I'm Balder ten Cate, I'm a psychology student and this E-mail
is part of a simple experiment
I'm researching the theory of ``morphogenetic resonance'' by
Rupert Sheldrake. Quickly stated, the theory claims that a
puzzle is solved more quickly by someone, if other people tried
to solve it, because there is some mystical transfer of
experience between all human people. I'm trying to test this
hypothesis.
I need as many volunteers as possible, so I'd appreciate if
you would take about 15 minutes to try to solve the puzzle.
If you're willing to help me, please have a pen and paper ready,
take a note of the time, then read the puzzle below and try
to solve it. Keep track of the time it takes you. Then if you
succeed, tell me how much time it took you. If you don't succeed,
tell me how long you tried. Include the time at which you started
the puzzle and your country (I need to know the time-zone).
Please mail me at: bdtcate at cs.vu.nl
The results will be published within 48 hours, on
http://www.cs.vu.nl/~bdtcate
Please scroll down for the puzzle.
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A family, consisting of a mother, father, daughter and son,
wants to cross a bridge in the middle of the night. They
have only one lamp which can shine for 17 minutes.
No more than two people can pass the bridge at once, but they
need the lamp to do so. The father needs 1 minute to pass the
bridge from one side to the other, mother needs 2 minutes,
the daughter needs 5 minutes, and the son needs 10 minutes,
for he sadly has a bruised ankle. How can they all reach the far
side of the bridge in just 17 minutes?
