Monday, February 8, 2010

Can the statement, ';You will find it in the last place you look for it'; be a true statement, false, or both?

My boss and I were chatting about sayings that his dad told him when he was young. I casually said that the one above is not always a true statement. He then argued that no circumstance can lead to this being false. I was looking for a good logical explanation to the answer regardless of the verdict. Thanks!Can the statement, ';You will find it in the last place you look for it'; be a true statement, false, or both?
From a practical perspective, the statement is conditionally true, if and only if you actually find it. The logic being that once you find it, you will not continue looking for it.





However, the statement is not universally true, because it is possible you will not find it at all, and just give up after looking for it in the last place.Can the statement, ';You will find it in the last place you look for it'; be a true statement, false, or both?
True. That's the last place you looked.
Both:





In the case where I ask the kids or wife to help me find an item. I may never be the one who finds it, they may. Hence it will not be in the last place ';I'; look, but where someone else looked.
Well, what idiot would keep looking for something once he/she finds it? In this case it is true.


However, the looker has checked every possible location and the missing object is no where to be found. What to do now? Well, that person will most likely stop. He/she gave up before finding it. So in that case it is not true.

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