# 53 bicycles: A lateral thinking puzzle **URL:** \ **Category:** Thread Games\ **Created:** [July 9, 2017, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868 "2017-07-09T19:51:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 46
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2017, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/901 "2017-08-10T19:50:32Z")
RECAP A man’s house burns down. The man claims that he was sleeping when the fire started–THIS IS NOT TRUE–and that he managed to save many of his belongings by stuffing them into bags, smashing the window with his cane (HE DID NOT ACTUALLY DO THIS FROM INSIDE THE HOUSE AFTER THE FIRE STARTED, BUT HE DID USE THE CANE FOR WALKING), hurling the bags out of the window, followed by him climbing out of the window himself. THE FLOOR HE ESCAPED FROM IS IRRELEVANT. There are no witnesses or cameras that could help investigators determine if it was arson for insurance purposes. However, one investigator does find something to prove it was arson(and it was, by the way). WHAT SHE FOUND WAS NOT PHYSICAL EVIDENCE, AND MAHALOTH DOESN’T THINK IT WAS AN OBJECT. 1. Did the man smash the window with the cane? 2. Did the man smash the window from inside the house? 3. Did the man smash the window after the fire started? ---
**Author:** ![RadioWave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/91b2a8/32.png) [@RadioWave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RadioWave)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2017, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/902 "2017-08-10T20:06:38Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > 1. Yes. > 2. No. > 3. No. > 4. No. > 5. No > 6. No > 7. No. 1. Was the incriminating evidence a smoke detector? ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2017, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/903 "2017-08-10T20:09:06Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > Was the evidence found on the perp’s body (e.g., a lack of injuries from broken glass)? Yes. > [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > RECAP > > A man’s house burns down. The man claims that he was sleeping when the fire started–THIS IS NOT TRUE–and that he managed to save many of his belongings by stuffing them into bags, smashing the window with his cane (HE DID NOT ACTUALLY DO THIS FROM INSIDE THE HOUSE AFTER THE FIRE STARTED, BUT HE DID USE THE CANE FOR WALKING), hurling the bags out of the window, followed by him climbing out of the window himself. THE FLOOR HE ESCAPED FROM IS IRRELEVANT. > > There are no witnesses or cameras that could help investigators determine if it was arson for insurance purposes. > > However, one investigator does find something to prove it was arson(and it was, by the way). WHAT SHE FOUND WAS NOT PHYSICAL EVIDENCE\*\*, AND MAHALOTH DOESN’T THINK IT WAS AN OBJECT. > > 1. Did the man smash the window with the cane? > 2. Did the man smash the window from inside the house? > 3. Did the man smash the window after the fire started? 1. Yes. 2. Yes. 3. Irrelevant, but let’s say “yes”. \*\*Well, I’m not sure how to answer these. There is an object involved and I guess that is physical evidence. Let’s say “yes” to both of those, but there is a slight hesitation. ---
**Author:** ![Folly](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/folly/32/3219_2.png) [@Folly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Folly)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2017, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/904 "2017-08-10T20:23:36Z")
1. Was the object involved an electronic device? 2. a cell phone? 3. a hearing aid? 4. a laptop? 5. Are all the pronouns in the original scenario (he, himself, etc.) referring to the same, human, man? ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2017, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/905 "2017-08-10T20:53:47Z")
> [@RadioWave](#): > > 1. Was the incriminating evidence a smoke detector? No. > [@Folly](#): > > 1. Was the object involved an electronic device? > > 2. a cell phone? > > 3. a hearing aid? > > 4. a laptop? > > 5. Are all the pronouns in the original scenario (he, himself, etc.) referring to the same, human, man? 1. Yes. 2. No. 3. No. 4. No. 5. Yes. ---
**Author:** ![Hoopy\_Frood](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hoopy_frood/32/8452_2.png) [@Hoopy\_Frood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hoopy_Frood)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2017, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/906 "2017-08-10T21:02:10Z")
> [@Knowed\_Out](#): > > 1. Did the fire start in the same room where the man was sleeping? > 2. Did the investigator find the incriminating evidence in this room? > 3. Did the window smashing occur before the fire started? > [@Mahaloth](#): > > 1. Yes. > 2. No. > 3. Yes. > [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > 1. Did the man smash the window with the cane? > 2. Did the man smash the window from inside the house? > 3. Did the man smash the window after the fire started? > [@Mahaloth](#): > > 1. Yes. > 2. Yes. > 3. Irrelevant, but let’s say “yes”. Your two answers to the third questions contradict each other. (Though, probably moot if the question itself isn’t relevant.) ---
**Author:** ![Folly](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/folly/32/3219_2.png) [@Folly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Folly)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2017, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/907 "2017-08-10T21:04:59Z")
Does the electronic device help the man’ s mobility in some way? ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2017, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/908 "2017-08-10T21:08:22Z")
Sorry. The timing of the smashing of the window is irrelevant and I got mixed up. Let’s say, “Yes, he smashed it before the fire.” But I wouldn’t waste much time on that. > [@Folly](#): > > Does the electronic device help the man’ s mobility in some way? No. ---
**Author:** ![Folly](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/folly/32/3219_2.png) [@Folly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Folly)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2017, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/909 "2017-08-10T21:14:04Z")
1. Did the electronic device prove that he wasn’t sleeping when the fire started? 2. Does the electronic device monitor bio-signs in some manner? 3. Is it a fitbit or similar device? ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2017, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/910 "2017-08-11T00:25:27Z")
> [@Folly](#): > > 1. Did the electronic device prove that he wasn’t sleeping when the fire started? > 2. Does the electronic device monitor bio-signs in some manner? > 3. Is it a fitbit or similar device? 1. Yes. 2. Yes. 3. No, not a fitbit. ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2017, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/911 "2017-08-11T00:34:47Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > 1. Yes. > 2. Yes. > 3. No, not a fitbit. 1. Is the man very ill? 2. Does he require oxygen when sleeping? 3. Does he require a CPAP when sleeping? 4. Does he require a heart monitor when sleeping? ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2017, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/912 "2017-08-11T00:56:06Z")
> [@RivkahChaya](#): > > 1. Is the man very ill? > > 2. Does he require oxygen when sleeping? > > 3. Does he require a CPAP when sleeping? > > 4. Does he require a heart monitor when sleeping? 1. Yes, I think it is fair to say that. 2. No. 3. No. 4. Yes. ---
**Author:** ![Knowed\_Out](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/knowed_out/32/7380_2.png) [@Knowed\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knowed_Out)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2017, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/913 "2017-08-11T01:43:15Z")
1. Is this the type of heart monitor that records heart beats for a number of hours? 2. Did the investigator play back the heart beats from the previous night? ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2017, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/914 "2017-08-11T01:54:49Z")
> [@Knowed\_Out](#): > > 1. Is this the type of heart monitor that records heart beats for a number of hours? > 2. Did the investigator play back the heart beats from the previous night? 1. Yes, it tracks heart rate. 2. Yes, they checked the heart data. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2017, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/915 "2017-08-11T02:09:43Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > 1. Yes, it tracks heart rate. > 2. Yes, they checked the heart data. So: they discovered that prior to the fire, the man’s heart was beating faster than a sleeping man’s heart should beat; there was no sudden spike in heart rate that would correspond with waking up to a fire. Is that it? ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2017, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/916 "2017-08-11T02:43:15Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > So: they discovered that prior to the fire, the man’s heart was beating faster than a sleeping man’s heart should beat; there was no sudden spike in heart rate that would correspond with waking up to a fire. Is that it? Yes, he had a pacemaker and they used the data to analyze his heart rate. He was not sleeping when he said he was. [True story.](https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/to-your-health/wp/2017/02/08/a-man-detailed-his-escape-from-a-burning-house-his-pacemaker-told-police-a-different-story/?utm_term=.45c425b254a2) [Story 2.](http://www.cnn.com/2017/02/08/us/pacemaker-arson---trnd/) ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2017, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/917 "2017-08-11T03:15:05Z")
Cool! ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2017, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/918 "2017-08-11T03:31:53Z")
I struggled with “physical object” being found since the data from the pacemaker was…data. I did not want people to think they found something in the house, like…well, an object. ---
**Author:** ![Knowed\_Out](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/knowed_out/32/7380_2.png) [@Knowed\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knowed_Out)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2017, 12:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/919 "2017-08-11T12:15:05Z")
I had to wear a heart monitor for about a month, so I have actual experience. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2017, 12:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/920 "2017-08-11T12:30:54Z")
I would quibble that, object or not, it was certainly “physical evidence which contradicted the man’s story”, which you answered no to. Still, very cool that it’s a true story! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868.md?page=45) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868.md?page=47)