Losing A New York Bet
You are hanging around in NYC when a person approaches you.
"Leaving the bald people aside, I can bet a hundred bucks that there are two people living in NYC who have same number of hairs on their heads," he says to you.
You say that you will take the bet. After talking to the man for a couple of minutes, you realize that you have lost the bet.
What did the person say to you that proved his statement ?
"Leaving the bald people aside, I can bet a hundred bucks that there are two people living in NYC who have same number of hairs on their heads," he says to you.
You say that you will take the bet. After talking to the man for a couple of minutes, you realize that you have lost the bet.
What did the person say to you that proved his statement ?
Hint:
This problem can be best solved using the pigeonhole principle.
The argument will go like this:
Assume that all the non-bald people in NYC have different number of hairs on their head. The population is about 9 million and let us assume that there are 8 million among them who are not bald.
Now, those 8 million people need to have different number of hairs. On an average, people have just 100, 000 hairs on their head. If we keep on assuming that there is someone with just one hair, someone with two, someone with three and so on, there will be 7, 900, 00 other people left who will have more than 100, 000 hairs on their head and need different number of hairs.
Now, as per this assumption, if we keep increasing one hair for each person, to make everybody hair different in numbers, we will come across someone with 8, 000, 000 hairs. But that is practically impossible (even 1, 000, 000 is impossible). Thus there must be two people who are having same number of hairs. Did you answer this riddle correctly?
YES NO
The argument will go like this:
Assume that all the non-bald people in NYC have different number of hairs on their head. The population is about 9 million and let us assume that there are 8 million among them who are not bald.
Now, those 8 million people need to have different number of hairs. On an average, people have just 100, 000 hairs on their head. If we keep on assuming that there is someone with just one hair, someone with two, someone with three and so on, there will be 7, 900, 00 other people left who will have more than 100, 000 hairs on their head and need different number of hairs.
Now, as per this assumption, if we keep increasing one hair for each person, to make everybody hair different in numbers, we will come across someone with 8, 000, 000 hairs. But that is practically impossible (even 1, 000, 000 is impossible). Thus there must be two people who are having same number of hairs. Did you answer this riddle correctly?
YES NO
Panning Gold Riddle
Before dying, a father left a will to his two sons telling of a gold-panning stream that had supported his father's family long and hard. The will said that the two sons could make one, only one trip to the stream to pan for gold, but for as long as they wanted, and that whoever carried the gold back got it. On their way to the stream, the two sons lost a big fraction of their supplies, reducing their stay to two months. All they had now were some food, a mule, and panning supplies. During their stay, they managed to pan and smelt a gold bar 5 inches in diameter and 5 inches in height. Back in their hometown, the two sons disputed long and hard in court over who should get the gold bar. Now, the judge was a wise one. Who did he say got the gold bar?
Hint:
The mule. A gold bar 5 inches in diameter and 5 inches in height would have weighed far too much for either of the sons to carry, only the mule could have. Did you answer this riddle correctly?
YES NO
YES NO
8 College Students Riddle
Eventually, a rescue team managed to reach them. There were only 7 survivors. They were airlifted to a nearby hospital. After a few days, 6 of them made a full recovery, but the seventh survivor was so traumatized by the experience that he lost his mind and was put in a mental hospital.
The police questioned the remaining 6 about what happened during the two weeks they were stranded on the mountain. They asked what happened to the missing climber.
He just wandered off and never came back, they said. The police questioned each of the 6 survivors and they all told the same story.
Then, they went to the mental hospital to question the 7th survivor, but they couldnt get any sense out of him. When they asked him what happened to the missing climber, he just kept banging his head against the padded walls and repeating over and over, 8.. 8 8...
What does this mean?
Hint:
Three Men On A Boat
Hint: They have to use the boat.
They throw one cigarette overboard and made the boat a cigarette lighter. Did you answer this riddle correctly?
YES NO
YES NO
How Did He Know?
A man was driving a black car. His lights were off. The moon shown no light. A cat was in the middle of the road. How did he know to stop?
Hint:
A Nose That Grows
Every time a man lies his nose grows to 150 percent of its size. Every time he tells the truth it shrinks to 50 percent of its size.
What will happen if he alternates between lies and the truth
What will happen if he alternates between lies and the truth
Hint:
For every pair of a truth and a lie his nose will shrink to 75 percent of its previous size prior to this truth and lie. So the correct answer is 0. As the number of times he tells a lie and the truth ((3/4)n) approaches infinity the length of his nose approaches 0. Did you answer this riddle correctly?
YES NO
YES NO
How Old Could He Be?
In 1940, a correspondent proposed the following question:
A man's age at death was one twenty-ninth of the year of his birth. How old was he in 1900?
A man's age at death was one twenty-ninth of the year of his birth. How old was he in 1900?
Hint:
He was 44 years old.
From the question you know the man died between 1900 and 1940. We also know his age at death (x) is one twenty-ninth of the year of his birth (29x). If you add his age at death to the year he was born you get the year he died (30x). Only one year between 1900 and 1940 is divisible by 30, 1920 (the year he died). The year he was born can now be found: 1920 * (29/30) = 1856. So in 1900 he was (1900 - 1856) = 44 years old. Did you answer this riddle correctly?
YES NO
From the question you know the man died between 1900 and 1940. We also know his age at death (x) is one twenty-ninth of the year of his birth (29x). If you add his age at death to the year he was born you get the year he died (30x). Only one year between 1900 and 1940 is divisible by 30, 1920 (the year he died). The year he was born can now be found: 1920 * (29/30) = 1856. So in 1900 he was (1900 - 1856) = 44 years old. Did you answer this riddle correctly?
YES NO
Who Are These Men?
A man leaves home and turns left three times, only to return home facing two men wearing masks. Who are those two men?
Hint:
Who Was The Murderer
Hint:
What Color Is The Bear?
A man builds a house rectangular in shape. All the sides have southern exposure. A big bear walks by. What color is the bear? Why?
Hint:
The bear is white since the house is built on the North Pole. Did you answer this riddle correctly?
YES NO
YES NO
Light As A Feather
Hint:
Drowning When Not Wet
Hint:
Who Are The Killers?
A very famous chemist was found murdered in his kitchen today. The police have narrowed it down to six suspects. They know it was a two man job. Their names: Felice, Maxwell, Archibald, Nicolas, Jordan, and Xavier.
A note was also found with the body: '26-3-58/28-27-57-16'.
Who are the killers?
A note was also found with the body: '26-3-58/28-27-57-16'.
Who are the killers?
Hint: The numbers have scientific meaning.
Felice and Nicholas are the murderers. The numbers correspond to atomic numbers on the periodic table of elements: 'Fe-Li-Ce/Ni-Co-La-S'. Did you answer this riddle correctly?
YES NO
YES NO
The Crazy Bartender
Hint:
The man had hiccups. The barman recognised this from his speech and drew the gun in order to give him a shock. It worked and cured the hiccups - so the man no longer needed the water. Did you answer this riddle correctly?
YES NO
YES NO
The Barber Of Seville
The Barber of Seville shaves all men living in Seville.
No man living in Seville is allowed to shave himself.
The Barber of Seville lives in Seville.
Who shaves the Barber of Seville?
No man living in Seville is allowed to shave himself.
The Barber of Seville lives in Seville.
Who shaves the Barber of Seville?
Hint:
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