How's Your IQ?

This brain teaser has circulated widely on business cards and in various media. In most versions, however, the sentence with the Fs begins with the words "finished files" rather than "fewer fatal failures."

 

For an experiment that sought to determine why it's difficult to spot all the Fs in this sentence, see J. Don Read, "Detection of Fs in a Single Statement: The Role of Phonetic Recoding," Memory and Cognition 11 (1983): 390-99 (the author first encountered the "finished files" version of the sentence on a motel business card).

 

How's Your IQ?

 

This is a trick--so don't say we didn't warn you. Read this sentence:

 

Fewer fatal failures are the result of scientific study combined with the experience of years.

 

Now, count the F's in that sentence only once. Don't go back and count them again.

 

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There are seven F's in the sentence you just read. Av. spots 4. Above av. 5, 6 you can turn your nose at most anybody. If you count all 7 you're a genius. A lot to good to waste your time with this.

 

It's now time to buy your new or used radio.

 

R. A Yost - "Printer"

 

Business cards, billheads, name cards, letterheads,

 

N. Main St., Manchester, Pa.

Done