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?