Einstein Puzzle: Can You Solve It & What's Your IQ?

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    Einstein Puzzle
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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the Einstein Puzzle, its origins, and its perceived difficulty, as well as the broader implications of IQ testing and intelligence measurement. Participants explore the relationship between puzzle-solving abilities and IQ, the validity of claims regarding the puzzle's authorship, and the nature of intelligence itself.

Discussion Character

  • Debate/contested
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Exploratory
  • Meta-discussion

Main Points Raised

  • One participant claims to have solved the Einstein Puzzle and questions what their minimum IQ might be, referencing the belief that only 2% of people can solve it.
  • Another participant argues that IQ is meaningless for problem-solving without a time limit, suggesting that high IQ individuals may not excel at complex problems.
  • Some participants express skepticism about the claim that Einstein created the puzzle, noting that early sources do not attribute it to him and that the 2% statistic lacks supporting data.
  • Concerns are raised about the validity of IQ tests, particularly for scores above 160, with suggestions that such scores may not accurately reflect intelligence due to cultural biases and test design.
  • There is a discussion about whether engaging in puzzles or games can improve IQ or intelligence, with questions about the effects of such activities on brain function.
  • Participants express uncertainty about the best methods to determine someone's potential or actual intelligence, emphasizing the complexity of intelligence beyond mere knowledge of formulas or theories.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants generally express disagreement on several points, particularly regarding the origins of the Einstein Puzzle, the validity of IQ as a measure of intelligence, and the implications of puzzle-solving abilities. The discussion remains unresolved with multiple competing views presented.

Contextual Notes

Participants highlight limitations in IQ testing, including cultural biases and the evolving nature of intelligence assessments. There is also mention of the historical context of IQ tests and their intended purposes, which may not align with current understandings of intelligence.

Shahid0072
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Hola..Pardon my intrusion for this question! I m 18..I heard about einstein puzzle nd solved it correctly in like 40 -45 minutes..Then after i googled about it,i read that it is beleived that only 2%people in world can solve it..I was a little happy..lol..Anyways..I want to ask what should be my minimum IQ?
 
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IQ is quite meaning-less for problem solving without time-limit.

IQ test measure "solving of easy problems under timed conditions". The latter is key. The questions are really dead easy, but the time is very very limited.

High IQ people are no better than average people at understanding complex problems. I incidently know a lot of these people.
 
Yea..I agree with you on that../is it true that einstein made the puzzle and only 2% can solve it?/iq results vary too much..Marilyn vos savant iq varies from 167 to 220..She is in guinness book of records for highest iq..And it is said that iq of Sir einstein was around 180! But in his time,these test were not developed?/
 
Shahid0072 said:
/is it true that einstein made the puzzle and only 2% can solve it?

Well, without telling us what the puzzle exactly is, there's no way anyone can answer that.

As far as what this puzzle says about you, people use many things in assessing how smart someone is. My experience is that using proper English, for example, tends to be weighted more heavily in people's judgments than the ability to solve one particular puzzle.
 
To my knowledge there is no systematic test that can measure IQ above about 160. So all results high than that are probably bogus.
See it this way: IQ tell you directly how many percent of the total population a person can beat in a timed IQ test. However scores vary of course. 200 probably corresponds to a person being able to *consistently* beat 9999 of 10000 people. This is not happening due to variation in that region.
 
To my knowledge there is no systematic test that can measure IQ above about 160. So all results high than that are probably bogus.
See it this way: IQ tell you directly how many percent of the total population a person can beat in a timed IQ test. However scores vary of course. 200 probably corresponds to a person being able to *consistently* beat 9999 of 10000 people. This is not happening due to variation in that region.
 
Shahid0072 said:
is it true that einstein made the puzzle

Extremely doubtful. The earliest sources of the puzzle are from Life International magazine in the 1960's, where no attribution was given Einstein. The problem likely originated there, or from a few people passing it around, and was attributed to Einstein incorrectly later on.

Shahid0072 said:
and only 2% can solve it?

No. There is no data to support this claim that I'm aware of, it's most likely completely fictitious. Any study done to support this claim would likely be documented, but it seems no documents on the subject have surfaced.

The problem isn't actually very DIFFICULT, it's just involved. Most "regular" people will be bored and give up. The logical connections necessary in the problem isn't all that involved-- try "the hardest logic problem in the world" for a more difficult one (the one with the liar/truth-telling gods whose language you don't know).

Shahid0072 said:
iq results vary too much

IQ will give you a general idea of intelligence, but take it with a grain of salt. IQ tests decades ago were arranged so that Americans would score more highly on them, possibly due to cultural references (I don't know the specifics). The idea of IQ tests is really to classify people for education purposes, not for intellect. Hence, you can determine whether or not a student falls "below normal" or "above normal" in order to place them in a more appropriate learning environment.

As such, IQ tests are effectively forever out of date. The intent is that your "average" person will score 100-- but because people as a society are slowly becoming more intelligent (by IQ test standards), IQ tests need to be re-calibrated for placement purposes.

IQ test scores are also misleading. There are various aspects to intelligence, so it doesn't boil down to a single number. Further, the cultural context of the subject and the version of the test can affect the score you get. It can give you a rough idea of your intelligence level, but don't expect that one number to be exact or mean very much.

DaveE
 
Gerenuk said:
The latter is the key.

Profound. It's like when we found out that Darth was Lukes father.

(shh don't bring attention to me adding the word "the") = x
lol
 
Gerenuk said:
IQ is quite meaning-less for problem solving without time-limit.

IQ test measure "solving of easy problems under timed conditions". The latter is key. The questions are really dead easy, but the time is very very limited.

High IQ people are no better than average people at understanding complex problems. I incidently know a lot of these people.


Here's a puzzle.

If a cube and a tetrahedron interpenetrate, what is the maximum possible number of solid pieces (i.e., completely bounded volumes not further subdivided)?

Would you argue that a high IQ person would be no better at solving this puzzle than your grandma?
 
  • #10
Thank you all..But can we improve iq or or our intelligence by solving puzzle/playing chess or sudoku?? What does happen to brain cells when we do these mind activities! Why are we only able to use 6%of our brain?
 
  • #11
That was a game on linux and was extremely easy once you figured out what you had to do. It was fun and it's a great ego boost to know you can solve a game concocted by Einstein :p ...assuming he made the game.

Furthermore, iq & iq tests, brrrr......... I am always skeptical of those public services that were initally invented as a means of dividing the human race into those who are better and those who are not.

I advise you to research the history of the iq test. If you find no good source read the book "DNA, the Secret of Life" by James Watson to find out how scary the history of it is.

I skimmed this article http://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&q...6z_X5q&sig=AHIEtbRywBISZ7qbjZPZVv2mfWXaEUHELw and it looks interesting.

http://www.rethinkingschools.org/archive/13_03/eugenic.shtml
 
  • #12
So what is the best way to determine someone's potential?I mean his /her actual intelligence ..Not how much formulas or theories he/she knows..I mean what can one do with brain ..Are u understanding..Its ineffable
 
  • #13
Shahid0072 said:
So what is the best way to determine someone's potential?I mean his /her actual intelligence ..Not how much formulas or theories he/she knows..I mean what can one do with brain ..Are u understanding..Its ineffable

If you can answer that, you'll be rich and famous.

AFAIK, nobody really understands how it works. And keep in mind that "potential" doesn't necessarily translate to "intelligence" the way you normally think of it. Experience IS a part of it. That's why IQ tests are vastly different and have hugely different adjustments for young children-- but because they're so inexperienced and have wildly different sets of experiences at different ages, it's incredibly difficult to tell.

DaveE
 
  • #14
I guess u r ryt..Thank u all/i will try to be rich n famous ..lol
 
  • #15
Shahid0072 said:
So what is the best way to determine someone's potential?I mean his /her actual intelligence ..Not how much formulas or theories he/she knows..I mean what can one do with brain ..Are u understanding..Its ineffable

Intelligence, hard work, and a lot of luck.

In some fields you can get away without intelligence, but the other two components are mandatory.
 

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