Can you solve the multiverse rescue mission riddle? - Dan Finkel
-
0:07 - 0:10It was a normal Tuesday
at the superconductor, -
0:10 - 0:14until a bug in the system created
a small situation. -
0:14 - 0:19Now your team is trapped in eleven
separate pocket dimensions. -
0:19 - 0:24Luckily for you, there’s a half-finished
experimental teleportation robot -
0:24 - 0:27that may be able to get you all home,
-
0:27 - 0:31if you can figure out how to work through
the quirks of its design. -
0:31 - 0:33Over interdimensional radio,
-
0:33 - 0:34your engineers explain
-
0:34 - 0:38that the robot can teleport into the
alternate universes you’re trapped in, -
0:38 - 0:41but it’ll do so completely at random.
-
0:41 - 0:45The robot has two levers
and one big button. -
0:45 - 0:46When it appears,
-
0:46 - 0:51you just switch the position of one
of the levers from A to B or vice versa, -
0:51 - 0:54and then the robot will note your
dimensional position -
0:54 - 0:59and teleport to another of the eleven
dimensions at random. -
0:59 - 1:04If it shows up again, you’ll have to pull
a lever before it’ll teleport away. -
1:04 - 1:06When anyone presses the button,
-
1:06 - 1:10the robot will bring everyone who pulled
a lever back home. -
1:10 - 1:15Anyone who didn’t will be lost
in the multi-verse forever. -
1:15 - 1:18The challenge is to make sure everyone
has pulled a lever -
1:18 - 1:21before anyone hits the button.
-
1:21 - 1:25While you can talk to each other now
over the interdimensional radio -
1:25 - 1:26and agree on a plan,
-
1:26 - 1:28the robot’s teleportation technology
-
1:28 - 1:33will interfere with all attempts
at communication once it arrives. -
1:33 - 1:36You won’t be able to attach messages
to the robot -
1:36 - 1:40or scratch notes into its superstrong
alloy body. -
1:40 - 1:43Your only way to communicate information
-
1:43 - 1:47is to change the position of exactly
one lever or hit the button. -
1:47 - 1:51What plan will make sure
everyone gets home? -
1:51 - 1:55Pause the video now if you want to
figure it out for yourself. -
1:55 - 1:56Answer in 3
-
1:56 - 1:58Answer in 2
-
1:58 - 1:59Answer in 1
-
1:59 - 2:03It would be nice if you could set
different combinations of the levers -
2:03 - 2:06to indicate who’s already
been visited by the robot. -
2:06 - 2:09But it has only two levers.
-
2:09 - 2:11That gives four combinations—
-
2:11 - 2:14far too few to communicate
about 11 people, -
2:14 - 2:19especially when you’re forced to flip
one to send the robot onward. -
2:19 - 2:20There must be another way.
-
2:20 - 2:23The critical insight is that not
everyone has to know -
2:23 - 2:26when every pocket dimension
has been visited. -
2:26 - 2:30If one person accepts responsibility
ahead of time for hitting the button, -
2:30 - 2:34then only they need to know who the robot
has visited. -
2:34 - 2:38In fact, they don’t even need to know
exactly who’s been visited… -
2:38 - 2:40just how many people have been.
-
2:40 - 2:44You volunteer to be the person in charge
of pressing the button -
2:44 - 2:45when the moment is right,
-
2:45 - 2:49and give the following directions
to everyone else. -
2:49 - 2:50Your plan is simple:
-
2:50 - 2:53you’ll use the left lever to count visits,
-
2:53 - 2:56and the right lever will have no meaning,
-
2:56 - 2:59so there’s no harm in
moving it up or down. -
2:59 - 3:01Each of the others will pull the left
lever -
3:01 - 3:05from position A to position
B exactly once. -
3:05 - 3:09If the robot appears with the left lever
already pulled down, -
3:09 - 3:13or if an individual has previously pulled
the left lever down -
3:13 - 3:15at any point in the past,
-
3:15 - 3:17then they should move the right lever.
-
3:17 - 3:22You, meanwhile, will be the only one who
ever resets the left lever from position B -
3:22 - 3:24to position A.
-
3:24 - 3:28This gives you a way to count how many
people have been visited by the robot. -
3:28 - 3:32Everyone needs to pull the left lever
down exactly once, -
3:32 - 3:35and you’re the only one
to pull it back up. -
3:35 - 3:38So you know that the tenth time
the robot visits you -
3:38 - 3:41with its left lever in the down position,
-
3:41 - 3:44it must have visited
all ten of the others. -
3:44 - 3:49And that means you’re safe to press the
button and teleport everyone home. -
3:49 - 3:50It may take a while–
-
3:50 - 3:56most likely the robot will need to
teleport around 355 times; -
3:56 - 3:59but better that than leave anyone behind.
-
3:59 - 4:03Your teammates phase back into your home
dimension one at a time. -
4:03 - 4:05The mission proves a great success.
-
4:05 - 4:07Well...mostly.
- Title:
- Can you solve the multiverse rescue mission riddle? - Dan Finkel
- Speaker:
- Dan Finkel
- Description:
-
View full lesson: https://ed.ted.com/lessons/can-you-solve-the-multiverse-rescue-mission-riddle-daniel-finkel
It was a normal Tuesday at the superconductor, until a bug in the system caused your team to be trapped in 11 separate dimensions. Fortunately, there’s a half-finished experimental teleportation robot that may be able to get you all home... if you can figure out how to work it. Can you work out the robot’s design quirks and get your team back home safely? Dan Finkel shows how.
Lesson by Dan Finkel, directed by Artrake Studio.
- Video Language:
- English
- Team:
- closed TED
- Project:
- TED-Ed
- Duration:
- 04:07
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Title:
Can you solve the multiverse rescue mission riddle? - Dan Finkel
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