einstein’s riddle

09/05/12 — albert einstein, games, mental health, puzzles, riddle

just as people exercise their bodies for good physical health, it’s equally important to exercise your mind to stimulate good mental health.  to that end, i will be posting brain teasers on the site from time to time.  i spotted this first one on nytimes.  if you’re able to solve it, put the answer in the comments and talk a bit about the method you used.  good luck.

Einstein’s Riddle:

On a certain road there are five adjacent houses. Each house is a different color. In each house lives a woman of a different nationality. And each of these women has a favorite sport, a favorite beverage, and keeps a particular kind of pet.

The question: Who owns the fish?

The following conditions apply.

1. The Chinese woman lives in a red house.
2. The American keeps dogs.
3. The Japanese woman drinks tea.
4. The green house is just to the left of the white house.
5. The owner of the green house drinks coffee.
6. The person who swims has a bird.
7. The owner of the yellow house enjoys golf.
8. The woman in the center house drinks milk.
9. The Brazilian lives in the first house.
10. The triathlete has a neighbor who keeps cats.
11. The woman with a horse lives next to the golfer.
12. The basketball player drinks beer.
13. The Indian plays cricket.
14. The Brazilian lives next to the blue house.
15. The triathlete lives next to the water-drinker.

update: i made a separate page for your responses so it won’t ruin it for anybody who doesn’t want to know.  check it out here.