3 Steaks Riddle
It takes 10 minutes to fry one steak - 5 minutes from each side. Two steaks can fit on a pan. What is the shortest possible time to fry 3 steaks?
Hint: You can start frying a steak take it off the pan and finish it later.
A Rickety Bridge Riddle
Four people need to cross a rickety bridge at night. Unfortunately, they have only one torch and the bridge is too dangerous to cross without one. The bridge is only strong enough to support two people at a time. Not all people take the same time to cross the bridge. Times for each person: 1 min, 2 mins, 7 mins and 10 mins. What is the shortest time needed for all four of them to cross the bridge?
Hint:
17 mins.
The initial solution most people will think of is to use the fastest person as an usher to guide everyone across. How long would that take? 10 + 1 + 7 + 1 + 2 = 21 mins. Is that it? No. That would make this question too simple even as a warm up question.
Let's brainstorm a little further. To reduce the amount of time, we should find a way for 10 and 7 to go together. If they cross together, then we need one of them to come back to get the others. That would not be ideal. How do we get around that? Maybe we can have 1 waiting on the other side to bring the torch back. Ahaa, we are getting closer. The fastest way to get 1 across and be back is to use 2 to usher 1 across. So let's put all this together.
1 and 2 go cross
2 comes back
7 and 10 go across
1 comes back
1 and 2 go across (done)
Total time = 2 + 2 + 10 + 1 + 2 = 17 mins Did you answer this riddle correctly?
YES NO
The initial solution most people will think of is to use the fastest person as an usher to guide everyone across. How long would that take? 10 + 1 + 7 + 1 + 2 = 21 mins. Is that it? No. That would make this question too simple even as a warm up question.
Let's brainstorm a little further. To reduce the amount of time, we should find a way for 10 and 7 to go together. If they cross together, then we need one of them to come back to get the others. That would not be ideal. How do we get around that? Maybe we can have 1 waiting on the other side to bring the torch back. Ahaa, we are getting closer. The fastest way to get 1 across and be back is to use 2 to usher 1 across. So let's put all this together.
1 and 2 go cross
2 comes back
7 and 10 go across
1 comes back
1 and 2 go across (done)
Total time = 2 + 2 + 10 + 1 + 2 = 17 mins Did you answer this riddle correctly?
YES NO
A Boy At The Carnival
A young boy was at the carnival. He was walking past a kiosk where an old man was sitting.
"Do you want to play a game?" the old man said to him.The young boy was intrigued. "What kind of game?" he asked.
"It's a very simple game." said the old man. "I will tell you the rules. I have ten large metal boxes. Inside one of the boxes is the prize money. One thousand dollars."
"A thousand bucks, huh?" asked the boy. "What's the catch?"
"The boxes are sturdy and strong," said the old man. "Much too strong to be opened with your bare hands. They are also airtight and cannot be damaged by a hammer, an axe or even a chainsaw."
"So they're impossible to open?" said the boy.
"Not impossible." said the man. "I have a blowtorch which can be used to open the boxes."
"Is there a time limit?" asked the boy.
"You can take as much time as you want." said the old man. "When you find the prize money, it's all yours. So, do you want to play the game?"
"Well, I don't how I could possibly lose," said the boy. "OK. I'll play your game."
The old man smiled. "I'll make it very easy for you", he said. "There are ten metal boxes, but if you give me five dollars, I will start you right next to the prize money."
The boy happily took out his wallet and handed a crisp five dollar note to the old man. There was a mischievous grin on the old man's face.The game started.The prize money was right in front of the boy. He could see it. He could touch it.Even though he won the game, the boy was never able to spend the money. He died shortly after he won the game.
How did the boy die?
"Do you want to play a game?" the old man said to him.The young boy was intrigued. "What kind of game?" he asked.
"It's a very simple game." said the old man. "I will tell you the rules. I have ten large metal boxes. Inside one of the boxes is the prize money. One thousand dollars."
"A thousand bucks, huh?" asked the boy. "What's the catch?"
"The boxes are sturdy and strong," said the old man. "Much too strong to be opened with your bare hands. They are also airtight and cannot be damaged by a hammer, an axe or even a chainsaw."
"So they're impossible to open?" said the boy.
"Not impossible." said the man. "I have a blowtorch which can be used to open the boxes."
"Is there a time limit?" asked the boy.
"You can take as much time as you want." said the old man. "When you find the prize money, it's all yours. So, do you want to play the game?"
"Well, I don't how I could possibly lose," said the boy. "OK. I'll play your game."
The old man smiled. "I'll make it very easy for you", he said. "There are ten metal boxes, but if you give me five dollars, I will start you right next to the prize money."
The boy happily took out his wallet and handed a crisp five dollar note to the old man. There was a mischievous grin on the old man's face.The game started.The prize money was right in front of the boy. He could see it. He could touch it.Even though he won the game, the boy was never able to spend the money. He died shortly after he won the game.
How did the boy die?
Hint:
The man put the inside of the box since he said for five dollars, he'd put the boy next to the money. Since the box was airtight, he suffocated Did you answer this riddle correctly?
YES NO
YES NO
A Large Box Of Money Riddle
I have a large money box, 48 centemeters square and 42 centemeters tall. Roughly how many coins can I place in my empty money box?
Hint:
John's Three Daughters Riddle
John has three daughters who are all unmarried. The youngest always lies, the oldest always tells the truth, and the one in the middle either tells the truth or lies. A very rich young man comes to John's house and says he wishes to marry one of his daughters. Naturally he wants to marry the oldest or the youngest so he will always know if she is lying or telling the truth. John agrees but says he can only ask one of the girls a yes or no question to decide which one he marries. They all look the same age.
What one question does he ask one of the daughters at random to figure out which daughter is the youngest or oldest?
What one question does he ask one of the daughters at random to figure out which daughter is the youngest or oldest?
Hint:
"Is she older than her?"
Explanation: (He would ask one of the daughters if one of the other daughters is older than the last daughter). He always should pick the younger daughter based on what he knows. If he asks the older daughter and she says yes, then the youngest daughter will be known. If he asks the older daughter and she says no, then the youngest daughter is the other one. If he asks the youngest daughter and she says yes, she is lying and he will still pick the oldest. If he asks the youngest and she says no, he will just pick the other like in the first case. If he asks the middle daughter it doesn't matter because both will be acceptable choices. Did you answer this riddle correctly?
YES NO
Explanation: (He would ask one of the daughters if one of the other daughters is older than the last daughter). He always should pick the younger daughter based on what he knows. If he asks the older daughter and she says yes, then the youngest daughter will be known. If he asks the older daughter and she says no, then the youngest daughter is the other one. If he asks the youngest daughter and she says yes, she is lying and he will still pick the oldest. If he asks the youngest and she says no, he will just pick the other like in the first case. If he asks the middle daughter it doesn't matter because both will be acceptable choices. Did you answer this riddle correctly?
YES NO
The Card Trick Riddle
A couple had to take shelter in a hotel for they could not proceed their journey in the rain. Having nothing to do at all, they started playing cards. Suddenly there was a short circuit and the lights went off. The husband inverted the position of 15 cards in the deck (52 cards normal deck) and shuffled the deck.
Now he asked his wife to divide the deck into two different piles which may not be equal but both of them should have equal number of cards facing up. There was no source of light in the room and the wife was unable to see the cards.
For a certain amount of time, she thought and then divided the cards in two piles. To the husbands astonishment, both of the piles had equal number of cards facing up.
How did she do it?
Now he asked his wife to divide the deck into two different piles which may not be equal but both of them should have equal number of cards facing up. There was no source of light in the room and the wife was unable to see the cards.
For a certain amount of time, she thought and then divided the cards in two piles. To the husbands astonishment, both of the piles had equal number of cards facing up.
How did she do it?
Hint:
The answer is very simple. All she had to do is take the fifteen cards from the top and reverse them. This would make another pile out of that and there will be two piles - one of 15 cards and one of 37 cards. Also both of them will have the same number of inverted cards.
Just think about it and if the mathematical explanation will help you understand better, here it is.
Assume that there were p inverted cards initially in the top 15 cards. Then the remaining 37 cards will hold 15-p inverted cards.
Now when she reverses the 15 cards on the top, the number of inverted cards will become 15-p and thus the number of inverted cards in both of the piles will become same. Did you answer this riddle correctly?
YES NO
Just think about it and if the mathematical explanation will help you understand better, here it is.
Assume that there were p inverted cards initially in the top 15 cards. Then the remaining 37 cards will hold 15-p inverted cards.
Now when she reverses the 15 cards on the top, the number of inverted cards will become 15-p and thus the number of inverted cards in both of the piles will become same. Did you answer this riddle correctly?
YES NO
Living In The Lighthouse
Every morning a man wakes up, turns off the light, eats breakfast, and leaves for work. In the early evening he comes home and turns on the light. One night he forgot to turn on the light. The next morning he died shortly after waking up. Why did he die?
Hint:
He lived in a lighthouse. When he woke up he looked out the window. To his horror he saw a shipwreck, which was his fault for leaving the light off. He killed himself out of guilt. Did you answer this riddle correctly?
YES NO
YES NO
Keep Me In Check Riddle
Im about 8 feet tall
And have bolts in my neck
I have powerful rage
Better keep me in check
Who am I?
And have bolts in my neck
I have powerful rage
Better keep me in check
Who am I?
Hint:
Songs About My River Riddle
Thomas Edison was born here. Olivia Newton John sang about the banks of my river. I contain the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. What state am I?
Hint:
Happy Man In Green Riddle
Hint:
60 Pages Riddle
A newspaper is supposed to have 60 pages. Pages 14 and 21 are missing from the newspaper.
Can you tell me, Which other pages won't be there as well ?
Can you tell me, Which other pages won't be there as well ?
Hint:
Paper Divider Riddle
Tom and his younger sister were fighting. Their mother was tired of the fighting and decided to punish them by making them stand on the same piece of newspaper in such a way that they couldn't touch each other. How did she accomplish this?
Hint:
Tom's mother slid a newspaper under a door, each sibling standing on each side. Did you answer this riddle correctly?
YES NO
YES NO
The Bathing Reporter Riddle
Hint:
Throwing A Ball Riddle
Hint:
What is the easiest way to throw a ball, and have it stop, and completely reverse direction after traveling a short distance? Did you answer this riddle correctly?
YES NO
YES NO
Butcher Shop Clerk Riddle
A clerk at a butcher shop stands five-feet ten-inches tall and wears size 13 sneakers. What does he weigh?
Hint:
Add Your Riddle Here
Have some tricky riddles of your own? Leave them below for our users to try and solve.