![]() | Chapter 6: Descriptions | ![]() ![]() |
6.9. Counting while comparing |
Lastly we can also ask for a more specific number of possibilities, like so:
if two women are carrying animals
if at most three doors are open
if fewer than 10 portable containers are closed
if all but two of the devices are switched on
Likewise for "less than", "more than", "at least", "all except". Something to watch out for is that
if two doors are open
will be found true if there are (say) three open doors: after all, if three doors are open, then certainly two doors are. So this is not quite counting. We can be more precise by writing
if exactly two doors are open
The "all but" counts - say, "if all but two doors are open" - are exact: if, in fact, all of the doors are open then this will be found false.
Lastly, note that the "the" in text like "two of the doors" matters: without it, the phrase will not be recognised as a requirement on the number. (This is to make sure that names of things like "two of hearts" are not misinterpreted.)
| ![]() ![]() Set of drawers where the item the player seeks is always in the last drawer he opens, regardless of the order of opening. |
|
Previous | Contents | Next |