I love to solve riddles, and have been following the TedEd riddles series for over a year now. Recently I came across a puzzle called “The Three Gods Riddle”. Considered the hardest logic puzzle of all time, the premise goes as follows – 

Your spaceship crashes, and hence, you are stuck on some mysterious planet. In order to get home, you have to please the three deities of the land, who’ll grant you the power to rebuild your spaceship. In order to please the gods, you must gift each with one of the artifacts found. However, each artifact is only compatible with a certain god. You know the names of the gods, but do not know who is who, and you do not know which artifacts belong to the correct god. You know how to say the words “yes” and “no” in the alien language, and can ask two questions to the gods.

The god, Tee, always tells the truth.

The god, Eff, always tells a lie.

The god, Arr, randomly tells a truth or a lie.

What questions must you ask to correctly deliver the artifacts?

To me, this riddle seemed impossible because it seemed like there were way too many unknowns. The trick to solving this riddle, however, lies with truth tables and probability. By determining who the truth-telling and lie-telling aliens are, you can guarantee a solution. By first asking a question regarding another god to one, a table can be generated. By eliminating your options or what you know for certain (truths and lies), you can for sure have confidence with the god Arr as well.

Wanna know the answer to this problem and visualize the table described? Visit the TedEd linked here!