TANTALIZE - A heuristic problem solver written in CODIL

 

 

The New Scientist magazine published the following news item on 21 August 1975

For those who have trouble solving the Tantalizers that run each week in New Scientist, Dr Chris Reynolds of Brunel University has developed a computer programme.

"I'm sorry it can be done," commented Martin Hollis, a philosopher at the University of East Anglia, who creates the Tantalizer each week. "The best puzzles are the ones which are too elusive for a computer."

TANTALIZER 226

 

The picture was generated by AI using the description "A school girl wearing an orange blazer which has a pink badge on the pocket. The girl is wearing a turquoise hat and a khaki scarf. Her skirt is black"

SCHOOL COLOURS

 

TELL ME, PROFERROR PINHOLE, WHICH SCHOOL DOES YOUR DAUGHTER ALICE GO TO.

 

LET ME THINK.

 IS IT THE ONE WITH THE ORANGE HAT AND THE TURQUOISE SCARF?

OR WITH THE KHARKI BLAZER AND THE ORANGE EMBLEM?

OR WITH THE PINK BLAZER AND THE ORANGE SCARF?

OR WITH THE KHARKI SCARF AND PINK EMBLEM?

OR WITH THE KHAKI HAT AND TURQUOISE EMBLEM?

I FEAR I CANNOT RECOLLECT.

 

GOOD HEAVENS. PROFESSOR, HOWEVER MANY SCHOOLS ARE THERE?

 

JUST FOUR AND I HAVE ONE DAUGHTER AT EACH.

BETH GOES TO ST GERTRUDE'S

CLARE WEARS  A TURQUIOSE HAT AND

DEBBIE WEARS A KHARKI EMBLEM.

ST ETHELREDA'S FLAUNTS A PINK SCARF,

ST FAITH'S AN ORANGE BLAZER AND

ST IDA'S A PINK HAT.

 

ANE WHOSE ARE THOSE CLOTHES FLUNG DOWN ON THE FLOOR OVER THERE?

 

THE TURQUOISE HAT AND THE KHARKI BLAZER BELONG TO DIFFERENT GIRLS.

AS FOR THE TURQUOISE BLAZER, WELL I THINK YOU MIGHT WORK THAT OUT FOR YOURSELF."

Author Martin Hollis

Published in the New Scientist

 

More information about  TANTALIZE - a heuristic problem solver written in CODIL

Try and solve the puzzle yourself before seeing how TANTALIZE solves it.