Only 1 in 3 can work out which hat contains the cat in baffling brainteaser

Daily Mirror

2 days ago

A mind-boggling brainteaser which requires a sharp-mind and critical thinking skills has left the majority of Brits scratching their heads - but can you work it out?
Discover whether you have the mind of a modern-day genius with this impossibly challenging brainteaser that most people fail. Solving puzzles and riddles might seem like nothing more than a boredom buster, but they're actually a great form of mental exercise. In fact, some studies have even found that solving brainteasers like this one can improve your concentration levels and attention span, by positively impacting the central nervous system.
‌
So while it won't turn you into a rocket scientist or get you into Oxford University, it's still worth attempting. However, this particular brainteaser isn't for the average Joe - and you'll need a sky-high IQ to crack it. So, let's dive straight in...
‌
‌
The image above shows three red hats, each containing a black cat. As previously reported, this puzzle first made its appearance on the YouTube channel 'Mend Your Decisions', and comes with three statements - along with the following advice: "Exactly one of the statements is true. Exactly one hat contains a cat."
Hat 1: The cat is in this hat.
Hat 2: The cat is not in this hat.
Hat 3: The cat is not in hat 1.
Feeling a little lost already? That's understandable, as only one in three Brits will actually be able to solve this. So, which of the hats contains the cat? The possible answers are:
‌
Hat 1.
Hat 2.
Hat 3.
None of them.
Not enough information.
You must initially consider the possibility of the cat being in all the hats. Following that, you need to determine which of the earlier statements is accurate and which two are incorrect. Once you're done, you can check your answer at the bottom of the article.
‌
If that baffling brainteaser was no match for a smarty pants like yourself, check out this even harder puzzle created by the Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ). You'll need to be as smart as a spy to crack this one, and only have 20 seconds to do so.
So, put your 007 thinking cap on and work out the hidden word amongst the below. Once you're done, you can check your answer here.
Madison
Saturn
Do
Nitrogen
Exodus
‌
ANSWER: By process of elimination, let's say the cat is in hat 1. This implies that the first two statements are true, while the third is false - which means the cat can't be in hat one.
Moving onto the second hat, if this is where the animal is then the first two statements are false, but the third is true by process of elimination. This implies that only one statement is accurate: the cat is in the second hat, which indeed turns out to be the solution.