this post was submitted on 06 May 2025
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Science Memes

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[–] bratorange@feddit.org 28 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago) (2 children)

This can also be used a great example of proof by contradiction: There is no correct answer in the options. Proof: Assume there was a correct answer in the options. Then it must be either 25%, 50% or 60%. Now we make a case distinction.

(A) Assume it was 25. Then there would be two of four correct options yielding in a probability of 50%. Therefore 50 must be the correct answer. -> contradiction.

(B) Assume it was 50. Then there would be one of four correct options yielding in a probability of 25%. Therefore the answer is 25. -> contradiction.

(C) Assume it was 60%. Since only 0,1,2,3 or 4 of the answers can be correct the probability of choosing the right answer must be one of 0% 25% 50% 75% or 100%. -> contradiction.

Because of (A), (B) and (C), it cannot be 25, 50% or 60%. -> contradiction.

[–] Natanael@infosec.pub 2 points 6 days ago

Cheeky answer - the correct answer is a superposition of 25% and 50%, thus you answer it as a multiple choice question

[–] 96VXb9ktTjFnRi@feddit.nl 1 points 6 days ago (1 children)
[–] bratorange@feddit.org 1 points 6 days ago

My client renders this as ( c )

[–] olafurp@lemmy.world 17 points 6 days ago

You can never answer this question correctly. If the correct answer is 25% there's a 50% chance you guess correctly but that would make the 25% wrong.

But if the answer is the 50% then it implies that 25% is correct which implies that 50% is wrong.

We reach a contradiction for both 25% and 50% making the correct answer to make the whole statement truthy 0%.

[–] brown567@sh.itjust.works 9 points 6 days ago (1 children)

0%

The only winning move is not to choose

[–] bampop@lemmy.world 1 points 6 days ago

Yeah option b should definitely be 0% for added fuckery

[–] technocrit@lemmy.dbzer0.com 10 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago) (2 children)

If you're choosing the answer, then there is 100% chance of being correct. Since none of these answers is 100%, the chance is 0%.

[–] Klear@lemmy.world 4 points 6 days ago

That logic would only hold if I wasn't dumb as rocks.

[–] AGD4@lemmy.world 3 points 6 days ago
[–] sqgl@beehaw.org 6 points 6 days ago

It was only the next day that I returned to this post realising that "this question" isn't even defined.

[–] bampop@lemmy.world 2 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago)

Any answer is correct as long as you don't pick it at random. I'd choose (a) because I'm too lazy to read the other options

[–] Nounka@lemmy.world 2 points 6 days ago

I would think a b c d so 25% O he made a mistake znd forgot to take the bubble answer out. Now we only can pick between aord b c so it would be 33%

Seems my logic is wrong iff i read the rest

[–] TacoButtPlug@sh.itjust.works 2 points 6 days ago (1 children)
[–] Thteven@lemmy.world 3 points 6 days ago

When in doubt, C it out.

[–] nuko147@lemm.ee 2 points 6 days ago

I choose 75%

[–] Treczoks@lemmy.world 1 points 6 days ago

Great! I'll hand this to my daughter to annoy her co-students who struggle with probabilitiy ;-)

[–] General_Effort@lemmy.world -3 points 6 days ago (1 children)

It's annoying that 25% appears twice. How about these answers:

a) 100%

b) 75%

c) 50%

d) 0%

[–] DragonTypeWyvern@midwest.social 1 points 6 days ago (1 children)

That's why we're making fun of it though

[–] General_Effort@lemmy.world 2 points 6 days ago

Granted, it is more fun to have more answers involved, but 2 identical answers immediately gives it away as fake.

[–] moakley@lemmy.world 159 points 1 week ago (17 children)

B.

This is a multiple choice test. Once you eliminate three answers, you pick the fourth answer and move on to the next question. It can't be A, C, or D, for reasons that I understand. There's a non-zero chance that it's B for a reason that I don't understand.

If there is no correct answer, then there's no point hemming and hawing about it.

B. Final answer.

[–] lugal@lemmy.dbzer0.com 62 points 1 week ago

I love this, it shows how being good at (multiple choice) tests doesn't mean you're good at the topic. I'm not good at tests because my country's education system priorities understanding and problem solving. That's why we fail at PISA

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[–] Reddfugee42@lemmy.world 95 points 1 week ago (11 children)

This is a self-referential paradox — a classic logic puzzle designed to be tricky. Let’s break it down:

Step-by-step analysis:

  1. How many choices? There are 4 possible answers, so if we pick one randomly, the chance of picking any specific one is 1 in 4 = 25%.

  2. How many answers say “25%”? Two.

  3. That means the probability of randomly choosing an answer that says “25%” is 2 in 4 = 50%.

  4. But if the correct answer is 50%, then only one option says “50%” — which is (c). So the probability of picking it at random is 1 in 4 = 25%, contradicting the idea that 50% is correct.

  5. If the correct answer is 25%, then two options say that — a and d. So the chance of picking one of those at random is 50%, not 25% — again a contradiction.

  6. Similarly, if 60% is correct (only one option), then the chance of picking it randomly is 25%, which again makes it incorrect.

Conclusion: Any choice leads to a contradiction. This is a self-referential paradox, meaning the question breaks logical consistency. There is no consistent correct answer.

[–] Applejuicy@feddit.nl 185 points 1 week ago (21 children)
[–] KammicRelief@lemmy.world 80 points 1 week ago (5 children)

haha yeah, I knew it at the "let's break it down:"
I was like.. I know this voice....

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[–] nialv7@lemmy.world 58 points 1 week ago (3 children)

The question is malformed and the correct answer isn't listed in the multiple choices. Therefore the correct answer is 0%

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[–] Lucien@mander.xyz 37 points 1 week ago (2 children)

This is a paradox, and I don't think there is a correct answer, at least not as a letter choice. The correct answer is to explain the paradox.

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[–] user86223091@lemm.ee 36 points 1 week ago (4 children)

It's 0%, because 0% isn't on the list and therefore you have no chance of picking it. It's the only answer consistent with itself. All other chances cause a kind of paradox-loop.

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[–] xthexder@l.sw0.com 30 points 1 week ago (1 children)

It's probably graded by a computer, and a) or d) is a fake answer, since the automated system doesn't support multiple right answers.

I'm going to go with 25% chance if picking random, and a 50% chance if picking between a) and d).
If it's graded by a human, the correct answer is f) + u)

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[–] OpenStars@piefed.social 24 points 1 week ago (7 children)
[–] MedicPigBabySaver@lemmy.world 1 points 6 days ago

Damn hitchhikers.

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