Voting is open for the Logic round of the Red Bull Mind Gamers challenge!
This was my favorite round of the Mind Gamers challenge. I loved the idea of having to figure out things about the room that weren’t immediately apparent from the image.
I also felt that my entry for the Logic round was by far my best submission of the four rounds I submitted for (Strategy, Visual, Logic, Memory), so I was a little disappointed that by winning the Visual vote I couldn’t compete in this round. But I wont look a gift horse in the mouth and will instead focus on the three finalists that are still competing for a spot at the Discovery Lab.
Mike A: Auggie’s Walking the Plank
Mike A gets kudos from me for being the only entry to follow through with the core definition of the Logic round- to glean information not immediately apparent in the image and use that information to escape the room. In this case it was the connection that a refrigerator with French doors is most likely a newer model and would have a specific coolant that could help in the escape.
I also give Mike A credit for calling out the assumption that we need to stay out of the pit. It’s not a deduction but declaring assumptions is a logical way of jumping into the problem and warrants bonus credit.
Finally, the part about saving the other animals was a nice little touch to keep the tone light.
Emmett O: MacGyver’s Razor Sharp Synapses
I really appreciated the funny comment that killing the spider would eliminate the major reason for ever leaving the space.
This entry was light on the logical deductions. Emmett O used the soccer ball to estimate the size of the couch, which is a good observation since soccer balls have a standard size.
Otherwise, the entry was more of a strategy plan. The method of crossing the pit was roughly the same as what Mike A did. While the lock pick solution was less creative than Mike A’s freezing of the lock, it’s ultimately a more plausible solution.
Zachary G: Calvin and Hobbes
Zachary G gets a lot of credit for attempting to come up with a more creative solution of crossing the pit. I had considered flooding the pit in my early thought process, but I ultimately pulled back on this solution for two reasons.
1) There is no way to conclusively make the pit watertight (I don’t think Zachary G’s paint solution is realistic). I tried rationalizing a way to deduce the pit was already watertight but didn’t have any luck with this.
2) A broken pipe would take an eon to flood the pit. Think of how long it takes a bathtub to fill from a gushing faucet. The pit is an order of magnitude larger than a tub. When I was toying with the solution, I considered that the boxes may have a food source within to enable a longer wait, since the mouse has been surviving in the space, but it requires a few assumptions to conclude the mouse has been in the chamber for longer than us.
I also don’t buy the use of battery acid to damage a door lock. I’ve had batteries leak and leave stains and a little wear, but nothing that would affect the overall integrity of a metal device. After all, the battery acid is already being contained by metal when it’s inside a battery.
Verdict
All three entries are creative, but I ultimately voted for Mike A. The French door observation is easily the most Holmes-esque detail across all three entries and the solution is creative and fun.
Also fun fact- if Mike A wins the logic round, than the two runners-up in round 1 (Strategy) were the winners in round 2 (Visual) and round 3 (Logic).
My Entry
I might as well share my entry since it does me no good to hide it any more. I got about a third of the way into writing it as a full Sherlock Holmes story before seeing the 500 word limit and cutting my entry down to the basics. I originally drafted a lot more story about who locked up Watson and why,
Here’s the version I actually submitted. I spent a lot of time focusing on the actual skill Red Bull was looking to test with this contest and called out my specific observations and deductions.
The story is told from Watson’s perspective, as Sherlock advises him remotely on how observations from the room’s layout can be used to formulate an exit plan.
“Surely I can devise a simple bridge to escape,” I said. “Once I make it to the door, my only remaining obstacle is the lock!”
FACT: Watson can observe that the wooden door is locked even though he cannot reach it.
DEDUCTION 1: The door has a physical lock visible from inside the room.
DEDUCTION 2: The door could not have been locked from the outside.
DEDUCTION 3: Watson’s captors used a different entrance to put him in the room.
CONCLUSION 1: The door does not lead to safety. If it did, Watson’s captors would have used it.
CONCLUSION 2: This leaves two places the exit could be, the ceiling or the pit.
“Holmes, could the exit be in the pit?” I asked.
FACT: The “poor soul” skeleton in the pit shows no broken bones or damage.
DEDUCTION 1: The “poor soul” did not die from a fall.
DEDUCTION 2: The “poor soul” lowered himself into the pit to search for an exit, then starved.
CONCLUSION 1: The exit is not in the pit.
CONCLUSION 2: The exit is in the ceiling.
“But how can I possibly get there?” I exclaimed. “Even if I could reach it, it seems unmovable!”
FACT: Watson immediately knew he was in a basement.
DEDUCTION: The air is cool and damp and the walls/floor are concrete.
CONCLUSION 1: The walls are fire-retardant.
CONCLUSION 2: Watson can burn the ceiling, along with the building above.
“Holmes, this is suicide! How do you expect me to survive such a conflagration?”
CHALLENGE: Watson needs protection from the collapsing structure.
SOLUTION: Watson can tip the refrigerator and use it as shelter.
CHALLENGE: The room may fill with smoke.
SOLUTION: Drag refrigerator near sink and break off drain pipe – either septic or sewer air better than smoke.
CHALLENGE: Watson may be buried for days and needs water.
SOLUTION: Fill bucket with sink to keep water supply under shelter.
“I suppose I have no other choice. But how do I start the ceiling on fire?”
FACT: Watson can see his surroundings. No source of light is visible in the diagram.
DEDUCTION: The room contains ample lighting in the ceiling.
CONCLUSION: The ceiling contains wiring and mounting to connect the lights to power.
CHALLENGE: Prepare a strong fire to ignite the ceiling.
SOLUTION: Tear out pages of books, use paint to adhere them to the wall in line to the ceiling. If alcohol on refrigerator is strong, use that as additional accelerant.
CHALLENGE: Ignite the fire.
SOLUTION: Insert scissors into refrigerator’s power outlet while simultaneously spraying bug spray at outlet. This ignites the spray and makes a torch for setting the trail of pages on fire.
CHALLENGE: Escape.
SOLUTION: Wait for fire department.
After what seemed like days of waiting under the inferno and rubble, I heard voices in the distance. “Over here!” I called.
As I was lifted from the pit, I noticed a familiar grin on the soot-covered face of one of the firefighters. “Holmes, you devil!” I laughed.
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