Unsolvable Riddles - Solved! Page 5 of 5
These unsolved riddles are now solved and ready for you to view. Do the solutions seem correct to you?
*John sends this one for all to solve:
When I have four I have none,
when I have two I have some,
when I have none I have them all.
What is it?
ANSWER: Experience - When you are a baby (on four legs), you have no experience of life. When you are on two legs, you have some experience. But when you too old to walk, or you die, you have all your life experience. ------ OR:
the letters in the word "none"
*This riddle came to us via email from Jordan-we can't solve it, can you?
There are five men: A, B, C, D, and E. Each of these men is infinitely greedy and infinitely logical (they do know this about each other). There is $100 to be split. First A comes up with a method to split the money - then they vote. (They can vote for their own suggestion.) If half or more vote for that method, then they split the money that way. If not, then A is out and cannot get any money. Each man may make a suggestion. How is the money split?
ANSWER: The fourth person to make a suggestion will get all the money!
There's a man in a box dead, with a pole on one side of the box and another box beside the one the man is in.
How did he Die?
ANSWER: He is a man who makes coffins and he was measuring some of his work when he suddenly had a heart attack and fell dead instantly, falling into one of the coffins he was measuring!
A man enters a contest, extremely confident he will win. He ends up in third place in the end, but is very amused. Why?
ANSWER: He has entered a look-alike contest and is amused when he gets third place.
Why was Cinderella so bad at baseball?
ANSWER: Because she always runs from the ball!
I am in the sea BUT not in the water
I start in March and end in December
You find me neither in peace nor war
Many have me but few don't
I am in the shadows but not in a dark place
You see me twice in 2004
ANSWER: From Kevin-The answer to number 3 is M. Latin translation for sea is mare. March starts with it, December has it near the end. Peace and war neither have it. Many has it, few does not. Latin translation for shadows is umbra. 2004 is MMIV.
And for another way to look at this, Bryan writes - I believe the answer to riddle 3 is "Mirror". The biggest clue comes from the line "You find me neither in peace nor war". The words "peace" and "war" are political opposites; an era is either a time of peace or a time of war, and they are mutually exclusive. Thus for something to be in neither peace nor war means it is not in anything at all, which is nonsensical. It makes more sense to look at the actual words "war" and "peace", implying that the author is hiding clues within the actual words of the riddle. Now we can go line by line: "I am in the sea BUT not in the water" - you can see your reflection on the surface of the ocean but it is not actually in the water. "I start in March and end in December" - here the author plays with the words "March" and "December"; the beginning letter in March is "M" and the ending letter in December is "r", the beginning and ending letters in "Mirror". "You find me neither in peace nor war" - again wordplay. "Mirror" can not b
e spelled using letters from "peace" or "war", and there is absolutely no symmetry in the structure of these words. "Many have me but few don't" - most people have mirrors, but there are still people living in places that have none (e.g. African tribes). "I am in the shadows but not in a dark place" - on a bright, sunny day your shadow is a reflection of yourself. "You see me twice in 2004" - there are two zeros in "2004", the first is a mirror of the second, and the second is a mirror of the first.
Thousands of us all around you.
We protect you all the time.
Yet you treat us badly.
You burn us in public buildings
to make you seem better.
You try to make us straight
but most of us refuse usually.
When we are dead, you are pleased.
Yet, when we are gone, you are sad.
What are we?
ANSWER: We received two answers in equal proportions for this one: trees and hair
A man has to take two pills each day, at the exact same time or he will die. If he only takes one or he takes two of the same pill he will die. Both medications look the same and are the same weight. One day he drops both open pill bottles scattering the pills across the floor. There are two pills left in one bottle. How can he take his pills so he won't die?
ANSWER: First the man must take a scale and find the exact weight of two of the pills. Since the pills on the ground are randomly mixed, there is no possible way to separate them again. The solution is to go one step further in their mixing. Since the medications were of identical weight, and the man was taking one pill from each medication every day, half of the mixed pills will be from each medication. The man should take the two pills remaining in the bottle and place them in the pile, then grind all of the mixed pills into a powder. The powder should be mixed so that both medications are equally distributed throughout the powder (in the manner a pharmacologist measures out pills; the actual medication only amounts to a small percentage of the actual pill). With enough mixing, a sample of this powder will contain 50% of one medication and 50% of the other, a result from Probability. The man can now create new pills from this powder, or simply ingest the powder, as long as the
amount of the mixture he takes each day is equal in weight to the weight of two of the old pills. Ideally, he would now take one pill each day which is twice as large as either of the former pills. This way, he receives the same amount of each medication he would have as if he were to take two of the old pills.
-Thanks to Bryan for this great explanation!
What do the following words have in common?
screen, inflammable, dust, left
ANSWER: These words are "self antonyms"; each word has two meanings that are opposite of each other. Example: screen: to prevent from seeing AND/OR to see.
If I buy a certain 4 items priced at:
$1.20
$1.25
$1.50
$3.16
- To get the total of these figures, it does not matter
if the prices are added together as one would expect or
if the prices are multiplied. The total bill will be the
same: $7.11. What mathematical principle is being
displayed in this problem?
ANSWER: At long last, this problem is being posted on the solved page!!! We have received many very good solutions/suggestions. Here is the simple one:
From Stephanie -The answer is not a math principle, but the principle of math hard at work.
Why is 2 + 2 and 2 x 2 the same answer?
You can spend hours looking for a complicated solution but, quite simply this is just how math works.
Somehow that answer disappoints me and many math fans, and there is some basic math going on in the riddle.
Eric reports this: It is called the additive inverse property of multiplication. I asked my Calculus teacher who has a doctorate degree in Mathematics.
........Now, that sounds more like it!
And Dipanwita helps it along offering this -
This is the solution to the 4 prices riddle. It is NOT just these 4 prices....the answer is: Take ANY 3 numbers and divide their sum by their product-1. you will get the fourth number such that all 4 will add to and multiply to the same. So, e.g., take 3.5, 5.95, 2.15. Their sum is 11.6. SO the fourth number is 11.6/{(3.5 x 5.95 x 2.15)-1} = 0.265.
.......Now we are getting to the nuts and bolts of this riddle. It seems like a coincidence, but it really is not.
And Corey responds with - The numbers are not just a coincidence...They are quite easily derived as follows:
Say you have a group of N-1 numbers. Simply take the current sum and divide by (the current product minus 1) to get the remaining number.
EXAMPLE:
Numbers $1.20, $1.25, $1.50
Current sum = 1.2 + 1.25 + 1.5 = 3.95
Current Product = 1.2 * 1.25 * 1.5 = 2.25
Hence last number that makes the sum and product equal the same thing is 3.95 / (2.25 - 1) = $3.16
$1.20 + $1.25 + $1.50 + $3.16 = $1.20 * $1.25 * $1.50 * $3.16 = $7.11
This will work with any group of numbers:
(1,2,3) -> 4th number is 6 / (6 - 1) = 1.2. Hence 1+2+3+1.2 = 1*2*3*1.2 = 7.2
(2,2,2) -> 4th number is 6 / (8 - 1) = 6/7ths. Hence 2+2+2+6/7 = 2*2*2*6/7 = 6 6/7ths
I see this as the fundamental principal relationship between the numbers of the $7.11 problem. The "integer number of cents" requirement then just reduces the possible combination of numbers.
........Still with me on this one????
Michael solves it this way:
We know two facts in this riddle: all four numbers add up to 7.11 and their product is 7.11. Our object should be to find an equation for all values for which this statement is true, and then the mathematical concept will become evident. So let's assign a variable to each of the four values given:
x - 1.20
y - 1.25
z - 1.50
w - 3.16
Now we can express the riddle in terms of these variables:
x + y + z + w = 7.11
wxyz = 7.11
These two equations will tell us every value for x, y, z, and w for which the riddle is true. Unfortunately, those two graphs have four variables, meaning the resulting graph is in four dimensions. We can only graph this in our heads, and certainly can't find any values for x, y, z, and w. But we do have two equations relating x, y, z, and w to a constant, 7.11, so we can solve for a variable in one equation and plug it into another. I will solve for w:
w + x + y + z = 7.11
w = 7.11 - x - y - z
Now we plug that value of w into the other equation:
(7.11 - x - y - z)(x)(y)(z) = 7.11
Now we only have 3 variables, and this three dimensional graph will tell us all possible values for which the riddle is true. We can graph this equation on a TI-89 calculator, but the equation has to be expressed in terms of z first. This requires some pretty messy algebra. We'll start by dividing both sides by (x)(y):
(7.11 - x - y - z)(z) = 7.11/(x)(y)
Now let's distribute the z and move the right term to the left:
-z^2 - z(7.11 - x - y) - 7.11/xy = 0
For simplicity's sake, I'll multiply through by -1:
z^2 + z(x + y - 7.11) + 7.11/xy = 0
We now have everything we need to use the quadratic formula (z=(-b+or-(b^2-4ac)^1/2)/2a)
A = 1 (the coefficient in front of the 1st term), B = x + y - 7.11 (the coefficient in front of the second term), C = 7.11/xy
Using the quadratic formula, we get that z = (-x-y+7.11 +or- ((x+y-7.11)^2-28.44/xy)^1/2)/2, or two planes. Every point on both of these planes satisfies the equation, and the three values for x, y, and z in the riddle are on the plane. Plug them back in to either of the original equations to find w. The mathematical concept used in this problem is graphing in the third dimension, or more generally, multi-variable calculus.
.... But wait! Jason writes-
This is just a simple algebra equation. You can make up any numbers that you want and still come up with the same effect if you balance the equation. Below is the equation being used:
a+b+c+d = a*b*c*d
So if you want to create your own problem with the same effect do the following:
1. Write down any numbers that you want and as many number that you want.
2. Add them all up on one side and multiply them all on the other side (of the equation).
3. One the left you have some sum plus "x" and on the right you have some product times "x".
4. Solve for "x" and that is the common number that ties them all together.
New riddle example:
$1.20
$1.25
$1.50
$1.75
$2.00
"x"
How to make the sum equal the product:
1.2+1.25+1.5+1.75+2+x = 1.2*1.25*1.5*1.75*2*x
reduce:
7.7+x = 7.875x
7.7 = 6.875x
x = 1.12
So the last number in our new riddle is $1.12. Now add 1.12 to your list above and the new riddle is complete.
If you want the entire story/answer/solution for this riddle, Derak was kind enough to send this link -
http://www.brianhetrick.com/casio/p042996.html
That link will end the arguments on this riddle. It has been fun and thanks to the many folks who offered to solve it!
In my cradle
Were you raised
Fruitful moon
For thirteen days
My three sons
Now grown apart
Vie for pieces
Of my heart
ANSWER: Ok, for the simple answer: the "Fertile Crescent". That was the most commonly given answer by far for this riddle. One interesting explanation for the answer came from 'Jim' and is as follows --
The big problem with this riddle is that there is no definite question. What exactly are they looking for? While the answers to different parts are known, which did the author intend to be the final one or is it a piece by piece riddle.
"In my cradle
Were you raised"
Refers to the "Fertile Crescent" where today's major religions come from aka the middle east area, Jerusalem, Babylon, Syria etcetera (sorry about the horrible spellings)
"My three sons
Now grown apart"
Are the three major religions to come from there aka Judaism, Muslim, Christianity.
Now the pieces of my heart part can be either God, aka Gods love being corrupted by holy wars. Or Abrahams heart, who is the father of all 3 religions aka Isacc, Ishmeal, and great great great.... grandson Jesus, vying for predominance in the world through religious powers.
I hope this helps you out.
Also, another intriguing solution from Lavette -
?....I am not sure about this one but it reminds me of something i learned about wood. In my cradle is where i would put my wood to cure for 13 days then split it into three pieces to the center heart of the wood only to be thankful that i had it on a cold day to warm me through to my heart.
....and Lavette also noted - i have already submitted my solution as wood but after further research i feel i need to update it.
I still believe it is wood.
In my cradle is where it would lay, not for 13 days but 1 year to season not cure, being 13 days of full moons each year, hence fruitful moon completing it's full cycle. when wood is seasoned for that long it automatically splits at it's heart into a Y shape ,when properly split it will fall into 3 pieces. referred to as sons , not in the feminine because the fruit of the tree represents the female and the trunk or wood is the male hence sons. to vie for pieces of my heart can refer to the heart of a fire or in Indian terms the fire is in the heart of the dwelling, also a fire it's self is started with kindling and the finest choice of wood to create the heart of the fire. i believe if you look into this you will find it is correct information on fire wood, generally hard woods. i can see where some would answer the fertile crescent but this is far more specific. hope you choose to publish...if you respond who is author? sounds like a Quatrain from Nostradamus lol. but definite astronomical term to identify 13 cycles of moon each year being 13 days in total. every line fits.
...and Lavette adds - after considering fertile crescent i realized it is only part of the answer, who ever wrote this knew about lunar cycles always referred to a full moon as a fruitful moon, haven't heard this any in modern usage. The answer is Jerusalem, it lies within the cradle of the fertile crescent and her 3 sons are Judaism, Islam and Christianity which have grown apart all claim their roots to be in Jerusalem yet in one year or 13 lunar cycles or since Islam came into being 1300 yrs. ago approximately ( a thousand years is as a day ) now are they grown apart yet all three vie for a piece of her heart or her old city as it is known or the temple mount it's self. again sounds like Nostradamus prophecy lol.
And thus, riddle solvers, this one is solved!
Although broken, they will always exist and surround us. We don't like being confined in them and they will outlive us all. What are "they"?
ANSWER: The best answer for this one is "rules" or "laws". Others have solved it with promises, mountains, rocks, homes. But rules or laws seems to answer best.
I discovered that I made a mistake on a check as I was paying bills. To destroy this check, I decided to cut it into pieces and this question came to mind: If I do not place any cut pieces of this check on top of each other and if I do not fold this check or any of the pieces, what is the largest number of pieces I can cut this check into and how many cuts will I have to make to do this?
ANSWER: There would actually be an infinite number of cuts as one could technically keep cutting the pieces - limited only by the ability of the cutter to make the cuts. But the simple answer is - only 2 pieces and 1 cut *because* after you make that 1 cut, you no longer have the "check" you started with! OK - it's a riddle and that's how these things go sometimes!! (Thanks for your indulgence!)
What is the opposite of "if"?
ANSWER: "Unless"!!!
This one is a "mental" exercise - don't use paper and scissors - just imagine in your mind:
Take a sheet of paper - any size that you happened to have. (Remember, just imagine this paper.) Now fold this sheet of paper in half and now fold it in half again, at right angles to the first fold. Now you have four thicknesses of paper. Now imagine you use scissors and cut through all four thicknesses, right down the middle of the paper, parallel to the first fold you made. Now, imagine, how many pieces of paper do you have now? Don't get paper and scissors to solve this one - try to picture this in your mind!
ANSWER: You will have 3 pieces of paper after the cut. It won't matter which direction you make the cut with the scissors - you'll end up with 3 pieces of paper. Don't believe it??? Now go get the paper and scissors and actually do this - you'll see!
The clock on the town square is showing 6 o'clock and in fact is chiming out six loud chimes indicating the time of 6 o'clock. When the clock reads 12 o'clock, you would think that the clock would take exactly twice as long to strike twelve times. In reality, it takes longer though - WHY?????
ANSWER: This one was solved rather quickly - thanks! When the clock chimes from 1 to 6, there are 5 spaces of time or intervals between each strike or chime. When the clock chimes from 1 to 12, even though that seems twice as long, there will be 11 spaces of time between each strike or chime.
"How do you get out of a three page paper?"
ANSWER: This riddle has been on the unsolved page way too long!! We have the answer and it must be noted that so many of our visitors sent in really great answers! Many of you took the direct approach - "turn the page"; "write the fourth page"; and "there are only two sides to a paper"; also, "just don't do the paper as in a school assignment". With all the thought that has gone into this little riddle, you may be disappointed at the answer, but here is what we believe that answer is:
"Cut the pages in half and you now have two halves. We all know that two halves make a whole - so there you are, climb though the "hole" and you're out!!
(I warned you - you might be disappointed at this answer!)
placed above it makes greater things small. Placed beside it makes small things greater. In matters that counts it always comes first. Where others increase it keeps all things the same. What is it?
ANSWER: The number "1"
There are 5 hats. Three are blue, two are red. They are placed in a box and mixed up. Three people are blind folded and standing in a line one behind the other facing forward. Each person reaches into the box, one at a time and withdraws a hat which is then placed on their head. Their blind folds are then removed. The first person in line knows the color of her hat and of the two people behind her. How does she know this? ( she cannot turn around and look behind her and they cannot speak)
ANSWER: The text of the riddle is corrupted. First, the last of the persons in line (who sees the other two) says: I don't know what is the color of my hat. Then the second says: I don't know what is the color of my hat.
The first in line reasons as follows: If both me and the one in the middle had red hats on, then the third person would know that he has to wear blue, since there are only two red hats. So me and the second guy don't wear two red hats. So we either wear two blue, or a red and the blue.
Now the second guy can figure as much as I did, so if I was wearing a red hat he would know that he has to wear blue. He doesn't know what is the color of his hat, so I can't wear red, so I must wear blue!
This one is from a visitor, Carl, and though it is not really "unsolvable", he presented it in such a great way, it is offered here for your enjoyment! It's a great riddle and using a little logic, you should be able to solve this one -
Once upon a time there was a ruler in Persia who had a very beautiful daughter. When it was time for her to be married, the marriage was arranged by her father as was the custom in that part of the world. Many young men came to be interviewed by the ruler, but no one person was perfect for the princess. After several months, the ruler finally decided that three princes from nearby kingdoms were suitable for the princess. Since each one was equal to the other in wealth, personality, manners, looks and intelligence, the princess's father had to devise a way to differentiate between them and declare one as the man who would marry his daughter.
He invited the three of them to his palace and brought them to a room, elegantly furnished and with a single round table about 2 meters in diameter. There were three chairs around the table, equally spaced from each other. He bade them each take a seat. By this time, the three princes were puzzled by the secretive behavior of the ruler, (and I don't mind telling you), a little apprehensive. But the ruler smiled and proceeded to explain to them that he considered each of them to be equally qualified to marry his daughter, so he had created a game to determine which one would win the hand of his daughter.
He produced three elegant scarves, woven of the finest silk and blindfolded each prince with them. Then he proceeded to explain that he had in his hand a contained of lampblack. This was a very common ingredient of the day, as it was used to make a sort of ink. But in its dry form, it could be used to make a mark similar to chalk. He approached each man and with his forefinger, made a mark of "X" on each mans forehead. As he explained to them, he MAY or MAY NOT have lampblack on his finger as he made each mark. Thus, each man could have a black "X" on his forehead or could have no visible mark at all. But he told them also that one or more of them had a black mark.
Now, said the ruler, take off your blindfolds. As each man did and became accustomed to the light, the ruler said, "The first man who can correctly tell me whether he has a black mark or not will be the man who will marry my daughter, the princess. You may not touch yourself or each other or move from your chairs."
Seeing that neither he nor the other two had an immediate response, after a short time, one of the men stood up and correctly stated how his forehead was marked, and, was declared the winner. For your information, all three men were marked with black "Xs".
How did the winner determine he was marked with a black "X" rather than no "X"?
ANSWER: (corrected thanks to Chad!)
The reason he deduced he had one was because basically he was the first to realize this;
Lets call him A and the losers B and C.
IF B and C didn't have x's, then A would know right away because at least one person has one.
IF B had one and C didn't then A would also know that He has one because B would have come to the same conclusion (i.e. A and C don't have one so I must)
Knowing these two facts and knowing that both B and C would have figured these two fact out as well, since there was no response, then A naturally deduces that He Must have an X as well.
Had nothing ...absolutely nothing with them trying to trick him.
Jimmy's math teacher asked him to multiply three and four three times. What is the correct answer?
ANSWER: 12, three times
From Matt - This must be one of the hardest math riddles there is. which means "I don't have a clue"
here is how it goes.
there is a row a soldiers that is 1km in length. and they walk with a constant speed in a straight line, in 1 direction.
all the way at the end walks a messenger. he has to bring a message to the captain walking all the way at the beginning of the row
the messenger starts walking past the soldiers and immediately turns around when arriving at the captain and walks back to the end of the row. when the messenger is back at end. the hole group of soldiers traveled a distance of 1000 meters.
the soldiers and captain are walking at the same constant speed. and the messenger (walking faster then the soldiers) is also walking a a constant speed.
you don't know anything about time or speed.
question. how many meters did the messenger travel. from the end of the row to the beginning and back.
please don't try to do this by head. you'll probably need a calculator and a few sheets off paper.
ANSWER: Here is the simple answer - The answer to #7 is really very simple. The messenger has to have traveled 2 km. It doesn't matter what speed they walked at. At the beginning of the puzzle, the line is 1 km long. The general is therefore 1km ahead of him. He must therefore travel more than 1 km to reach the general. Since the line moves 1000 m, or 1 km forward, the end is where the beginning was. Even if he walked 1.5 km to the general, he only has to walk .5 km to get back to the end of the line. It goes faster going back, because now they are coming towards him, and not going away.
AND NOW FOR THE MORE CALCULATED ANSWER:
Let's denote the speed of the line of soldiers by W and the speed of messenger by V. Let t1 denote the time it takes the messenger to reach captain and t2 the time it takes him to get back to the end of the line.
The troop has travelled 1000m in time (t1+t2), so:
1000m = W (t1+t2)
t1+t2 = 1000m/W
At the same time both in time t1 and t2 the messenger travels 1000m relative to the column, so:
t1 = 1000m/(V-W)
t2 = 1000m/(V+W)
This gives equation:
1000m/W = 1000m/(V-W) + 1000m/(V+W)
When you divide the numerators by 1000m, the denominators by W, and denote V/W by A you obtain:
1 = 1/(A-1) + 1/(A+1)
A^2 - 1 = 2A
Solving that quadratic formula for A you obtain 1+sqrt(2) and 1-sqrt(2). Since V/W can't be negative it turns out V/W = 1+sqrt(2).
The distance travelled by the messenger is:
V (t1+t2) = V ( 1000m/(V-W) + 1000m/(V+W) ) = 1000m ( 1/(1-1/A) + 1/(1+1/A) )
After you plug in A and simplify:
1000m ( 1+sqrt(2) )
and that is approximately 2414,21 m.
Filip has offered this solution -
I think that the easier solution is like this
The messenger is at the end and the ppl are walking forward, so then in order to get to the captain and back he must have walked diagonally towards the captain, and halfway (500m) he reached the captain, and then walked diagonally back which is another 500km.
so basically he made 2 triangles.
Imagine the row of soldiers at the beginning as one side of the triangle and the 500m they travelled (halfway) at the bottom the other side, so basically you have this now: |_
now the line missing is the distance travelled by the messenger halfway through the walk. so lets call the line of soldiers (on the left) A and the bottom line, (line of distance [500m]) B, and the distance travelled by the messenger which connects the end of line A and the end of line B, line C. so now you got line A (line of soldiers) Line B (distance travelled by soldiers [500m]) and line C (distance travelled by messenger to get to the captain. to find out line C's distance you go like this:
A squared multiplied by B squared
(1000m x 1000m) x (500m x 500m)
for simpler ill just turn it into km
(1km x 1km) + (.5km x .5km)
1km + .25km = 1.25km
so u found out C squared, but now to find out a side from C u find out the root from 1.25 which is 1.118033989
so that's how many km the messenger travelled to get to the captain, and to find out how much he travelled to get to the captain and back u multiply that by 2
1.118033989 x 2 = 2.236067977
When you think about, its actually simpler and quicker :D i think this is the answer PLEASE!!!! I spent so much time on this, so please dun just ignore this, think about it, and add it to the possible answers :) I'm 14 from Canada, Toronto and came across this while looking for riddles :)
Something that runs but never stops, it never gets tired nor walk. It's not a river it's not a flow, if u walk into it you might just get swallowed.
Clues-it has no legs and the answer is two words
ANSWER: black hole or your shadow
Name five days of the week without saying - Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday.
ANSWER: Got lots of suggestions for this one, but the simplest and the most obvious is the correct answer: day before yesterday; yesterday; today; tomorrow; and the day after tomorrow.
Bill said he can hang his hat, walk 100 feet, and shoot a hole right through the hat with a gun while blindfolded. how does he do it?
ANSWER: He hangs his hat on his gun and shoots through it.
I am third, I can sense, and I am home of many. we aren't the same but we sound like we are. what are the three of us?. I am third, I can sense, and I am home of many. we aren't the same but we sound like we are. what are the three of us?
ANSWER: The letter C, the word SEE and the word SEA.
Eight men wanted separate rooms in a hotel but there were only 7 rooms available. The clerk said he could handle it and proceeded to assign the men to the rooms. How does he do it?
ANSWER: This riddle has been on the unsolved page for a very long time and we have received many, many different answers for it. The most common solutions involved things like - assuming that two of the men were conjoined twins and would only need one room; the clerk shooting one of the men; naming the clerk as one of the 8 men;
giving the seven rooms at his hotel and sending the 8th man to the hotel across the street; making the lobby into a room for one of the men; calling the bathroom a "separate room"; knowing that someone would be checking out while the clerk is checking in 7 of the men;
So, you can see that this riddle is one of those that stretches your thinking. For those of you who did a little thinking on this one, you will be disappointed at the answer - I know I was. I was expecting something along the lines of above - something like a "lateral thinking" riddle. However, it turns out that this riddle is a clever misdirection of words and really doesn't have a logical solution, it's answer just makes you think it is solved (if that's possible!) I know there will be many who don't agree with this solution, but I do believe it is the solution intended and here it is:
The man says that he'd like two of the men to wait in the 1st room. Then he assigns the 3rd man in the second room; the 4th man in the third room; the 5th man in the fourth room; the 6th man in fifth room; the 7th man in the sixth room. He now goes and gets one of the two he asked to wait in room one and puts the 8th man in the 7th room. Job done!!......or is it??
Like I said, don't think about this one for too long - if you do you'll see the obvious error in thinking, (and the ignoring of the real 8th man) but at first you might agree, the clerk put 8 men in 7 rooms!
Lots of fun thinking about this one and thanks everyone for helping! Also, you might enjoy looking at this site for more info on this riddle:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hilbert's_paradox_of_the_Grand_Hotel
What piece of wood is like a king?
ANSWER: a ruler!
A man was boarding the last flight to Las Vegas. As he came in, he tapped on the cockpit door and greeted the pilot, whom he knew as a friend. He then took his seat. Moments later, a SWAT unit burst into the cabin and hauled out the confused man for questioning.
What was the name of the pilot?
ANSWER: The pilot's name is "Jack" and when the man greeted the pilot with "Hi Jack" - it was heard and interpreted as "Hi-jack" and the SWAT was called and the story played out as described!
What is the only plant that produces fruit, that a camper can carry into the woods full, but after the camper is too weak to carry it out empty?"
ANSWER: A gas tank. In the riddle, the word "camper" means "mobile camping vehicle" instead of "person who camps". The word "fruit" is a metaphor for the exhaust that a gas tank produces. A camping vehicle can be driven into the woods as long as its tank is full, but once the tank's empty, it is now "too weak" to move anymore.
WHAT IS TALLER SITTING THAN STANDING?
ANSWER: A dog or a cat.
How is the letter G like 12:00?
ANSWER: For this answer to work, you must know that 12:00 is referring to 12:00 Midnight ----
that said, you probably now easily see that G is in the middle of niGht.
I went into the woods and got it. I then sat down to seek it. I brought it home with me because I couldn't find it! What am I?
ANSWER: A splinter! (or thorn, burr, maybe poison ivy)
What I am you will often find here; you will never really have me - yet you will often give me up. What am I?
ANSWER: Riddles!
When the day after tomorrow will be yesterday, today will be as far from Sunday as today was from Sunday when the day before yesterday is tomorrow. What day is it today?
Here's a hint sent in by one of our visitors: This is a most confusing group of words. One visitor suggests that we interpret what the phrases mean - "day after tomorrow" really means "two days from now".... And "day before yesterday" really means "two days ago"....Now, substitute: "two days from now" will be as far from Sunday as today was from Sunday when it was two days ago. Does this help? This visitor then followed by stating that today is Sunday.
ANother hint - maybe it doesn't matter what day - it could be any day of the week - all the words are there to confuse us!! ...and they do!
ANSWER: It seems that the majority of visitors have reasoned that this riddle is filled with unnecessary information (TMI) and that the riddle is really quite simple and some have even commented "stupid". Maybe clever because the answer to the question: "What day is it today?" is whatever day it is that you happened to be reading this riddle. Yes, that is the answer - don't believe me???? Write the days of the week on a piece of paper and work through the riddle.
And from another visitor: "My friend owns a huge multinational company, it strangely transports insects, he also loves word play, I guess that's why he named the company ********* ltd?
........fill in the stars!
ANSWER: Import-ant
My first is in endurance but not in health
My second is in richer but never in wealth
my third is in beggarwood but not in oak
my fourth is in neighbor but not in folk
my fifth is like a ring, going where it came
and my sixth is the second, exactly the same.
ANSWER: (Finally!) From Scotty-
I think that it might be the number 758905. The answer has to do with the number of *different* letters in each word (meaning, if the same letter appears twice, only count it once). 'Endurance' has 7, but 'health' doesn't have that same number. 'Richer' has 5, but 'wealth' doesn't. 'Beggarwood' has 8, but 'oak' doesn't. 'Neighbor' has 9, but 'folk' does not. The digit 0 is kind of like a ring. The sixth digit, 5, is the same as the second digit.
Here's the trivia situation: In 1994 a man's body was found, sitting upright, in a small room. Had the year been 1989 he would not have died. Even before the authorities open the door, they are certain the man did not take his own life.
The question to answer:
What was the man's cause of death, and why wouldn't he have died in 1989?
ANSWER: The man froze to death in 1994; had it been 1989, he might not have froze because he lived in a warmer climate. OR:
The man was electrocuted and had it been 1989, well, his sentence had not been determined yet.
This riddle is one of those lateral thinking riddles where just about any scenario that ends with the man being found dead in 1994 would solve it. Makes you think....
From one of our visitors: "Everything I say is a lie. (Am I lying?)
ANSWER: This is a paradox and there is no correct answer - either yes or no will answer the question, but it won't answer the question - thus a paradox!
Scotty offers this way to solve this one and it is a great answer----
The person would have to be lying. Here's why. There are three possible patterns people could have about telling the truth. They could: (1)always tell the truth, (2)always lie, or (3)sometimes tell the truth and sometimes lie. If someone always told the truth, they would not say this, because if they did, in fact, always tell the truth, you could believe everything they said, but you could not believe this statement, since it's not true about them. Therefore, an always-truth-teller would not say this. It's also not possible that an always-liar would say this. Everything that an always-liar says is a lie, and since this statement would, in fact, be true about them, it would be impossible for them to say it. Now, it is possible for a sometimes-truth-sometimes-lie person to say this. Since they tell both truths and lies, it would be possible, whether it's true or not, for them to say it. But it has to be a lie, since they said they only tell lies, when in fact they tell both truths and lies. Therefore, the person is lying.
Two brothers get 10 birds. The older brother gets 6 birds while the younger brother only gets 4 birds. Why does the older brother get 6 birds?
ANSWER: the birds are candles on a birthday cake and it is their birthday so the older boy gets six candles cause he is 6 and the 4 year old gets 4 cause he's 4!!
I blind you, I give you food, I give you light, I give you death, I give you life, I am always there, I am never there. What am I?
ANSWER: the sun
WHAT ALWAYS SLEEPS THROUGH DINNER?
ANSWER: Pigs in a blanket! (For those who have never heard of this: "pigs in a blanket" is a meat dish made with ground beef which is cooked, then wrapped in cabbage leaves and baked in a tomato sauce - that's Pennsylvania version anyway!)
SID LIGHTLY ALWAYS MOANS THAT IF ONLY
PEOPLE TOLD THE TRUTH HE WOULD SELL MORE
OF HIS GOODS. WHAT DOES HE MAKE?
ANSWER: Birthday cake candles! Victoria explains- People always lie about their age, saying they're younger than they really are, so people buy less candles. If they told the truth about their age, he'd sell more candles.
A man weighing 190lbs. carrying three bowling balls weighing 5 lbs. each approaches a large ravine. The only way to cross the ravine is a bridge with a weight limit of 200 lbs. The ravine is too far to throw, roll, or float the balls across. How can the man cross the ravine in one trip, with all three bowling balls?
ANSWER: When you read the riddle as it is written: "..man weighing 190 lbs. carrying three bowling balls weighing 5 lbs. each ..." - this could imply that the man actually weighs 175 lbs. and with the bowling balls, weighs 190. See how very important our grammar lessons are???!!! As such, the man will have no problem crossing the ravine. But then, why have the riddle? So, here is another answer, ignoring grammar: the man juggles the bowling balls - admittedly a challenging task - and therefore won't ever be over the weight limit.
When there is fire in me then I am still cold. When I own your true love's face then you will not see me. To all things I give no more than I am given. In time I may have all things, and yet I can keep nothing. What am I?
ANSWER: A mirror
I come in a pair, water, rain, rocks, and wind ruin me, what am I?
ANSWER: The letter "r"
There are three men: a deaf man, a mute and a blind man. The mute saw the deaf man steal the blind man's money. How does the mute tell the blind man about it?
ANSWER: The mute would most likely use brail to convey to the blind man that his money was stolen and by whom.
What do the following words have in common?
age, blame, curb, dance, evidence, fence, gleam, harm, interest, jam, kiss, latch, mot
ion, nest, order, part, quiz, rest, signal. trust, use, view, win, x-ray, zone
It is not that they are alphabetical.
ANSWER: Each of these words can be a noun or a verb.
I'm a type of road, but if you separate me in a certain place, you will have 2 new words. 1 of these words is 8 letters in length, & the other means 'eat'.
What am I???
ANSWER: The road is "thoroughfare" and when broken apart, you have "thorough" and "fare" - which doesn't really mean "eat" but it has something to do with eating. So we're calling this one solved and note that the riddle most likely should read "& the other means 'food'".
The age of Ann & Bill now add up to 91. Ann is now 3 times as old as Bill was at the time when Ann was twice as old as Bill is now. How old are Ann & Bill now?
ANSWER - Thankfully, a solution and explanation for this riddle. It really is just a simple math - well, maybe not "simple" - problem!! Many thanks for those who solved this one!
Roy explains it this way: Ages are Ann = 63, Bill = 28. 7 Years ago, they were Ann was 56, twice the age Bill is now. 7 Years ago, Bill was 21, Ann is now 3 times his age.
This is just a simple Algebra problem, 3 simultaneous equations: A = Ann's Age now, B= Bill's age, X = some number of years in the past.
The equations to solve are:
A + B = 91
A = 3 * (B - x )
(A - x) = 2 * B
Ed provided this lengthy explanation, but thorough and we offer it for full explanation of this riddle:
The answer is that Anne is now 63, and Bill is 28. How does this come about? Dust off your calculus books, kids, here we go (excuse the length of this note, by the way. It takes some time)!
First, let's set some variables. X = Ann's age now, Y = Bill's age now, A = Ann's age 'then', B = Bill's age 'then', and T = # of years between now and 'then'.
Here are the equations 'given' to us by the question:
X + Y = 91
A = 2Y
X = 3B
X - T = A
Y - T = B
OK so far? Here comes the math part. Since T = both X - A and Y - B, both of these equal each other, or:
X - A = Y - B
since X = 3B and Y = 0.5A (A = 2Y, same thing), we can sub in these values and get:
3B - A = 0.5A - B
Multiply everything by 2 (because you can) and you get:
6B - 2A = A - 2B
Now add 2B and 2A to each side, and you have:
8B = 3A
Which means that B = (3/8)A and A = (8/3)B. What good does this do us? Well, we can then plug these values back into the equations above, and solve for T in terms of each individual variable. Confused? Here's the math to isolate T with B:
T = X - A ---> given
T = 3B - (8/3)B ---> sub in for A
T = (9/3)B - (8/3)B ----> 3 = 9/3
T = (1/3)B ---> what we were looking for.
Ok, using a very similar method, we get that T = (1/8)A. Now we can sub in these values to isolate T with X and Y.
Showing all the math for T with X:
T = (1/3)B ---->what we solved before
T = (1/3) x (1/3)X ---> since X = 3B, B = (1/3) X
T = (1/9)X ---> Hey! this is useful!
Using a similar method, we get:
T = (1/4)Y
So, we now know that:
(1/9)X = T = (1/4)Y
or, rather:
X = 9T
Y = 4T
Plug these babies into this equation:
X + Y = 91 And get:
9T + 4Y = 91
13T = 91
T = 7
So, we know how many years ago 'then' was! Plug this value into the previous T equations, and get:
X = 9T; Y = 4T
X = 9(7); Y = 4(7)
X = 63; Y = 28
So, currently, Ann is 63 Years old, and Bill is 28! You can now put out your smoldering pencils and get on with life.
Jon offers a pretty lengthy explanation also ---Here is the ULTRA PHUN task I had finding it [though you may want to keep that one up, it's a doosy]:
A + B = 91
A = 3 (B - X)
A - X = 2B
A = 3B - 3X
A = X + 2B*
A = 91 - B
B = 91 - A
3B = A + 3X
B = 1/3A + X
*2B = A - X
B = 1/2A - 1/2X
X = A - 2B
3X = 3B - A
X = B - 1/3A
X = A - 2B
-----------------------------------------------------
X = (A) - 2B
X = (91 - B) - 2B
X = 91 - 3B
3B = 91 - X
B = 91/3 - 1/3X
X = A - 2(B)
X = A - 2(91 - A)
X = A - 182 + 2A
**X = 3A - 182
3A = X + 182
A = 1/3X + 182/3
X = (A) - 2B
X = 3B - 3X - 2B
4X = B
**X = 1/4B
B = 91/3 - 1/3(1/4B)
B = 91/3 - 1/12B
13/12B = 91/3
12/13 * 13/12B = 91/3 * 12/13
B = 28
A = 63
X = 7
A - 2B = 3A - 182
-2B + 182 = 2A
91 - B = A
Can't resist adding this one from John - Ugh, I hate Algebra riddles...
The trick here is to recognize that there are two different values for Ann's or Bill's age depending upon whether it is the part of the riddle that is talking about them in the past or whether it is talking about them in the present. The Difference in years from the past to the present (which isn't given) will be represented by the letter 'D'.
A+B=91
A=3(B-D)
2B=A-D
Substitute A for B...
2B=A-D
2B=3(B-D)-D
2B=3B-4D
-B=-4D
B=4D
Substitute B for A...
A = 3(B-D)
A = 3(4D-D)
A = 12D-3D
A = 9D
Substitute D for A and B and then solve for D...
A+B=91
9D+4D=91
13D= 91
D=7
Solve for A and B...
A=9D
A=63
B=4D
B=28
Double-check...
A+B=91?
63+28=91 TRUE
Ann is 63 and Bill is 28
No more Math today...
EXCEPT for this one from David-
Solution.
Ann was 42 when Bill was 21. Bill was born on February 29th so had 1 birthday every 4 years.
Ann-Bill
42-21
43-22
44-22
45-22
46-23
47-23
48-23
49-24
50-24
51-24
52-25
53-25
54-25
55-26
56-26
57-26
58-27
59-27
60-27
61-28
62-28
63-28
Ann is now 63( 3 times as old as bill at start) and Bill is now 28 = 91 years
AND, one more from John-
Ann and Bill now add up to 91 ==> A + B = 91
Ann is now 3 times as old as Bill was at time x => A = 3 Bx
At time x, Ann was twice as old as Bill is now => Ax = 2B
3 equations and 4 unknowns - what is the forth equation?. The difference between Ann's age now and Ann's age at time x, is the same as the difference between Bill's age now and Bill at time x => A - Ax = B - Bx
Four equations, 4 unknowns
A + B = 91
A = 3Bx
Ax = 2B
A - Ax = B - Bx
-----------
A = 3Bx substitute give us three
3Bx + B = 91
Ax = 2B
3Bx - Ax = B - Bx
----------
Ax = 2B substitute gives us two
3Bx + B = 91 ==> B = 91 - 3Bx
3Bx - 2B = B - Bx ==> 4Bx = 3B
----------
B = 91 - 3Bx substitute gives us one
4Bx = 3(91 - 3Bx) ==> 4Bx = 273 - 9Bx ==> 13Bx = 273 ==> Bx = 21
So at time x, Bill was 21.
Working back 3(21) + B = 91 ==> B = 28
Bill is 28 Now.
A + 28 = 91 so Ann is Now 63.
Ax = 2(28) so Ann, at time x, was 56.
Ann is 63 Now and Bill is 28.
The age of Ann (63) & Bill (28) now add up to 91. Ann is now (63) 3 times as old as Bill was (21) at the time (7 years ago) when Ann (56) was twice as old as Bill (28) is now.
Using a piece of paper, what structure can you make that has only one side? If you cut it down the middle, what happens? And what if you then cut it down the middle again?
ANSWER: This is a great, fun thing to actually do and isn't really a riddle. The structure is called a
Mobius Strip. Do exactly what it says and you will see what a Mobius strip is!
Here are some links about the Mobius Strip:
http://www.questacon.edu.au/html/mobius_strip.html
http://mathforum.org/geopow/fullsolutions/19980206.fullsolution.html
I am what I am not, and I am not what I am, what am I?
ANSWER: Tomorrow! Another answer is "A contradiction". And also, a human being.
However, Jared writes: This is a correction to the answer to one of your unsolvable riddles. The "I am what I am not", riddle is actually the past. "Am" is a present progressive word, something that is. The past was, and isn't, and never will be- only was. Therefore, the past fits into both parts of the riddle saying "I am what I am not," and "Im not what I am." The past cannot BE anything because it WAS.
What happens 4 times a week twice a month and once a year? (Corrected should read:
What happens 4 time in every week, twice in every month and once in a year?
ANSWER: The letter "e".
There are 100 prisoners in a prison. In the center of the prison is a room with only one entrance. The entire room is isolated from the rest of the prison (i.e. no one can see in). The only thing the room contains is a sole light that can be turned on and off. The warden begins placing a random prisoner in the room each night, and lets them turn the light on or off. He explains to the prisoners that if one of them comes to him, and tells him that all 100 of them have been in the room, he will let them go, but if they are wrong, all the prisoners will be killed for their stupidity. The prisoners are allowed to meet one night and discuss their plan, but they can have no contact from then on out. What plan can guarantee them success?
ANSWER: Thanks to all of you who sent great solutions for this riddle. Almost everyone writes that the plan the prisoners must make is as follows: Each time a prisoner is put into this special cell, he must do something to prove he was there - and he must do this only once (even if he is randomly chosen more than once). What that proof is - the prisoners agree on that during their once allowed meeting; the proof could be a scratch on the wall, a fingernail left in a certain spot, a mark of some kind on the floor, etc. They have a light in the room so the light could be the reference point as to where to leave the proof. Each night, the randomly chosen prisoner will count the proof left and when 100 is attained, he gets to tell the warden that all 100 prisoners have been in the cell - they all go free!!
Interesting thoughts on this riddle: an obvious solution is that the prisoners have their once allowed meeting in that very cell - at that point each of the 100 prisoners will have been in the cell - hence they are free to go! Also, the fact that the riddle says there is a light that can be turned on and off - most of you believe - and I agree - that the light is irrelevant for this riddle aside from the fact that it can be turned on to count the proof and turned off so the guard won't see the proof readily. It seems the most difficult part of this riddle is for the prisoners to decide on how to leave proof they were in the room - but that is the key to this one.
A very simple Riddle, all you have to do is ask yourself - What would happen if you went to the root and just added water?
ANSWER: Thanks to Tim who writes:
This riddle comes from the "Net Riddle". (http://www.languid.net/nr/). It is referring to adding the word "water" to the root directory on the Net Riddle site. It is a riddle on the Net Riddle, and you add "water" to the root directory to advance to the next riddle. (http://www.languid.net/nr/water)
Note: If you aren't playing Net Riddle, then this riddle technically doesn't have an answer.
"When the music stops, the girl dies."
P.S. Its not a ballerina in a music box
ANSWER: Two really good answers came in for this one; any similar thinking would derive the same solution. First, the girl is a snake charmer and is playing a flute; when she stops, the snake bites her and she dies. Second, the girl is in the hospital hooked up to a machine which beeps as her heart is beating; she dies, the beeping stops, music of her life stops.
What can make a seeing man blind, make a blind man see, Can destroy mountains, and build castles.
ANSWER: Two great answers for this one: First, Imagination; Second, Faith
Update: from Tim (P) - I've heard your answers before, plus another one: Time. But the real answer (I found this originally in Stephen Kings novel: Wizard and Glass), is Sand.
Sand can be built into rock, which can build castles.
Sandstorms can erode like water can, and sand on the top of the mountain will tear it down slowly.
A sandstorm will blind people like little else will.
Glass is made of sand; glasses are made of glass.
Just though I'd point that out :P
A man planted 5 rows of trees, 4 in each row...he only planted 10 trees...explain.
ANSWER: Plant the trees in rows which are made in the shape of a star. Thanks Chris for the drawing (red dots are the trees.)
From: Milena Palka - I travel the stars in a Hollywood basement; I'm not the first, and only last in this regard; Although gone I live on in two genres...Who am I?
ANSWERS: Marilyn Monroe. She was found dead in a Hollywood basement and was known as Norma Jean ?? ( I can't recall the last name) and her made name of Marilyn Monroe.
OR, from Chris - the answer is a gossip columnist. The reference to the stars' basement is analogous to things being leaked without their permission/knowledge by people whose job it is to sort through the personal lives and sordid details concerning the stars. Gossip has been around forever, and typically it is only the latest gossip that floats around, and even then it's only the columnists that have the latest dirt that are listened to. The last part of the riddle seems to refer to the fact that gossip columnists never stick around long digging up their dirt, but will eventually get their information out via 2 genres -- television and print.
Andrew offers this way of solving -I'm not too sure on this one but I'm thinking it's the letter T. Travel the sTars - (in the middle of = travel) in a Hollywood basementT not the firsT (and the last letter in this regard (end of the word 'first')) I live on in Two genres Problems with this answer, i do not understand what "although i am gone" is implying. Which leads me to believe that my answer is wrong but hey, if it helps get it to the solved page to make room for the ones i can figure out, I'm happy with that. :-D
Tor suggests that the obvious answer is star trek or Enterprise
And another visitor says that the answer is obviously "Elvis".
So there you have it - no real definitive answer, but this riddle has to go!
This object is a lightweight object.
You can see it with the NAKED eye.
If you take it out of a barrel it makes it HEAVIER not lighter.
We use this object EVERYDAY.
What is it?
ANSWER: 99% of our visitors say the answer for this one is "hole" explaining that if you take a hole out of a barrel, you would make the barrel heavier. This riddle is very similar to another riddle we've heard often: You can see it with the naked eye. When put into a barrel, it makes the barrel lighter even though the object itself is weightless. Thanks to everyone who helped solve this one!!
A man was in jail and had a visitor and when the visitor left the guard asked him who the visitor was, the man said, "I have no brothers or sisters, but that was my father's son." How could that be?
ANSWER: As the riddle is stated, two best answers have come in. The first is that the prisoner was visited by his half brother - not technically his "brother". The other is that the visitor is the son of the prisoner's priest (father).
Perhaps the most logical solution is that the riddle is written incorrectly and as John states it: "Brothers and sisters I have none, but that man's son is my father's son." That's how it's supposed to read.
Thus the man visiting is the prisoner's father.
Good thinking - nicely done!
A guy has to a cross a river filled with man eating animals, by climbing a bridge to get to a princess with whom he wants to stay for the rest of his life. but on the bridge is a guard who will chase him back as soon as he is spotted. the guard sleeps for 5mins and watches for 10mins and the guy can cross the bridge in 7 mins. How can he ever get to the princess at the top of the bridge without being spotted.
ANSWER: Lots of answers for this one! The most intuitive is that the man has nothing to fear - all he has to do is push the guard into the river - as the animals are "man eating" - the animals will eat the guard and the man can do what he wants. OR, the princess would be completely safe in the river since she is not a man and the princess could swim over to the man and then the man would not have to even bother with the bridge.
More traditional answers are:
From Liam- A bridge is half a circle, so for 5 mins (or less depending on the height of the hero) ....say 2.4 mins crawling, he's outa sight. He works out when the guard is gonna sleep, takes 2.3 mins off that , and sets off By the time the hero reaches tha apex the guard is asleep for 5 min, so the hero has 2.3 + 5 mins = 7.3 mins before the guard wakes up. Well within the 7 minute time
AND, from many, many visitors (thanks!)- This one is simple. As soon as the guard goes to sleep the guy starts to walk across the bridge. As soon (or just before) the guard wakes up, the guy starts walking the OPPOSITE way. The guard, seeing the man walking back where he came from but not knowing this, immediately chases him and chases the man to his destination. It helps that the guy will have covered over half the distance before the guard wakes up. (This is the most popular answer for this one.)
AND here is another popular way to approach this one- Because the princess is at the top of the bridge, it means that she is at the middle. Therefore, if she is at the middle, and he takes 7 minutes to cross the bridge, he can reach the middle of the bridge in 3.5 minutes. Therefore, while the guard is asleep for 5 minutes he can go and safely rescue the princess. Even if the guard wakes up, he will be already leaving with the princess in tow.
AND some of you suggested that the man cross the bridge by hanging on underneath the bridge - clever idea!
SOME of you said something like this: It says on the riddle that he has to climb the bridge and not cross it. If he climbs on top of the bridge, the guard will not spot him. My answer is that he has to climb the bridge to get to his princess.
there are 27 A. of the B. of R. what does A. stand for; what does B. stand for and what does R. stand for
ANSWER: As the riddle is written - 27 Amendments of the Bill of Rights
However, as Chris, Stacie, Mike, Leonard and Melanie note: the solution that you are supposed to give for this is as follows: There are 27 Amendments of the Bill of Rights. This is, of course, incorrect since the Bill of Rights is the first 10 amendments in the United States Constitution. There are, however, 27 amendments to the Constitution. If this is what they are getting at, I would suggest either of the 2 alternative wordings:
1) There are 10 A in the B of R.
2) There are 27 A to the C.
(Thanks Chris!)
Another answer is 27 Acts in the Book of Romans.
As a worker, I'm earning my pay
When I hear what the first people say.
Then I change every word
So the things that are heard
By the others can help make their day.
ANSWER: A gossip columnist.
Said the young girl, "My name is Isabella, and my
Grandmother has the same name. I am named after her,
but I know it to be true that she was just named after
me." The girl is telling the truth. How is this possible?
ANSWER: From Derek- The young girl has the same name as her grandmother but their middle name is different
ie. Isabella Dawn ........young girl
Isabella Elizabeth.....Grandmother
The grandmother would be named after the young girl if there was a listing in alphabetical order.
And Ryan adds: But the line that reads, "but I know it to be true that she was just named after me." Seems to refer to the order in which the Isabellas of this riddle were disclosed.
That is, in the introduction, the girl says her name (referring to herself) FIRST then introduces (names) her grandmother AFTER "me" (the little girl).
The JUST gives the "reading" of this riddle this way some weight.
What has:
14 legs
4 heads
8ears
30 fingers
2 tails?"
ANSWER: This riddle received several answers - it seems to be one of those riddles that would be classified as "pretty silly" so here are the silly answers:
From John - "Two men selling corn on the side of the road." Legs: Two a man, plus two three-legged stools that they're sitting on, plus the four-legged table on which they're selling the corn. (14) Heads: One a man, plus one of them has two quarters in his pocket, each of which has a 'heads' side. (4) Tails: The other sides of those coins are, of course, 'tails'. (2) Ears: Two a man, plus the four ears of corn they're trying to sell. (8) Fingers: Ten a man, plus five fingers each from two people that flipped them off as they drove by. (30) There. It may not be the 'right' answer, but it's nothing if not creative.
From Jordan- 3 people (3 heads, 6 ears, 6 legs, 30 fingers) at a table (4 legs), one is sitting at a chair (4 legs) eating 2 ears of corn, 1 head of lettuce, and the 2 standing are waiters, each wearing a tux with a tail (2 tails)
From Jack- 2 Centars (From Greek Mythology, They have the upper body of a human and the lower body of a horse)-[2 heads, 8 legs, 4 ears, 20 fingers, and 2 tails] 1 Human [1 head, 2 legs, 2 ears and 10 fingers, 0 tails] and 1 sheep [1 head, 4 legs, 0 Fingers, 2 ears, 0 tails] for a total of 4 heads, 8 ears, 30 fingers and 2 tails
Lou Lion, Ted Tiger, Eli Elephant, Gary Gazelle, Peter Panther, and
Leopold Leopard all recently returned from a photographic safari in
Africa. each "hunter" was able to photograph only two animals, each of
which happened to be the namesake of one of the hunter colleagues.
A) Each animal was photographed by exactly two of the men.
B) Each hunter photographed at least one member of the cat family; and Eli and Gary accounted for all four cats between them.
C) Gary and Peter both filmed a leopard.
D) The namesakes of the animals that eli captured on film both photographed a gazelle.
E) Tae did not photograph any of the animals that Peter did.
F) Gary and Ted had photographs of the same animal.
Who caught the lion on film?
ANSWER: This is really just a simple logic problem and to solve you need to create a grid and then plug in the facts. You will be able to deduce that Eli & Leopold got the lion. Special thanks to Philip Johns and Jay G. in Turin, Italy!
If train A leaves Chicago traveling 75mph heading south into a 25mph headwind and train B leaves St. Louis traveling 60 mph with 40mph winds at its back, what are they serving for dinner on both trains?
ANSWER: Food or "fast food"!
My thunder comes before my lightning.
My lightning comes before my rain.
And my rain dries all the ground it touches.
What am I?
ANSWER: A volcano.
11
21
1211
111221
312211
13112221
What would the next line of numbers be?
ANSWER: Lots of visitors replied very quickly to this one - I just didn't see it! The answer is that each line describes the numbers in the preceding line so that means that the next line of numbers is:
1113213211
What does plain flavored gum taste like?
ANSWER: From Eugene- Grass (As in the great plains)
What is as flat as a leaf, as round as a ring, has two eyes but cannot see?
ANSWER: A coin with a face on one side.
Ganeel was exploring an old temple in the lost desert when he came across an old door set into the stone wall. He knew that he had to get the door open, but how? Inside were riches beyond his imagination. Wiping off the dust he read the word 'MRN'. How odd, thought Ganeel, must be in some other language. He read further... the next word seemed to say 'MLMP'. Wow, what an odd language, must have been spoken by an incredibly odd people. Wiping off the last of the dust, Ganeel read the last word - 'MRNM'. Maybe ancient peoples always spoke with their mouth full!
How does he get the door to open?
ANSWER: By saying Abracadabra.
A man is walking down a road with a basket of eggs. As he is walking he meets someone who buys one-half of his eggs plus one-half of an egg. He walks a little further and meets another person who buys one-half of his eggs plus one-half of an egg. After proceeding further he meets another person who buys one-half of his eggs plus one half an egg. At this point he has sold all of his eggs, and he never broke an egg. How many eggs did the man have to start with?
ANSWER: He had 7 eggs to start with. From Joe, this explanation-
First Man Buys 3 1/2 + 1/2 = 4
Leaves 3 Eggs
Second Man Buys 1 1/2 + 1/2 = 2
Leaves 1 Egg
Last Man Buys 1/2 + 1/2 = 1
Leaves 0 Eggs
