Can you solve the giant iron riddle? - Alex Gendler

翻译人员: Meng Chew Keane Leow 校对人员: Tianji (Homer) Li

The family of giants you work for

你工作的巨人家庭

is throwing a fancy dinner party,

打算开一个别开 生面的晚会派对，

and they all want to look their best.

所以他们都希望凸显 自己最好的一面。

But there’s a problem –

但是，有个问题——

the elder giant’s favorite shirt is wrinkled!

比较年长的巨人 最喜欢的衣服皱了！

To fix it, you’ll need to power up…

为了解决它，你 需要启动……

the Giant Iron.

巨大的熨斗。

The iron needs two giant batteries to work.

这个巨大的熨斗需要 两个巨大的电池运作。

You just had 4 working ones

你只有四个正常运作的电池，

and 4 dead ones in separate piles,

还有四个耗损了的电池 在不同的电池堆里，

but it looks like the baby giant mixed them all up.

但是看来巨人宝宝把 它们给混在一起了。

You need to get the iron working and press the giant shirt, fast –

你需要让熨斗运作，然后 烫巨人的衣服，而且要很快——

or you’ll end up being the main course tonight!

不然的话，你就是今晚的主菜！

How can you test the batteries

你能够如何测试电池，

so that you’re guaranteed to get a working pair in 7 tries or less?

以确保你能够在七个或以下的 尝试内就找到一对可用的电池？

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

若你想自己想想方法， 请暂停影片。

Answer in 3

答案在3秒后出现

Answer in 2

答案在2秒后出现

Answer in 1

答案在1秒后出现

You could, of course, take all eight batteries

你当然可以拿全部八个电池，

and begin testing the 28 possible combinations.

然后开始试试二十八 个可能的组合。

You might get lucky within the first few tries.

你可能在初开始的 几个尝试就很幸运。

But if you don’t, moving the giant batteries that many times

但是若不然，移动 大电池这么多次

will take way too long.

会消耗太多时间。

You can’t rely on luck –

你不能靠运气——

you need to assume the worst possibility and plan accordingly.

你需要作最坏的打算， 然后做好策划。

However, you don’t actually need to test every possible combination.

但是，你其实不需要 尝试所有的可能组合。

Remember – there are four good batteries in total,

记得——总共有 四个好的电池。

meaning that any pile of six you choose

也就是说在任何六个电池的组合里，

will have at least two good batteries in it.

会有至少两个好的电池。

That doesn’t help you right away,

那没有直接帮助到你，

since testing all six batteries could still take as many as 15 tries.

因为尝试所有六粒电池 还是需要十五次的尝试。

But it does give you a clue to the solution –

但是，它给了你 解决方案的提示——

dividing the batteries into smaller subsets narrows down the possible results.

把电池分成小组缩小可能的结果。

So instead of six batteries,

所以，与其六个电池，

let’s take any three.

让我们拿任何三个。

This group has a total of three possible combinations.

这个小组有三个组合。

Since both batteries have to be working for the iron to power up,

因为要让熨斗运作需要 两个电池都正常运作，

a single failure can’t tell you whether both batteries are dead, or just one.

其中一个失败并不会告诉你是两个 电池都不能用，还是只是其中一个。

But if all three combinations fail,

但是若三个组合都失败，

then you’ll know this group has either one good battery, or none at all.

你就能够知道这个小组里是有 一个好的电池，或一个也没有。

Now you can set those three aside

现在你可以把这 三个放在一边了

and repeat the process for another three batteries.

然后重复同样的过程 在在另外三个电池。

You might get a match, but if every combination fails again,

你有可能得到对的组合， 但是若每个组合都又失败，

you’ll know this set can have no more than one good battery.

那你就知道这个组合不可能 有超过一个好的电池。

That would leave only two batteries untried.

那最后你剩下两个还未试过的电池。

Since there are four good batteries in total

因为总共有四个好的电池

and you’ve only accounted for two so far,

而你只处理了两个，

both of these remaining ones must be good.

这剩下的两个必然是好的。

Dividing the batteries into sets of 3, 3, and 2

把电池分成三、三、二，

is guaranteed to get a working result in 7 tries or less,

必然能够在七次尝试 找到可行的结果，

no matter what order you test the piles in.

无论你是用什么次序尝试。

With no time to spare, the iron comes to life,

在没有剩余时间的情况下， 熨斗开始运作了，

and you manage to get the shirt flawlessly ironed.

而你也成功地把衣服 没有瑕疵地烫好了。

The pleased elder and his family show up to the party dressed to the nines

那个欢喜的年长巨人和他的 家人衣着隆重地参加了派对

… well, almost.

……嗯，差不多如此。