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This delightful pond puzzle asks you to solve a geometric problem with moral undertones [1]

['Ellsworth Toohey']

Date: 2025-06-11

This vintage brain teaser posted to Futility Closet uses geometry to illustrate how wealthy individuals can manipulate access to shared resources. Can you solve it?

"Suppose there was a pond, around which four poor men built their houses," reads the setup, accompanied by a sketch showing four dots surrounding a pond.

Then comes the twist: "Suppose four evil-disposed rich men afterwards built houses around the poor people," with another diagram showing an outer ring of dots encircling everything.

These wealthy newcomers "wished to have all the water of the pond to themselves. How could they build a high wall, so as to shut out the poor people from the pond?"

Give it a shot before looking at the solution. Like many good puzzles, the answer might not be what you first expect!

Previously:

• How to get better at solving puzzles

[END]
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