2楼小猫妹妹
(到处走的小猫)
发表于 2008-4-12 21:48
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A Clever Governor and His Clever Prisoners
Long long ago。。。。。
There was a clever governor, who was the head of a county. The governor was very good at solving the criminal cases. That’s why? Because besides his cleverness, his prisoners were always clever, too.
One day, two thieves were suspicious of stealing money from a shop, and they were arrested by the governor. In order to make them confessing, the governor put them into two rooms separately. With that, he walked into one room and said to the thief:
“Hi guy, there are four ways you can select. First, if you confess stealing the money while your partner does not, you will be freed and he will be imprisoned for three years. On the contrary, if he does while you don’t, you must be imprisoned for three years. Third, if you all confess yourselves guilty, you may be imprisoned for only one year. Of course, if you all don’t confess, you will be freed because I haven’t any evidence.”
Then, the governor came into another room and repeated the same words to another thief. When he left the rooms, the two thieves were all in a dilemma as whether to confess.
First of all, if the two thieves say nothing, the governor has to free them, so that it must be the best choice. But what the dilemma is , being separated from each other, how can a thief believe that his partner will do the same? If one keeps his mouth shut while another admits, the wordless one will be imprisoned for three years!
Apparently, the wisest choice of the thieves was confessing themselves. Because one would be imprisoned for not more than one year whatever his partner was pleased to do!
So, by the uncertainty of partner’s select, the two thieves in separate rooms had to confess to the crime, and they should be imprisoned for only one year. Undoubtedly, they are clever, and the governor who won again was clever, too..