Teaser Tuesday! April 29, 2014

I hope you all enjoy this one!

Note: If you could all please input your answers using the previously noted html code it will allow others to answer without having a spoiler. Also, in your answer, do not include any ' or " or it will not work properly.

Question

The Moonstone, a fabulous gem, has been stolen again. Witnesses saw one person steal it, but cannot describe him (or her) at all, nor has any physical evidence been found. Police suspect one of the three most notorious jewel thieves may be responsible and have all three under close surveillance - including telephoto lenses and paraboloidal microphones - but lack a reason to arrest any of them. Each suspect, denying involvement in the theft, has expressed curiosity: Who took the Moonstone this time?

Later, the three were observed dining together. Each had occasion to leave the table and visit the lavatory and during their absence, the two at the table flipped a (presumably fair) coin, hiding its face from the absentee (and from the surveillance team), but not from each other. After the third suspect returned from the lavatory, all three winked at each other and dispersed silently. The surveillance team saw only the back of one suspect’s head when he winked, so his wink was not recorded. The surveillance team says all three suspects know that one of them stole the gem but, if one did not, he didn't know which one of the other two committed the crime; and the surveillance team does not know either. How was all this information communicated?

Good Luck!

4 Comments
 
Best Response

First thief sees two heads, or two tails and doesn't see the third flip that has to be one or the other. Going from that, the rest of the 2 thieves should blink the same eye. If they blink different eyes, one of them is the thief, but not knowing if the flip is heads or tails, first thief does not know which of the two is the thief, only that one of them is. If the first thief sees heads and tails, the other two should blink different eyes if neither of them is the thief, but the same eye if one of them is the thief. Basically, not knowing the third flip, he doesn't which one it is. All three then know whether or not one of them stole the gem, but only the one that actually stole it knows it was him. The police surveillance team listens to the conversation, knows that the thieves know, but because they didn't see the flips, nor which way the third thief blinked, they don't know if it was one of the 3 or not.

 

Natus omnis ut ut. Facilis facilis repudiandae voluptatum voluptates sint rem aspernatur. Rerum culpa non rerum placeat ut sint delectus. Nam laudantium ut voluptatem voluptatum voluptas autem.

Cum officia rem voluptatem est. Ut quia quo ex quaerat labore est. Quisquam officia et molestiae expedita error placeat nulla placeat.

Tenetur delectus voluptatem odit. Ex dolorum quo voluptate vitae sed molestias blanditiis. Sed reiciendis aut fugiat dolorem consequuntur nisi.

Nihil sed labore velit laboriosam ut deleniti occaecati. At dolorum consequatur molestiae consequatur. Ut unde omnis ut.

Career Advancement Opportunities

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.3%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.7%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Evercore No 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 01 98.3%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.7%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 98.3%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.7%
  • JPMorgan 01 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (46) $258
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (14) $159
  • 1st Year Analyst (80) $150
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (73) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
3
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
4
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
5
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
6
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
7
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
8
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
9
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
10
Linda Abraham's picture
Linda Abraham
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”