Guide to Solving Logic Problems

Solving logic problems is fun as well as challenging. All the information you need to solve the problem is given in the introduction, clues and any illustrations, which are provided. If you've never solved a logic problem before, this sample should help you get on your way to an enjoyable past-time. A dot or bullet is used to signify "Yes" and an "X" to signify "No".

	Sample Logic Problem 1. Anne's anniversary was on Monday, but she did not celebrate it with Wally. 2. Stan celebrated his anniversary on Wednesday. Rob celebrated his on Friday, but not with Ida. 3. Vern (who is married to Fran) celebrated his anniversary the day after Eve.
Chart 1	Explanation Anne celebrated her anniversary on Mon. (1) so put in a "." at the intersection of Anne and Monday. Put "x"s in all the other days in Anne's row and all the other names in the Mon. column. (Whenever you establish a relationship such as this, be sure to place "x"s at the intersections of all relationships that become impossible as a result.) Anne wasn't married to Wally (1), so put an "x" at the intersection of Anne and Wally. Stan's anniversary was on Wednesday (2), so put a "." at the intersection of Stan and Wednesday (don't forget the "x"s). Stan wasn't married to Anne who celebrated her anniversary on Mon., so put an "x" at the intersection of Anne and Stan. Rob celebrated his anniversary on Friday, but not with Ida (2), so put a "." at the intersection of Rob and Friday, and "x"s at the intersections of Rob and Ida and Ida and Friday. Rob was also not married to Anne who celebrated her anniversary on Monday, so put an "x" at the intersection of Anne and Rob. Now your chart should look like chart 1.
Chart 2	Vern was married to Fran (3), so put a "." at the intersection of Vern and Fran. This leaves Anne's only possible husband as Paul, so put a "." at the intersection of Anne and Paul and Paul and Mon. Vern and Fran's anniversary took place the day after Eve's (3), which wasn't Monday (Anne), so Vern's wasn't Tuesday. It must have been Thursday (see chart), so Eve's was Wednesday (3). Put "."s at the intersections of Vern and Thursday, Fran and Thursday and Eve and Wednesday. Now your chart should look like chart 2.
Chart 3	The chart shows that Cathy celebrated her anniversary on Friday and that Ida celebrated hers on Tuesday. Wally celebrated his anniversary on Tuesday so Ida was married to Wally. As Cathy celebrated her anniversary on Friday, her husband was Rob. After this information is filled in, Eve could only have been married to Stan. You've completed the puzzle, and your chart should now look like chart 3. In summary: Anne and Paul, Monday; Cathy and Rob, Friday; Eve and Stan, Wednesday; Fran and Vern, Thursday; and Ida and Wally, Tuesday. In some problems, it may be necessary to make a "logical" guess based on facts you've established. When you do, always look for clues or other facts that disprove it. If you find that your guess is incorrect, eliminate it as a possibility.

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