Alphabet Puzzle

davar55 · 2006-02-15, 17:34

Just a little alphabetic puzzle --

Which of the following letters doesn't belong
in this list?

a, b, c, d, o, p, q, r.

drew · 2006-02-15, 18:22

Quote:

Originally Posted by davar55

Just a little alphabetic puzzle --

Which of the following letters doesn't belong
in this list?

a, b, c, d, o, p, q, r.

'o'

You know there's no correct answer to this, right? (I think Silverman commented on this in an I.Q. test thread)

Kees · 2006-02-15, 19:48

I suppose that o ressembles the 0 too much to be used in mathematical proofs.
Since often triplets are needed, with room for quadruplets and so on, and since i , j and k are also already in use for quaternions, it is indeed an obvious choice to continue at p

Numbers · 2006-02-15, 20:16

'o' is the odd one out. It is the only one that can be transmitted in morse code without using a dot.
o = ---

davar55 · 2006-02-15, 20:48

In reply ^^ : no, there is a correct, simple, logical choice, not a joke.

I never saw this puzzle in any IQ test.

And (hint, I guess) it's not "o".

grandpascorpion · 2006-02-15, 20:53

q. All the other letters can be followed by a consonant in some legal English word.

davar55 · 2006-02-15, 21:53

Well, then there would be no reason to limit the list
to just these eight letters.

So (hint) all but one of these letters has a certain property
not shared by the desired solution letter;
and when you find the property, it should be clear why
the eighth letter was chosen, although another letter
(among the remaining 26-8 == 18 letters) might do just as well.

And (hint again, I guess) it's not "q".

mfgoode · 2006-02-16, 08:54

'a' since its bottom part is written from right to left unlike the others written left to right.
Mally

Kees · 2006-02-16, 09:39

Or 'c' because all the others have a closed interior (for r we take R)

xilman · 2006-02-16, 10:27

The answer is 'r'.

All the others are followed by a comma but r is followed by a full stop (or period, if you live in that part of the world).

Simple, logical, not 'q' and any of the other letters of the alphabet would work equally well instead of 'r'. My solution meets all of your requirements.

Paul

mfgoode · 2006-02-16, 12:24

Quote:

Originally Posted by xilman

The answer is 'r'.

All the others are followed by a comma but r is followed by a full stop (or period, if you live in that part of the world).

Simple, logical, not 'q' and any of the other letters of the alphabet would work equally well instead of 'r'. My solution meets all of your requirements.

Paul

Thats a valid point Paul.
I would also say 'r' as its undergoes least lateral inversion when viewed in a mirror and is an exception to the others.
Mally

2006-02-15, 17:34	#1
davar55 May 2004 New York City 5·7·11² Posts	Alphabet Puzzle Just a little alphabetic puzzle -- Which of the following letters doesn't belong in this list? a, b, c, d, o, p, q, r.

2006-02-15, 20:53	#6
grandpascorpion Jan 2005 Transdniestr 503 Posts	q. All the other letters can be followed by a consonant in some legal English word. Last fiddled with by grandpascorpion on 2006-02-15 at 20:54

2006-02-16, 08:54	#8
mfgoode Bronze Medalist Jan 2004 Mumbai,India 2052₁₀ Posts	Alphabet Puzzle. 'a' since its bottom part is written from right to left unlike the others written left to right. Mally

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2006-02-15, 19:48	#3
Kees Dec 2005 196₁₀ Posts	I suppose that o ressembles the 0 too much to be used in mathematical proofs. Since often triplets are needed, with room for quadruplets and so on, and since i , j and k are also already in use for quaternions, it is indeed an obvious choice to continue at p

2006-02-15, 20:16	#4
Numbers Jun 2005 Near Beetlegeuse 2²×97 Posts	'o' is the odd one out. It is the only one that can be transmitted in morse code without using a dot. o = ---

2006-02-15, 20:48	#5
davar55 May 2004 New York City 5·7·11² Posts	In reply ^^ : no, there is a correct, simple, logical choice, not a joke. I never saw this puzzle in any IQ test. And (hint, I guess) it's not "o".

2006-02-15, 21:53	#7
davar55 May 2004 New York City 4235₁₀ Posts	Well, then there would be no reason to limit the list to just these eight letters. So (hint) all but one of these letters has a certain property not shared by the desired solution letter; and when you find the property, it should be clear why the eighth letter was chosen, although another letter (among the remaining 26-8 == 18 letters) might do just as well. And (hint again, I guess) it's not "q".

2006-02-16, 09:39	#9
Kees Dec 2005 2²·7² Posts	Or 'c' because all the others have a closed interior (for r we take R)

2006-02-16, 10:27	#10
xilman Bamboozled! "𒉺𒌌𒇷𒆷𒀭" May 2003 Down not across 2²×3×983 Posts	The answer is 'r'. All the others are followed by a comma but r is followed by a full stop (or period, if you live in that part of the world). Simple, logical, not 'q' and any of the other letters of the alphabet would work equally well instead of 'r'. My solution meets all of your requirements. Paul