The Petals Around The Rose

[nemorathwald]

The Petals Around The Rose is a mind-teaser puzzle. Roll five dice. How many petals are around the rose? You say a number, and the person who knows the solution to the puzzle tells you the real answer. Then you roll again and again until you either figure out what "the rose" is or become insane. I am currently taking the latter option.

This is tormenting me. People say that the smarter you are the more difficult it is. I've been at it for three days. Obviously the expanse of my intelligence is a void no universe could ever fill. "Don't overthink it," they say. I've been concentrating very hard on trying to be stupid but I don't know how!

It must be a pre-planned series of answers like the Fibbonacci sequence. The dice are a red herring! But no! I ask two strangers the answer to a set of dice and they give me the same answer!

Why are there five dice? Is it a reference to the Holy Hand Grenade? Where did the dice come from? Why have they come? WHAT DO THEY WANT??? "We're allowed to tell you this: think about the name," they say. I ALWAYS THINK ABOUT THE NAME. DAY AND NIGHT. I THINK OF NOTHING ELSE BUT THE NAME. "The"? "Petals"? "Around"? "The"? "Rose"? The rose is watching me... it's out to get me... Can't sleep, roses will eat me...

Comments

[ericthemage.livejournal.com]

I think I know. :)

[fuzzyjelly.livejournal.com]

*cackles evilly*

I didn't think it would take you this long!

[ericthemage.livejournal.com]

Hint: This does not use any math or computer science algorithms.

[tammylc.livejournal.com]

I'm sure it will distress you to no end to know that I got it on my first try.

Next time we're together in the a group, ask me to demonstrate the bottle game or the hat game. They will also drive you around the bend.

Good luck. You'll kick yourself when you figure it out.

[tlatoani.livejournal.com]

I'll tell you three things:

1. I know the secret. It does have a rule, and the rule is guessable.

2. I don't buy the intelligence thing, and I've run it quite a bit. It may vary based on personality type and how you approach problems, however.

3. The slowest people I've encountered have been accounting types.

petals around the rose

[greyhat.livejournal.com]

.
I didn't get it the first time I saw the problem. I spent about 20 minutes and then gave up - that was several months ago. I just saw it again, and it took me about 5 minutes to get it. I advise giving your brain a break and coming back to it later.

[ded-guy.livejournal.com]

I just figured it out after looking at a few rolls.
Although I'm surprised I got it.

[lorrraine.livejournal.com]

Hi Matt,

The puzzle was embarrasingly easy. I know that you'll get it eventually. But it will be good practice for you in flexible thinking.

Enjoy,
Lorrraine

[raendrop.livejournal.com]

It took me an embarrasingly long time, but I finally realized that I had been interpreting the rules wrong. Once I realized my rather fundamental error, it began to click, and I am now a Potentate. :)

Heh.

[wormquartet.livejournal.com]

Took me about 5 minutes. Thanks for the distraction, I was waiting for a build and this was fun. :)

-=ShoEboX=-

[matt-arnold.livejournal.com]

I just described the game to Rachel. She figured it out without playing it, sat down at the computer and proved it and showed me how.

BUT THIS DIDN'T WORK WHEN I TRIED IT ON WEDNESDAY.

Fuck you all! Death to dice! They're out to get me!

[thefile.livejournal.com]

After 10 minutes, I cheated. I Googled and found hints.

[delosd.livejournal.com]

Oh yeah, I had that reaction to the game when I first saw it too. For about three plays, until I got it. :)

Tell you what, in order to distract you, I'll provide another similar type of puzzle. Take a look at the digits in the row below (its just the digits 0-9), and tell how they are ordered / organized....

8 5 4 9 1 7 6 3 2 0

Enjoy!

[matt-arnold.livejournal.com]

I tried the true solution to the game on Wednesday. I was using a different Java based web page to play, and perhaps it was defective. It told me it was wrong. For the past few days I've been trying umpteen-dozen variations on the actual solution, in increasing artistic elaboration, even trying to see a stem and thorns going from one die to the next. It was almost like Nash in A Beautiful Mind. Finally my paranoia reached such a level that I saw the following:

As you can see, evil paranoia demons are obviously l33t hax0rs and care nothing for spelling.

[wormquartet.livejournal.com]

AMUSEMENT! :)

-=ShoEboX=-

ROFL

[telkakitty.livejournal.com]

ya know it is too funny that you posted this.. joven did this to Me with actual dice at a restaurant.. took me about 40 mins.. you are SO going to kick yourself in the ass when you get it.. I know I did.. *grins* have funnnn