lying in the hospital

if you like this, perhaps you'd like to look at something in a tree-death (printable) version?

At the Hospital of Our Lady of Verisimilitude, leading neurologists have identified three new disorders: compulsive Lying, compulsive Truth-telling, and compulsive Alternating. An Alternator always tells the truth initially to someone s/he meets, then lies, then tells the truth, etc. Fortunately, one of OLV’s brilliant neurosurgeons has developed a new surgical technique not to cure, but at least to modify these afflictions.

A reporter assigned to learn more about this controversial medical practice, you arrive in the hospital waiting room, which is filled with 3 types of people: compulsive liars, compulsive truth-tellers, and alternators, all waiting to have the procedure. The procedure works like this:

• Truth-tellers who have the surgery successfully will become liars. If it is unsuccessful, they will become alternators.
• Liars who have the surgery successfully will become truth-tellers. If it is unsuccessful, they will become alternators.
• Alternators who have the surgery will become either truth-tellers or liars. This surgery is always successful.
  

Problem 1

You sit down next to a woman waiting for her operation. You ask what she's there for. She says, 'I'm here to become a liar.'

You then bump into her again after her surgery, and you ask her how it went. She says, 'I’ve become what I said I’d become.'

What was she before and after her surgery?

Problem 2

You bump into an old man and ask if he's at the clinic to have surgery. He says, 'No.' A short time later, you see him again and ask him what he is. He says, 'Well, I'm not a truth-teller!'

What is he? Did he have surgery?

Problem 3

You see twins going in for surgery. Their mother tells you that one of them is a liar and the other is a truth-teller. She says that one of them is having the surgery, but before she can tell you which one, they are called away. When the twins come out, you ask how it went.

Twin A: It was successful.

Twin B: No, it wasn't.

Twin A: I had the surgery.

Twin B: Yes, he did.

Which of the twins had the surgery? Was it successful? What is each twin now?

answers later...