unexpected hanging paradox

The unexpected hanging paradox involves a judge telling a condemned prisoner he will be hanged at noon on a weekday, but the execution date will be a surprise. The prisoner reasons he can't be hanged on Friday since it wouldn’t be a surprise if he reached Thursday without being hanged. He continues this logic backward, concluding he can’t be hanged at all. However, when the day arrives, the judge executes him on a Wednesday, indeed surprising him. This paradox challenges our understanding of knowledge, expectation, and logic, revealing how predictions can conflict with actual outcomes.