Monday, April 1, 2019

Who Owned the Dog? (Who Stole What from Whom? Part II)

The dog was recovered. It belonged to one of three boys—Arthur, Bernard, or Charles. They made the following statements:
Arthur: Bernard doesn't own it.
Bernard: That is true.
Charles: Arthur doesn't own it.
As it happened, the real owner was telling the truth, and at least one of the others was lying.
Which boy owns the dog?
(Source: King Arthur in Search of His Dog and Other Curious Puzzles by Raymond Smullyan)

Charles is excluded from being the owner because that makes the other two statements true. Bernard is also excluded because he would be agreeing with a lie (Arthur's statement). Arthur is the only candidate left.

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