What Would You Write After 20 Seconds in This Lateral Thinking Puzzle?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around a lateral thinking puzzle where participants consider what they would write after 20 seconds in an empty room, given the constraint of documenting their actions every 10 seconds. The conversation explores various interpretations and responses to the puzzle, including assumptions about writing and the nature of the room.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants suggest they would write "nothing," while others argue this does not meet the puzzle's requirements.
  • A participant proposes writing "I did write something on this paper 10 seconds ago," but acknowledges it may not be the correct answer.
  • Another participant humorously states they would write about waiting or the actions taken in the first 10 seconds.
  • Some responses include variations on what one might write, such as reflecting on the act of writing itself or the nature of being in an empty room.
  • One participant raises a question about whether there is a legitimate answer to the puzzle, expressing frustration over the ambiguity.
  • There are technical responses involving programming logic to illustrate the concept of documenting actions over time.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express a range of interpretations and responses to the puzzle, with no consensus on a single correct answer. Multiple competing views remain regarding what constitutes an appropriate response.

Contextual Notes

Some participants explore the implications of the term "empty room" and its philosophical significance, while others consider the practical aspects of writing within the time constraints. There is uncertainty about the limits of what can be documented, including whether physical actions are the only focus.

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You're in an empty room. You have a pen and paper. Every 10 seconds you have to write what you did for the last 10 seconds. What would you write after 20 seconds?

Think 'outside' the box (no pun intended).
 
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I would write nothing, but that doesn't seem to fit the requirements.
I'll think on it a bit after some more beers.
(That "nothing", by the bye, assumes that regular functions such as breathing and sitting still are exempt.)
 
He doesn't write the word "nothing" nor does he simply not write anything entirely. So you'd be wrong.

And yes, let's ignore the obvious (he breaths, sits, exists etc.).
 
"I did write something on this paper 10 seconds ago" is probably what I will write after 20 seconds
 
Waited.
 
inotyce said:
"I did write something on this paper 10 seconds ago" is probably what I will write after 20 seconds

Something in that format, but not the right answer.

@ Borek

No, wrong answer.
 
The italics that the OP's name is offered in suggests that he no longer is a member here. So... is there a legitimate answer to this question? It's driving me nuts.
And, by the bye, I almost universally use lateral thinking. (The test that I took referred to it as "analytical tracking".)
 
Here's what I'd write after 20 seconds: I read what I wrote 10 seconds ago. :biggrin:
 
One of:

"Wrote what i did in the first ten seconds; watched the clock."

"Wrote what i did in the first ten seconds."

"Dammit, I don't write quick enough."

I should think. This is the internet, so I'm excluding "proof-reading" without further examination.
 
  • #10
10 seconds later: I wrote the first line
20 seconds later: I wrote the second line
30 seconds later: I wrote the third line
...
 
  • #11
"I wrote the above line"

"I took the word empty too literally and died of explosive decompression"

"Pondered on whether one can truly be in an empty room"

Crap, my pen is running out of i"
 
  • #12
Lol OS!
 
  • #13
Gad said:
Lol OS!

Seconded. :biggrin:
 
  • #14
I think you don't need to write more than one line:

I will write something after 10 seconds just the same as I wrote now.

:biggrin:
 
Last edited:
  • #15
Entered the empty room.
Repeat every 10 seconds (or write "the same").
 
  • #16
My guess is that it would take you about 10 seconds to write a couple sentences, so there might be some overlap depending on what you'd decided to do. If you chose to do something interesting instead of just sit there, then I think you'd have a hard time completing the description of what you did before you'd start to "step on the toes" of your next 10 second interval. In other words, if you did something during the first 10 seconds that took you longer than 10 seconds to write, then at 20 seconds you'd write, "I wrote about what I did during the first 10 seconds". Now, after 20 seconds would depend on how long it took you to write about what you did during the first 10 seconds, and whether you chose to do something with enough time to write about it.

Are we limited to physical experiences? If not, I could daydream quite a scenario and write that down.
 
Last edited:
  • #17
Code:
while(true){
System.out.println("I wrote");
Thread.Sleep(10000);
}

I think that should cover the whole content of the paper you will find after I am allowed to stop.
 
  • #18
As soon as you enter an empty room that room is no longer empty.
 
Last edited:
  • #19
Dadface said:
As soon as you enter an empty room that room is no longer empty.
My gosh, that is so true. :eek: How could I not see that small but true detail?!
 
  • #20
Dadface said:
As soon as you enter an empty room that room is no longer empty.

The oldest person alive can never die.
 
  • #21
surprise said:
Every 10 seconds you have to write what you did for the last 10 seconds.
x=1
while x>=1:
print("what you did for the last 10 seconds.")
x=x+1
#still can't get a time element in
 

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