solve wine bottle puzzle

Guri Bee

2 min read

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18-10-2024

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Cracking the Code: Solving the Wine Bottle Puzzle

The classic "wine bottle puzzle" is a logic puzzle that often appears in brain teasers and interview questions. It tests your ability to think critically and deduce information from limited clues. This article will walk you through solving this puzzle, using insights from discussions on GitHub.

The Puzzle:

You have three wine bottles. One is full of red wine, one is full of white wine, and the third is empty. You are given three glasses, and your goal is to end up with one glass containing red wine, one containing white wine, and the third empty. You can only pour wine from one bottle to another, without using any other tools or containers.

Solution Breakdown:

Let's break down the solution steps, based on discussions found on GitHub:

1. Understanding the Constraints: The key is to understand that you can only pour from a bottle to another. This means you can't mix the wines within the same bottle.

2. The Initial Move: The first move is crucial. You need to pour the red wine from its bottle into the empty bottle. This leaves the red wine bottle empty.

3. Pouring the White Wine: Next, pour the white wine from its bottle into the red wine bottle (now empty). You now have a bottle containing white wine and an empty bottle.

4. Final Steps: Now, pour the white wine from the red wine bottle into the third glass. You have one glass with white wine. You can then pour the red wine from the bottle into the second glass, leaving the original red wine bottle empty. This leaves you with a glass of red wine and a glass of white wine.

Example Code:

Here's a simple Python code snippet that demonstrates the solution steps:

def wine_bottle_puzzle():
  """Solves the classic wine bottle puzzle.

  Returns:
    A list representing the final state of the glasses (red, white, empty).
  """
  bottles = ["red", "white", "empty"]
  glasses = [None, None, None]

  # Step 1: Pour red wine into the empty bottle
  bottles[2] = bottles[0]
  bottles[0] = "empty"

  # Step 2: Pour white wine into the red wine bottle
  bottles[0] = bottles[1]
  bottles[1] = "empty"

  # Step 3: Pour white wine into the first glass
  glasses[0] = bottles[0]
  bottles[0] = "empty"

  # Step 4: Pour red wine into the second glass
  glasses[1] = bottles[2]
  bottles[2] = "empty"

  return glasses

# Print the result
print(wine_bottle_puzzle())  # Output: ['white', 'red', None] 

Key Takeaways:

• Visualizing the Problem: A key aspect of solving this puzzle is visualizing the steps and the state of the bottles and glasses after each pour.
• Systematic Approach: Breaking the puzzle down into smaller steps makes it easier to manage.
• Understanding Constraints: The puzzle's constraints are crucial. Focusing on what you can't do can often help you find the solution.

Additional Considerations:

While this solution is effective, other variations exist. For example, you could choose to start by pouring the white wine into the empty bottle. The key is to find a sequence that leads you to the desired outcome.

This puzzle, though seemingly simple, provides valuable insight into problem-solving strategies. By breaking down the task and understanding the limitations, you can arrive at a logical solution.