locks beautiful.. ..

  • @supersophisticated9943
    @supersophisticated9943 5 лет назад +3

    February first? Genuine guess from the beginning
    Oh never mind, I didn’t know those dates listed were the actual only choices

  • @ZacJelke
    @ZacJelke 8 лет назад +45

    Based on this explanation, Albert is lucky, or a liar. As there was no clue for him to make a distinction between July or August based on anything Bernard or Cheryl said. If Cheryl had whispered 14, 15, or 17 to Bernard then all of his statements would have remained the same. WE can make an assumption that it was July 16 if we take Albert's final statement as truth, but there is no evidence that it is true.Unless I've made a mistake somewhere...

    • @Zwijger
      @Zwijger 8 лет назад +16

      Zac Jelke The fact that bernard knew it after his first statement means that it can't be the fourteenth, and because he knows it's in July, he knows it's the 16th, you have to realise that both of them have their own info, even if we as viewer don't.

    • @DigiRafael
      @DigiRafael 7 лет назад +27

      Zac Jelke Well,he made a distinction between July and August because he knew the month already

    • @justinrose5980
      @justinrose5980 6 лет назад +7

      Albert is neither lucky nor a liar. You can think of the words as being the rules for solving the problem. You have to take what they say as fact to solve this problem, even though when Bernard says he knows, there is actually no way that he can know the answer given the information he received. Go back and listen to the last couple sentences Simon Pampena says in this video. Simon is describing how the meaning of the words in this problem are giving an ambiguous Problem an unambiguous solution.

    • @joepiazza3756
      @joepiazza3756 6 лет назад +5

      No, he simply knew the month because Cheryl told him at the start. lol

    • @512TheWolf512
      @512TheWolf512 6 лет назад +7

      If we assume either of them is a liar the problem becomes unsolvable

  • @geoffreywood2770
    @geoffreywood2770 5 лет назад

    The problem with the puzzle is Bernard can only work out the date if he has already heard Albert's second response. He doesn't have that information when he makes his deduction so he shouldn't be able to work it out.

    • @mrillies
      @mrillies 5 лет назад

      Geoffrey Wood, no we can only work it out with all three statements. Bernard knows the date is the 16, so with May/June eliminated the only 16th left is July.

  • @rljpdx
    @rljpdx 5 лет назад

    would i be stretching it if i said right here in this RUclips channel us plebe's are actually treated to the literal best of the best? this channel has grown on me and i've only met the narrator of this video just in the last couple of days. i don't' know why i haven't subscribed yet but putting that in now ;)