Photo:
THE MIRROR
Isn't it desirable if we all keep getting smarter?
The hero of our puzzle wants to make his contribution.
But he doesn't cram IQ test tasks from morning to night.
No, he just decides to move.
So far he has lived in city A. Now city B is to become his home.
This, he claims, would increase the median IQ in both cities.
Is that possible?
Yes, the man is right.
The phrase »Among the blind the one-eyed man is king« describes the phenomenon aptly.
If a person moves away from city A, the median IQ increases if that person's IQ is lower than the city's average IQ.
Conversely, if a person comes to city B, the mean IQ there increases if the IQ of this person is greater than the previous mean IQ in B.
So the hero of the riddle apparently lives in a town with many very smart people, but belongs to the group with below-average IQ. In his new home, he is considered a high achiever because his IQ is above average there.
Many thanks to the mathematician Dierk Schleicher who suggested this puzzle.
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