[13307] in cryptography@c2.net mail archive
Re: Zero Knowledge in the Cave
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Bill Sommerfeld)
Fri May 16 18:13:36 2003
X-Original-To: cryptography@metzdowd.com
X-Original-To: cryptography@metzdowd.com
From: Bill Sommerfeld <sommerfeld@orchard.arlington.ma.us>
To: Nomen Nescio <nobody@dizum.com>
Cc: cypherpunks@lne.com, cryptography@metzdowd.com
In-Reply-To: Your message of "Thu, 15 May 2003 04:20:08 +0200."
<3b390e12cb7ab0bf392101e2e8fa92a5@dizum.com>
Reply-To: sommerfeld@orchard.arlington.ma.us
Date: Fri, 16 May 2003 14:33:53 -0400
> You reason that if there were no connection between the passageways,
> the only way the explorer could come out the passage that you named
> would be if he had gone in that same one. He would have to guess
> which one you were going to choose, and if he were right, he could
> come out that one. But you have repeated the test dozens of times.
> The chances that someone could guess right so often is infinitisimal.
> The only logical explanation is that the passageway does exist.
A skeptic of the above scenario could claim that the "explorer" was
actually a pair of identical twins (one of whom was hiding in the cave
before you entered) rather than a single individual.
One possible defense against this would involve an uncopiable but
verifiable token given to the "first" explorer.
- Bill
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