Riddle: What Colour is your Hat?

[samoth]

A professor wished to figure out who was the smartest of his graduate students. He brought them into his office, blindfolded them, covered all the mirrors in the room, and sat them in chairs facing one another. He told them that he would put either a yellow or a green hat on their heads, but then placed, on all three students, a small green hat (representing Creativity from De Bono's Six Thinking Hat Colors) and no yellow ones! He then told them to remove their blindfolds and to look at one another, but not their own heads. He asked "raise your hand if you see a green hat" to which all three raised a hand. Next, he said "stand up if you know the color of the hat on your head." After a lengthy pause, only one student stood up and correctly stated the color of all three hats was green. How was this known? Outline your logic.

 

[Basic_wonder]

Seems like this question is making the rounds and I cant seem to find an answer ....

My guess is that one of the graduate students had glasses so that the one kid that did answer was able to see the reflection of his own hat within the glasses ....

 

[samoth]

It's actually kind of a logic puzzle, where the solution starts out with, "Suppose that...".

 

[Mavafanculo]

one of the other students looked at only the answering students head before raising his hand - so he knew his was green, and could see the other 2 green

 

[samoth]

one of the other students looked at only the answering students head before raising his hand - so he knew his was green, and could see the other 2 green

Eh, not really. If only two hats were green, all three students would still raise their hands.

 

[jerkbox]

i didn't read all that...but i'm wearing a white EAGLES hat today

 

[Mavafanculo]

Eh, not really. If only two hats were green, all three students would still raise their hands.

to clarify:

the answering student could see the other two were green.

the answering student noticed that one of the other students looked ONLY at the answering students hat before raising his hand.

so the answering student knew his own hat was green and therefore all 3 green.

 

[jack sparrow]

i didn't read all that...but i'm wearing a white EAGLES hat today

I tried to follow it too, but I got lost in the third or fourth sentence. I have on a black Red Wings hat though.

 

[Spartacus]

pasty

 

[KillahBee]

I have a red Ferrari hat on.

I dont own nor have I ever touched a Ferrari.