Prisoners' hat dilemma

Hey everyone!

MUCH better day today! Back at Tuesday's school, so already knew where everything was and how to do the register etc etc. 

Not too much to report today except for the fact that the teachers I covered today either left no work, or left work the kids had already done. Not good for me or the kids!! Thankfully I remembered back to my placement in third year. My mentor, John, told me if you ever have an awkward few minutes or no work left in a relief lesson then have some riddles up your sleeve. Gets the kids thinking, chews up time and is more productive than doing nothing. I went over the prisoners' hat dilemma four times today. By the end of it I was an absolute expert at explaining it! It's so tricky. Only one kid in one class got it without me explaining it....

Four criminals are arrested. There's not enough room in the prison they're taken to so the warden decides to make them a deal. He will give them a puzzle. If they can solve it, they go free. If they get it wrong they'll all be executed. He places them in a narrow room one in front of the other with a wall (which you can't see through) in between prisoners 3 and 4 (see below). 

Thank god I became a teacher and not an artist hey?!? The warden has four hats, two black and two white. He randomly places a hat on each prisoner's head, they cannot see the hat at any point. They cannot communicate, talk, move, anything. The puzzle he gives them is to figure out which colour hat they're wearing. If any one of them can do that, they will all go free. But they only get one try, guess wrong and they're all dead. Assume they can all hear when one prisoner has a guess. 

Now tell me - which prisoner is able to know what colour hat he is wearing, and why? I'll give you the answer tmro. One year 10 got it and that was it!!

Got the train home (a ticket inspector was on - first I've seen in the time I've been here!) and it's so sunny and warm. Really lovely. 

I'm so excited now as I have a three day weekend due to my friend Erika who I went to high school with coming. She'll be my first friend I've seen from Melbs since before I left!! Haven't seen her since New Year's Eve. Off to pick her up from the station soon and then I think we are going for a walk and cooking some dinner tonight :) will be so good to see her !!!!! Back in tourist mode with her the next two days. 

Love to all

Claire

Xoxox