Who Did It Problem Discussion

Visualization or mathematics are unlikely to help in solving this problem.

Verbal solutions

1. One approach
   • Begin by assuming A is guilty, determine if it is the case that only one statement is true, then assume B is guilty, and so on until you find that only one statement is true.
     (This method is most common for those who do manage to solve the problem, and will result in a correct answer)

2. A second approach
   • If you noticed that since only one statement is true and C says that he didn't do it, one need only discover that A, B, and D is telling the truth to establish that C is guilty (if A, B, or D is true, C is false; thus C did it). Since B and D contradict each other, only one of them can be true. Since we've found one true statement (it doesn't matter whether it's B or D), we can deduce that C did it.
     (A more efficient, but often overlooked strategy).

Some people, like those who have a math block, may have a logic block, and resist solving such a problem, having set out that such a problem is to difficult to solve.

• Did you tell yourself that you could not solve this problem?
• Did you do this for any of the other problems?

Many learners experience the same problem solving word problems at school. They may confuse the information statement with the problem statement, trying to figure out which statement is a true, rather than which person is guilty.