Newer riddle

[Eastie]

To save butting in on the other older riddle post once again (especially seeing as I don't really known the 'right answer') I posted this one alone. I heard this some time ago, but could never come to terms with the answer. Can you?

Four prisoners are about to be executed. Two are wearing white hats, and two are wearing black ones. No one knows which hat he is wearing. One of the prisoners is standing alone in a separated room. The other three are standing in line in another room: The first of them is facing the wall, the second is facing the back of the first one (so he can see his hat), and the third one is facing the back of the second (so he can see both the first's and the second's hat).
The guards tell all four prisoners that if they can guess their hat's color, they'll be free, but if they guess wrong they will go through horrible tortures before death. One of the prisoners will walk free for sure - who is it and why?

[Ivan in Oz]

Wasn't this here some time ago?
Anyway

I know the Answer. I know the Answer. :)

And I won't spoil it...............yet :p

Count

[Driver]

Yes - we definitely had this one recently - but I'm not saying where!

[Eastie]

Mongrels :p I've been had.

Did the answer make sense???

[Ivan in Oz]

It did to me,
But that doesn't mean much.

Do want me to try and explain it.
You might be the worse off for it ;)

Count

[Eastie]

I just found Wood Borers post - that thread moves too fast for me to keep up with. Col's so called correct explanation didn't help :D

Perhaps I should have changed the hats to jocks?

[RETIRED]

YEAH!!!! GO ON. :D

[Driver]

I just found Wood Borers post - that thread moves too fast for me to keep up with. Col's so called correct explanation didn't help :D


D'you think it would help any better if I ran it by you again in Crabtree-speak? :D

[Eastie]

No, I'm still looking for a translator for crabtree speak, and the pile of posts to translate is high enough already :D

[silentC]

Leaving aside all of the obvious problems, like why don't they know what colour hat they've got on, which particular part is giving you trouble, my son?

[Bob Willson]

Put yourself in the place of the third man along. What is he thinking? How about "why doesn't the silly sod behind me call out the answer, he can see us both."

"Oh Oh, if he can see us both and we have on different coloured hats then he still won't be able to tell what colour hat he is wearing himself." "That must mean that I have on a hat that is a different colour from that of the man in front of me"

[Driver]

Put yourself in the place of the third man along. What is he thinking? How about "why doesn't the silly sod behind me call out the answer, he can see us both."

"Oh Oh, if he can see us both and we have on different coloured hats then he still won't be able to tell what colour hat he is wearing himself." "That must mean that I have on a hat that is a different colour from that of the man in front of me"

Now - imagine how well that learned explanation from Bob would have read in Crabtree's inimitable accent! :D

"Good moaning! Peet yoursilf in the ploce of the theerd min ulang . . "