FINAL JEOPARDY
EVERY SEMESTER, PROFESSOR LANGFORD CHALLENGED HIS STUDENTS WITH A SPECIAL PUZZLE: OUT OF SEVERAL PROBLEMS, ONLY ONE HAD A CORRECT ANSWER. THIS WASN’T JUST A TEST OF KNOWLEDGE, BUT OF CAREFUL READING AND LOGIC. MANY STUDENTS DIVED INTO COMPLICATED CALCULATIONS OR ELABORATE PROOFS, MISSING THE SUBTLE HINT HIDDEN IN THE SETUP ITSELF. THE PROFESSOR ALWAYS SAID THAT THE KEY LAY NOT IN COMPLEXITY, BUT IN SIMPLICITY.
ONE PARTICULAR QUESTION CAUGHT THE EYE OF MAYA. IT READ: “AMONG ALL THE PROBLEMS ON THIS SHEET, ONLY A SINGLE ONE HOLDS THE TRUTH.” THE OTHERS, THOUGH TEMPTING, CONTAINED CONTRADICTIONS OR IMPOSSIBLE SCENARIOS. MAYA NOTICED HOW THE SENTENCE EMPHASIZED SINGULARITY — A SINGLE TRUTH STANDING ALONE AMID FALSEHOODS. THIS QUESTION, UNLIKE THE REST, MADE NO DEMANDS BEYOND ACKNOWLEDGING ITS UNIQUENESS.
AS SHE CONSIDERED THE PROBLEM, MAYA REALIZED IT MIRRORED A CLASSIC PARADOX: IF MORE THAN ONE WERE TRUE, THE STATEMENT WOULD BE FALSE; IF NONE WERE TRUE, THE STATEMENT WOULD BE FALSE AS WELL. ONLY WHEN EXACTLY ONE PROBLEM IS TRUE DOES THE LOGIC REMAIN INTACT. THE IDEA CLICKED — THERE WAS ONLY ONE TRUTH, QUIETLY CONFIRMING ITSELF WITHOUT FANFARE.
IN HER ANSWER SHEET, MAYA CAREFULLY MARKED JUST ONE BOX. SHE KNEW THAT IN A FOREST OF PUZZLES, THE SIMPLEST PATH WAS OFTEN THE RIGHT ONE. SOMETIMES, ALL IT TAKES IS RECOGNIZING THAT THE SOLITARY TRUTH IS THE ANSWER, NO MORE, NO LESS. AND IN THIS CASE, THE ANSWER WAS QUIETLY, CLEVERLY, EXACTLY ONE.
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