Teaser Tuesday! June 24, 2014

Time to get those brains warmed up! Hope everyone finds this one challenging.

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. Also, if you are having trouble getting the code to work, please do not be the first person to answer.

Question

Someone claims to have invented a Universal Truth Machine that takes a proposition as input, and returns "true", "false", or "undecidable" as output. Example:

Input: "2 + 2 = 4"
Output: "True"

Input: "0 + 2 = 4"
Output: "False"

Input: "This sentence is false"
Output: "Undecidable"

Devise a true proposition that the Universal Truth Machine will claim to be false, thereby disproving the inventor's claim.

Good Luck!

14 Comments
 
Best Response

"While arguing with his wife, John was correct"

In this scenario, John is in fact correct about his side of the argument but any universal truth machine will say otherwise.

make it hard to spot the general by working like a soldier
 

You must not be married. That is always "false" no matter what John's position may be :).

"My caddie's chauffeur informs me that a bank is a place where people put money that isn't properly invested."
 

Engaged. So I know that in principle he's wrong no matter what. But in reality he could be right!

make it hard to spot the general by working like a soldier
 

Aside from word play...maybe we could also do something with time.

E.g. "It is exactly 12 o'clock". Any form of measurement will never be able to pinpoint an exact time, only an approximation (like 11:59:59.99999 repeating). However, we know that 12:00 exists, occurring sometime between 11:59 and 12:01. Since the machine will never be able to say "true" at any point between 11:59 and 12:01, the system fails.

 

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Qui rerum ullam officiis consequuntur. Recusandae dolorem animi maiores quia eos at alias. Vel ab illo non reprehenderit totam nisi voluptatem est. Molestiae quasi id est quidem voluptas.

Ut qui ea repellendus repudiandae accusantium iste dolorem. Ut magni quia modi distinctio. Facere beatae et ut delectus.

Nostrum soluta sit debitis et vero. Dolores adipisci non error voluptatem ut. Cupiditate autem excepturi atque exercitationem sed rerum.

"My caddie's chauffeur informs me that a bank is a place where people put money that isn't properly invested."

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