An old challenge

[Zaevod]

Originally Posted by Reincarnate

Elaborate pt #4 plox. Sounds way too vague to be useful -- what exactly do you mean by this?

If the computer is only answering "true" or "false" then clearly the input must be a declaration (i.e. a statement) since that's the only way truth value can be assessed ("Stacy is a bitch", "If I go to school tomorrow, I will trip on a banana peel," "The correct door is the middle one"), which is all fine and well. However:

"Every answer depends on a previous knowledge of the computer" What? You say the computer can predict, but its answers depend on previous knowledge?

"It also doesn't deal with hypothetical situations (for example, referencing a "false statement" without specifying the statement)" Again, what does this mean? Can you give an example?

IMO this problem is not well-formed yet and has a few internal inconsistencies that need to be ironed out in order for a meaningful answer to be extracted.

Sorry, I'll try to be as clear as possible.

What number 4 means is that the only way to get an answer from the computer is by inputting a statement with verifiable values without including hypothetical things with values determined by the person, for example

"Considering that door 1 is labeled with something that exists, door 2 with something that doesn't exist and door 3 with something that may or may not exist, the label of the door that takes to the cool place exists"

That's just a way to prevent the final statement from being too trivial, because there is no challenge if you can just directly tell the computer to answer whatever you want in a determined situation. I guess the "previous knowledge" thing was a bit confusing, then. It just means that you have to use actual concepts and things in your statements instead of hypothetical things with values that you can attribute yourself and tell the computer. Of course, that alone doesn't solve the bug problem.

Originally Posted by Reincarnate

Is this sufficient:

The magical computer's subroutine:

def answerMain(statement):

    if trueOrFalseStatement(statement):

        answer = getAnswer(statement) #getAnswer() returns 1 if true, 0 if false

        if bug(): #50% chance of being true
            return 1-answer
        else:
	    return answer

    else:

        print "You will now be flayed alive and pumped full of neurotoxin."
        flay()
        pumpNeurotoxin()
        return fuck you++

#Program written courtesy of GLaDOS and Ramsay Snow

Pretty much. Except that it does nothing in that last part. And, well, the way to solve the bug must be included in the statement, too.