State Logic

State Logic

Lsat Logic Games How Can This Have Anything to Do With Law School?

Here's a typical LSAT Logic Games question:

Nine housewives - Alice, Barbara, Carol, Delores, Evelyn, Francis, Gertrude, Hillary, and Ingrid - will be shopping at Safeway this week. They may shop on either Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday. Exactly three housewives will shop on each of these days. The following conditions apply:

1. Barbara will shop on Tuesday.

2. Carol and Francis must shop on the same day.

3. Alice and Evelyn must shop on the same day.

4. Gertrude and Hillary cannot shop on the same day.

5. Barbara and Ingrid cannot shop on the same day.

6. Carol and Ingrid cannot shop on the same day.

If Alice shops on Tuesday, and Carol shops on Monday, which of the following must be true?

A. Gertrude shops on Monday.

B. Gertrude shops on Wednesday.

C. Hillary shops on Monday.

D. Delores shops on Wednesday.

E. Francis shops on Wednesday.

I'm not going to waste all of our time by explaining why, but the correct answer is D (Delores shops on Wednesday). I have neither the patience nor the expertise to teach you how to reach this solution, but if you want to excel on the Law School Admission Test (LSAT) you had better be able to answer any question like that within 30-40 seconds.

Is this really possible? Yes, by seeking professional instruction and taking hundreds of LSAT practice tests, you can master the LSAT Logic Games.

Which brings us back to the question posted in the subtitle: How can this have anything to do with law school?

Well, I don't have any inside information, but the LSAT in general is designed to address skills and abilities that are considered vital for success in law school (note, not in the legal profession). The Logic Games section in particular addresses the prospective law student's ability to comprehend complicated factual scenarios, analyze arguments and reach reliable conclusions - largely by elimination weaker positions.

I can attest that these skills are indeed important to your law school success. Obviously, facts like those in the question above have nothing to do with law school or legal practice. The intellectual ability to deal with such situations, however, is absolutely necessary.

The thing about law school, and the LSAT, that is fortunate for those of us who may be less-than-brilliant, is that everything you need to know is in the question. You don't need to know the quadratic equation, the elements in the periodic table or any other background information. You must simply analyze the information you are given and reach the best conclusion.

The practice of law is very similar, but we'll get to that in a few years...

This article may be freely reprinted or distributed in its entirety in any ezine, newsletter, blog or website. The author's name, bio and website links must remain intact and be included with every reproduction.

My long time friend and mentor H. Jefferson, Jr. is an expert on on law school admission, having applied to and been admitted by 11 of the top law schools in the United States. To learn more about the the techniques and strategies you can use to get into the law school of your choice, visit lawschoolacademics.blogspot.com

About the Author

Digital Logic (Electrical Engr.) Using state diagrams to design circuits Question?

Hey - I'm trying to use state diagrams to design a digital circuit. Quick question: If I have 2 inputs and 3 outputs, how many variables do I need on my Karnaugh maps?

I don't get it! Can anyone explain? Thanks

Set up 3 separate maps -- one for each output. Each map will be a 2x2 for the 2 inputs.

Treat each output as a separate entity, but look for commonalitites among them (to use common circuits), or inversions of whole maps (to use an inverter on the output of one to get the inverted version).

.

AWS 900 from Solid State Logic - Intro