The Dinner Party Riddle
You and your wife organize a dinner party. You invite four other husband-wife couples. You and your wife don't necessarily know everyone you invited. Once everyone is at the party, the people who don't know each other yet shake hands with each other. You can assume that everyone knows their own wife/husband, and that no one shakes their own hand.
After this happens, you ask each person, except for yourself, how many people they shook hands with. Everybody tells you a different number.
How many people did your wife shake hands with?
After this happens, you ask each person, except for yourself, how many people they shook hands with. Everybody tells you a different number.
How many people did your wife shake hands with?
Hint:
Your wife shook hands with 4 people
If everybody shook hands with a different number of people, then the most any person shook hands with was 8 people, and in fact, a single person must have shaken hands with exactly 8 people. Figure out exactly who this person did - and didn't - shake hands with. Then go from there. Did you answer this riddle correctly?
YES NO
If everybody shook hands with a different number of people, then the most any person shook hands with was 8 people, and in fact, a single person must have shaken hands with exactly 8 people. Figure out exactly who this person did - and didn't - shake hands with. Then go from there. Did you answer this riddle correctly?
YES NO
The Blindfolded Sharpshooter Riddle
A sharpshooter hung up his hat and put on a blindfold. He then walked 100 yards, turned around, and shot a bullet through his hat. The blindfold was a perfectly good one, completely blocking the man's vision. How did he manage this?
Hint:
Relaxing Mummies Riddle
Hint:
The Bride Shoots Her Husband
During the bridal shower the bride to be happens to disappear when no one is watching, turns our she shot her husband and then held him under water for five minutes. Not long after, they both go out and enjoy a nice evening together. How can this be?
Hint: Look at how the story "develops"
She shot her husband with her camera and then developed the picture. Did you answer this riddle correctly?
YES NO
YES NO
Keeping You Cool
My name is Frederick McKinley Jones, and I invented the machine that keeps you nice and cool on hot summer days. What did I invent?
Hint:
Fastest Horse Riddle
The London Racetrack needs to submit its 3 fastest horses to the Kentucky Derby out of 25 horses. However, all of their information was lost and they don't know any of the horse's times. Similarly, they all look identical so they can't remember who's fastest.
They can only race 5 horses at once, so what is the fewest number of races they can conduct to find the 3 fastest horses?
They can only race 5 horses at once, so what is the fewest number of races they can conduct to find the 3 fastest horses?
Hint:
First you divide the 25 horses into 5 groups of 5. You conduct the 5 races and take all of the fastest horses in those races and have a race with them, giving you the fastest horse. Then you take the remaining 24 horses (excluding the fastest) and remove the 4th and 5th horses in the first set of 5 races (since they definitely have 3 horses faster than them), leaving you with 14 horses. Next you can remove all of the horses that were beat in the preliminary race by the horses that got 4th and 5th in the championship race, leaving you with 8 horses. Finally, you can remove the horses that remain that lost to the 3rd place horse in the final race in the preliminary race and the horse that got 3rd in the preliminary to the horse that got 2nd in the championship race, leaving you with 5 horses.
You can then run a final race where the 1st and 2nd place horses are the 2nd and 3rd fastest. Then you know the 3 fastest horses. Did you answer this riddle correctly?
YES NO
You can then run a final race where the 1st and 2nd place horses are the 2nd and 3rd fastest. Then you know the 3 fastest horses. Did you answer this riddle correctly?
YES NO
Prince Age Riddle
A princess is as old as the prince will be when the princess is twice the age that the prince was when the princess's age was half the sum of their present ages.
What are their ages?
What are their ages?
Hint:
Current Future Past
Princess x 2z (x+y)/2
Prince y x z
I then created three equations, since the difference in their age will always be the same.
d = the difference in ages
x y = d
2z x = d
x/2 + y/2 z = d
I then created a matrix and solved it using row reduction.
x y z
1 -1 0 d
-1 0 2 d
.5 .5 -1 d
It reduced to:
x y z
1 0 0 4d
0 1 0 3d
0 0 1 5d/2
This means that you can pick any difference you want (an even one presumably because you want integer ages).
Princess age: 4d
Prince age: 3d
Ages that work
Princess:
4
8
16
24
32
40
48
56
64
72
80
Prince:
3
6
12
18
24
30
36
42
48
54
60 Did you answer this riddle correctly?
YES NO
Princess x 2z (x+y)/2
Prince y x z
I then created three equations, since the difference in their age will always be the same.
d = the difference in ages
x y = d
2z x = d
x/2 + y/2 z = d
I then created a matrix and solved it using row reduction.
x y z
1 -1 0 d
-1 0 2 d
.5 .5 -1 d
It reduced to:
x y z
1 0 0 4d
0 1 0 3d
0 0 1 5d/2
This means that you can pick any difference you want (an even one presumably because you want integer ages).
Princess age: 4d
Prince age: 3d
Ages that work
Princess:
4
8
16
24
32
40
48
56
64
72
80
Prince:
3
6
12
18
24
30
36
42
48
54
60 Did you answer this riddle correctly?
YES NO
The Weight Of A Melon Riddle
Watermelon is 99% water. I have 100 pounds of watermelon. After a week, drying in the sun, the shriveled watermelon had only dried down to being 98% water. What is the total weight of the watermelon now?
Hint: We are to determine X the total mass of melon after the drying.
The Dry weight, DW is 1lb both before and after the drying.
The New Water weight, WNW is clearly X - DW or X - 1
A Fortune Cookie Riddle
A man says that every time he has gotten a fortune cookie his lucky numbers have always been the same, how is this possible???
Hint:
In The Bathroom
If you go to the UK
British people call them loos
You find them in the bathroom
They're for number ones and twos
British people call them loos
You find them in the bathroom
They're for number ones and twos
Hint:
The Name Of A Star
What plant becomes the name of a star by removing the first letter, becomes a number without the last letter and becomes a bird if the first and last letters are taken away?
Hint:
Ivy
VY = VY Canis Majoris, one of the largest known stars
IV = Roman Numeral 4
V = representation of a bird Did you answer this riddle correctly?
YES NO
VY = VY Canis Majoris, one of the largest known stars
IV = Roman Numeral 4
V = representation of a bird Did you answer this riddle correctly?
YES NO
Golf And Pizza Riddle
Robert and David played several golf matches against each other in a week. They played for a pizza at each match, but no pizzas were purchased until the end of the week. If at any time Robert and David had the same number of wins, those pizzas were canceled. Robert won four matches (but no pizzas), and David won three pizzas. How many rounds of golf were played?
Hint:
Eleven, David won 7 matches, 4 to cancel out Robert's 4 wins, and 3 more to win the pizzas. Did you answer this riddle correctly?
YES NO
YES NO
The Emperor's Proposition Riddle
You are a prisoner sentenced to death. The Emperor offers you a chance to live by playing a simple game. He gives you 50 black marbles, 50 white marbles and 2 empty bowls. He then says, "Divide these 100 marbles into these 2 bowls. You can divide them any way you like as long as you use all the marbles. Then I will blindfold you and mix the bowls around. You then can choose one bowl and remove ONE marble. If the marble is WHITE you will live, but if the marble is BLACK... you will die."
How do you divide the marbles up so that you have the greatest probability of choosing a WHITE marble?
How do you divide the marbles up so that you have the greatest probability of choosing a WHITE marble?
Hint: The answer does not guarantee 100% you will chose a white marble, but you have a much better chance.
Place 1 white marble in one bowl, and place the rest of the marbles in the other bowl (49 whites, and 50 blacks).
This way you begin with a 50/50 chance of choosing the bowl with just one white marble, therefore life! BUT even if you choose the other bowl, you still have ALMOST a 50/50 chance at picking one of the 49 white marbles. Did you answer this riddle correctly?
YES NO
This way you begin with a 50/50 chance of choosing the bowl with just one white marble, therefore life! BUT even if you choose the other bowl, you still have ALMOST a 50/50 chance at picking one of the 49 white marbles. Did you answer this riddle correctly?
YES NO
Dropping Coconuts Riddle
You have two coconuts and you want to find out how high they can be dropped from a 100 story building before they break. But you only have $1.40 and the elevator costs a dime each time you ride it up (it's free for rides down).
How can you drop the coconuts to guarantee you will find the lowest floor they will break at, while starting and ending at floor 1?
How can you drop the coconuts to guarantee you will find the lowest floor they will break at, while starting and ending at floor 1?
Hint: They break when dropped from the same height and they don't weaken from getting dropped.
You could drop it at floor 1 first (because you start at floor 1). Then you would go to the floors: 14, 27, 39, 50, 60, 69, 77, 84, 90, 95, 99, and 100. Whatever floor your first coconut breaks at, go to the floor above the last floor the coconut survived and drop the second coconut from this floor. Then go up by one floor until the second coconut breaks and that is the lowest floor it will break at. Did you answer this riddle correctly?
YES NO
YES NO
Coconut Toll Booth Riddle
There is a beautiful garden surrounded with water on three sides and only one road leading to it. This garden has thousands of coconut trees. Anyone can visit to pick coconuts.
The coconuts can be taken in boxes only. Each box can carry 20 coconuts.You can take as many boxes as you like for free but there are ten toll barriers on the road. Each toll booth collects tax in the form of you guessed it: coconuts. The number of coconuts taken is equal to the number of boxes. For example if you are carrying 50 boxes of coconut you have to pay 50 coconuts at each barrier.
If you took 10 boxes filled with coconuts from garden, tell me how many coconuts would you have remaining after crossing all ten toll booths?
The coconuts can be taken in boxes only. Each box can carry 20 coconuts.You can take as many boxes as you like for free but there are ten toll barriers on the road. Each toll booth collects tax in the form of you guessed it: coconuts. The number of coconuts taken is equal to the number of boxes. For example if you are carrying 50 boxes of coconut you have to pay 50 coconuts at each barrier.
If you took 10 boxes filled with coconuts from garden, tell me how many coconuts would you have remaining after crossing all ten toll booths?
Hint:
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