In a move to study deductive reasoning, a four-card problem is a popular puzzle usually applied. There are four cards to use, where one is marked number 3, the other one number 8, and the last two have red and brown colors. The puzzle holds the proposition that if a card shows an even number on one face, then its opposite face is red. The purpose of this paper is to determine which cards must be overturned to test the truth of the proposition.
To examine the reality of a proposition that a card showing an even number on one face has red color on its opposite face, card 8 and the one with brown color will be flipped over. The rule would be invalid when a card has an even number on one side and a different color other than red on the other face (Kellen & Klauer, 2020). Therefore, to justify the truth of the claim, four outcomes can invalidate the proposition.
First, if card 3 is brown or red, that does not violate the rule because there is no claim about odd numbers. Second, if a card with the number 8 is not red on the other side, the proposition is contradicted. Third, if a card with red color is even or odd on the other face, that does not violate the rule since red is not excluded from odd numbers (Kellen & Klauer, 2020). Lastly, if the card has brown color is even, the claim would be invalid. From the analysis, only card 8 and the brown one is determinant in supporting the argument. The other two have double chances hence they will not ascertain the claim. The puzzle is helpful when deciding during situations that contradict in life.
Reference
Kellen, D., & Klauer, K. (2020). Modeling the Wason selection task: A response to Ragni and Johnson-Laird (2020). Computational Brain & Behaviour, 3(3), 362-367. Web.