In honor of April Fools’ Day, the case of the Lesser Fool is presented. In a fictional town, an odd wanderer known as the Lesser Fool had the ability to always select the smaller of two amounts of money or goods presented to him, no matter the currency or quantity. People from all over would come to test him, amazed by his consistent ability to choose the lesser amount and then happily stroll away.
The Lesser Fool was presented with various questions to test his abilities. These questions included comparing different amounts of money or goods, such as twelve thousand and twelve dollars vs. eleven thousand eleven hundred and eleven dollars, or fractions of a pie. Despite the complex nature of some questions, the Fool was always able to quickly and accurately choose the smaller amount without hesitation.
Some more challenging questions were presented to the Lesser Fool, such as comparing the value of 1 kilogram of quarters to 25 kilograms of pennies, or determining whether the tenth root of $10 was greater than the cube root of $2. The Fool was able to answer these questions using various methods, including mental math and pencil and paper.
In one particularly intriguing question, a lawyer presented the Lesser Fool with two envelopes containing money. The Fool had to determine which envelope contained more money based on the contents of each. Additionally, a hedge fund manager asked whether the original investment or the current value of a volatile fund would be preferable.
A child eventually approached the Lesser Fool and questioned why he always chose the smaller amount, despite clearly knowing which was larger. The child also asked who the Greater Fool was, given the Lesser Fool’s title. The Fool simply smiled in response, leaving the questions unanswered.
For those looking for the answers to the Lesser Fool’s questions, they can be found at sciencenews.org/puzzle-answers. The website also publishes science-themed crosswords and math puzzles on alternating months and welcomes feedback from readers. Ben Orlin, the author of Math with Bad Drawings, presents the case of the Lesser Fool as a playful and puzzling example of mathematical reasoning and logic.
