Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 6/24/83; site charm.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!mhuxl!mhuxm!mhuxi!charm!slag From: slag@charm.UUCP (Peter Rosenthal) Newsgroups: net.ai Subject: Re: Commonsense Reasoning? Message-ID: <377@charm.UUCP> Date: Thu, 21-Jun-84 16:58:15 EDT Article-I.D.: charm.377 Posted: Thu Jun 21 16:58:15 1984 Date-Received: Fri, 22-Jun-84 20:54:56 EDT References: <953@sri-arpa.UUCP>, <836@shark.UUCP> Organization: Physics Research - AT&T Bell Labs MH Lines: 19 Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain. In solving a puzzle like: If 3 is half of 5, what is a third of ten? One might try a series of solutions like the ones suggested, but I would consider them incorrect if they were logically inconsistant. The meaning of the problem would be undermined if one redefined three but not two, five, ten, half or third. One approach I would take would be to explore alternate bases. For instance, in base nine, three is a third of ten. This approach does not solve the above problem though so it must be marked as wrong, and thrown out. At what point should a problem like that be given up on as illogical?