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Correcting Medical Supply Labels in a Clinic

Overview of the Situation

In a medical office, there are three boxes containing medical supplies. The first box holds only needles, the second box contains only syringes, and the third box includes both needles and syringes. However, all three boxes are incorrectly labeled.

The Nurse’s Task

A nurse is tasked with correctly labeling these boxes. She is permitted to select only one item from one of the boxes to assist in this process.

The Solution

To resolve the labeling issue, the nurse should choose an item from the box labeled ‘needles and syringes’. Since all boxes are labeled incorrectly, the outcome of this selection will clarify the contents of that box.

If she retrieves a needle from this box, she will deduce that it can only contain needles. Conversely, if she finds a syringe, she will conclude that it contains only syringes.

For instance, if a needle is selected from the ‘needles and syringes’ box, she would then label that box as ‘needles’ and subsequently switch the incorrect labels of the remaining two boxes. This method will ensure that all three boxes are correctly labeled.