Can you solve the rebel supplies riddle? - Alex Gendler

翻译人员: Christina Wang 校对人员: Lipeng Chen

You’re overseeing the delivery of crucial supplies to a rebel base

你正在监管关键物资 到反叛基地的运送，

deep in the heart of enemy territory.

基地位于敌军营地的深处。

To get past Imperial customs, all packages must follow a strict protocol:

若要通过帝国海关，所有包裹 必须严格遵循一条规定：

if a box is marked with an even number on the bottom,

如果一个箱子的底部标有一个偶数，

it must be sealed with a red top.

那么它的顶部必须是红色的封口。

The boxes are already being loaded onto the transport

正当箱子在被放到运输工具上时，

when you receive an urgent message.

你收到了一条紧急消息。

One of the four boxes was sealed incorrectly,

四个箱子中的一个 封装是不正确的，

but they lost track of which one.

但他们不知道是哪一个。

All the boxes are still on the conveyor belt.

所有的箱子都还在传送带上。

Two are facing down: one marked with a four,

两个是朝下放的：一个标着 4，

and one with a seven.

一个标着 7.

The other two are facing up:

另外两个是朝上放置的：

one with a black top,

一个的顶部是黑色的，

another with a red one.

另一个是红色的。

You know that any violation of the protocol

你知道任何规定违反

will get the entire shipment confiscated and put your allies in grave danger.

会导致整皮货物被没收， 让盟友陷入危险。

But any boxes you pull off for inspection won’t make it onto this delivery run,

但任何你拿下来检查的箱子 就赶不上这次运输了，

depriving the rebels of critically needed supplies.

致使反叛军无法得到急需的物资。

The transport leaves in a few moments, with or without its cargo.

运输工具马上就要离开了， 无论是否有货物。

Which box or boxes should you grab off the conveyor belt?

那你应该从传送带取下来 哪个或哪几个箱子？

Pause the video now if you want to figure it out for yourself!

如果你想自己搞清答案 就在这里暂停视频！

Answer in: 3

答案即将公布：3

Answer in: 2

答案即将公布：2

Answer in: 1

答案即将公布：1

It may seem like you need to inspect all four boxes

你可能觉得你需要拿走全部4个箱子

to see what’s on the other side of each.

以检查另外一面的内容。

But in fact, only two of them matter.

但其实，你只需要看两个箱子。

Let’s look at the protocol again.

让我们回顾一下规定。

All it says is that even-numbered boxes must have a red top.

它只说了偶数箱子 必须要有红色封顶。

It doesn’t say anything about odd-numbered boxes,

它并没有对奇数箱子 做出任何规定，

so we can just ignore the box marked with a seven.

所以我们可以忽略 标着 7 的那个箱子。

What about the box with a red top?

那么，那个红箱子呢？

Don’t we need to check that the number on the bottom is even?

我们难道不需要检查 它的底部是偶数吗？

As it turns out, we don’t.

事实证明，确实不需要。

The protocol says that if a box has an even number,

规定说的是如果一个箱子标着偶数，

then it should have a red top.

那么它的封顶应该为红色。

It doesn’t say that only boxes with even numbers can have red tops,

它并没有规定 只有偶数箱子可以有红色封顶，

or that a box with a red top must have an even number.

或者一个红色封顶的箱子 必须有偶数标记。

The requirement only goes in one direction.

规定只要求了单方向的。

So we don’t need to check the box with the red lid.

所以我们不需要检查 红色封顶的那个箱子。

We do, however, need to check the one with the black lid,

不过我们确实需要检查 黑色封顶的箱子

to make sure it wasn’t incorrectly placed on an even-numbered box.

来确保没有不小心把黑色封顶 放到了偶数箱子上。

If you initially assumed the rules imply a symmetrical match

如果你一开始假定了 规定意味着

箱子上的数字和封顶颜色 是一个对称的对应关系，你不是一个人

between the number on the box and the type of lid, you’re not alone.

That error is so common, we even have a name for it:

这个错误常见到 我们甚至有一个名词来形容它：

affirming the consequent,

肯定后件

or the fallacy of the converse.

或逆命题谬误。

This fallacy wrongly assumes

这种谬误错误的假设了

that just because a certain condition is necessary for a given result,

只因为一个条件 是一个后果的必要条件

it must also be sufficient for it.

那它一定是充分的。

For instance, having an atmosphere is a necessary condition

举例来说，大气层

是一个可居住的星球的必要条件。

for being a habitable planet.

But this doesn’t mean that it’s a sufficient condition –

但这不意味着它是一个充分条件——

planets like Venus have atmospheres but lack other criteria for habitability.

水星或其它星球也有大气层， 但是缺少其它居住的条件。

If that still seems hard to wrap your head around,

如果这还是有点难理解，

let’s look at a slightly different problem.

让我们看一个不太一样的问题。

Imagine the boxes contain groceries.

想象一些装着杂货的袋子。

You see one marked for shipment to a steakhouse

你看到一个标着运往牛排店

and one to a vegetarian restaurant.

还有一个运往素食餐厅。

Then you see two more boxes turned upside down:

然后你看到另外两个反着放的箱子：

one labeled as containing meat,

一个标着含有肉，

and another as containing onions.

另一个标着含有洋葱。

Which ones do you need to check?

你需要检查哪个呢？

Well, it’s easy –

这很容易——

make sure the meat isn’t being shipped to the vegetarian restaurant,

确保肉不会被运到素食餐厅，

and that the box going there doesn’t contain meat.

以及运到素食餐厅的箱子里没有肉。

The onions can go to either place,

洋葱去哪里都可以，

and the box bound for the steakhouse can contain either product.

而运往牛排店的箱子 可以含有任意一种食材。

Why does this scenario seem easier?

为什么这个情况感觉更容易？

Formally, it’s the same problem –

本质上，它是同一个问题——

two possible conditions for the top of the box,

箱子上面有两种可能

and two for the bottom.

底下也有两种。

But in this case, they’re based on familiar real-world needs,

但这个问题是基于 我们现实生活中熟悉的需求

and we easily understand that while vegetarians only eat vegetables,

所以我们很容易可以理解 虽然素食主义者只吃蔬菜，

they’re not the only ones who do so.

但是他们不是唯一吃蔬菜的人。

In the original problem, the rules seemed more arbitrary,

在原来的问题中， 规定看起来更随便一些，

and when they’re abstracted that way,

而当它们被抽象成这样时，

the logical connections become harder to see.

就更难看出隐含的逻辑关系。

In your case, you’ve managed to get enough supplies through

在你的情况中，你成功的 让足量的物资运送过去

to enable the resistance to fight another day.

以支撑反叛军继续战斗。

And you did it by thinking outside the box –

而你能解决这个问题，就是因为 你的思考“跳出了箱子”——

both sides of it.

它的两面。