Born In Mourning
I have a name, but it isn't my name. My face shows signs of age. I always mean the same thing, no matter what I say. I'm born in mourning, and I last 'til the end of days. Men plant me, but I never grow. They run from me, but I never move. They look at me and see their future, rotting in the fields where I bloom. What am I?
Hint:
The Walls Of Jericho
When tasked with what seemed impossible
He didnt just refuse and frown
He marched the people round Jericho
And the walls came tumbling down
He is?
He didnt just refuse and frown
He marched the people round Jericho
And the walls came tumbling down
He is?
Hint:
Adams Rib Riddle
This woman was created
So Adam wouldnt be alone
And the way that God made her
Was by using Adams rib bone
Who could this lady be?
So Adam wouldnt be alone
And the way that God made her
Was by using Adams rib bone
Who could this lady be?
Hint:
Under The Cup Riddle
You decide to play a game with your friend where your friend places a coin under one of three cups. Your friend would then switch the positions of two of the cups several times so that the coin under one of the cups moves with the cup it is under. You would then select the cup that you think the coin is under. If you won, you would receive the coin, but if you lost, you would have to pay.
As the game starts, you realise that you are really tired, and you don't focus very well on the moving of the cups. When your friend stops moving the cups and asks you where the coin is, you only remember a few things:
He put the coin in the rightmost cup at the start.
He switched two of the cups 3 times.
The first time he switched two of the cups, the rightmost one was switched with another.
The second time he switched two of the cups, the rightmost one was not touched.
The third and last time he switched two of the cups, the rightmost one was switched with another.
You don't want to end up paying your friend, so, using your head, you try to work out which cup is most likely to hold the coin, using the information you remember.
Which cup is most likely to hold the coin?
As the game starts, you realise that you are really tired, and you don't focus very well on the moving of the cups. When your friend stops moving the cups and asks you where the coin is, you only remember a few things:
He put the coin in the rightmost cup at the start.
He switched two of the cups 3 times.
The first time he switched two of the cups, the rightmost one was switched with another.
The second time he switched two of the cups, the rightmost one was not touched.
The third and last time he switched two of the cups, the rightmost one was switched with another.
You don't want to end up paying your friend, so, using your head, you try to work out which cup is most likely to hold the coin, using the information you remember.
Which cup is most likely to hold the coin?
Hint: Write down the possibilities. Remember that there are only three cups, so if the rightmost cup wasn't touched...
The rightmost cup.
The rightmost cup has a half chance of holding the coin, and the other cups have a quarter chance.
Pretend that Os represent cups, and Q represents the cup with the coin.
The game starts like this:
OOQ
Then your friend switches the rightmost cup with another, giving two possibilities, with equal chance:
OQO
QOO
Your friend then moves the cups again, but doesn't touch the rightmost cup. The only switch possible is with the leftmost cup and the middle cup. This gives two possibilities with equal chance:
QOO
OQO
Lastly, your friend switches the rightmost cup with another cup. If the first possibility shown above was true, there would be two possibilities, with equal chance:
OOQ
QOO
If the second possibility shown above (In the second switch) was true, there would be two possibilities with equal chance:
OOQ
OQO
This means there are four possibilities altogether, with equal chance:
OOQ
QOO
OOQ
OQO
This means each possibility equals to a quarter chance, and because there are two possibilities with the rightmost cup having the coin, there is a half chance that the coin is there. Did you answer this riddle correctly?
YES NO
The rightmost cup has a half chance of holding the coin, and the other cups have a quarter chance.
Pretend that Os represent cups, and Q represents the cup with the coin.
The game starts like this:
OOQ
Then your friend switches the rightmost cup with another, giving two possibilities, with equal chance:
OQO
QOO
Your friend then moves the cups again, but doesn't touch the rightmost cup. The only switch possible is with the leftmost cup and the middle cup. This gives two possibilities with equal chance:
QOO
OQO
Lastly, your friend switches the rightmost cup with another cup. If the first possibility shown above was true, there would be two possibilities, with equal chance:
OOQ
QOO
If the second possibility shown above (In the second switch) was true, there would be two possibilities with equal chance:
OOQ
OQO
This means there are four possibilities altogether, with equal chance:
OOQ
QOO
OOQ
OQO
This means each possibility equals to a quarter chance, and because there are two possibilities with the rightmost cup having the coin, there is a half chance that the coin is there. Did you answer this riddle correctly?
YES NO
Pearl Problems Riddle
"I'm a very rich man, so I've decided to give you some of my fortune. Do you see this bag? I have 5001 pearls inside it. 2501 of them are white, and 2500 of them are black. No, I am not racist. I'll let you take out any number of pearls from the bag without looking. If you take out the same number of black and white pearls, I will reward you with a number of gold bars equivalent to the number of pearls you took."
How many pearls should you take out to give yourself a good number of gold bars while still retaining a good chance of actually getting them?
How many pearls should you take out to give yourself a good number of gold bars while still retaining a good chance of actually getting them?
Hint: If you took out 2 pearls, you would have about a 50% chance of getting 2 gold bars. However, you can take even more pearls and still retain the 50% chance.
Take out 5000 pearls. If the remaining pearl is white, then you've won 5000 gold bars! Did you answer this riddle correctly?
YES NO
YES NO
The Miracle Mountain Riddle
A hiker climbs all day up a steep mountain path and arrives at the mountain top where he camps overnight. The next day he begins the descent down the same trail to the bottom of the mountain when suddenly he looks at his watch and exclaims, "That is amazing! I was at this very same spot at exactly the same time of day yesterday on my way up."
What is the probability that a hiker will be at exactly the same spot on the mountain at the same time of day on his return trip, as he was on the previous day's hike up the mountain?
Is the probability closest to (A) 99% or (B) 50% or (C) 0.1% ?
What is the probability that a hiker will be at exactly the same spot on the mountain at the same time of day on his return trip, as he was on the previous day's hike up the mountain?
Is the probability closest to (A) 99% or (B) 50% or (C) 0.1% ?
Hint: This is not a trick. His watch works perfectly well. He does not sit in the same spot all day or any other such device, although it would not change the answer if he did!
The answer is (A). Since it must happen, the probability is actually 1 (100%).
Explanation: Firstly, consider 2 men, one starting from the top of the mountain and hiking down while the other starts at the bottom and hikes up. At some time in the day, they will cross over. In other words they will be at the same place at the same time of day.
Now consider our man who has walked up on one day and begins the descent the next day. Imagine there is someone (a second person) shadowing his exact movements from the day before. When he meets his shadower (it must happen) it will be the exact place that he was the day before, and of course they are both at this spot at the same time.
Contrary to our common sense, which seems to say that this is an extremely unlikely event, it is a certainty.
NOTE: There is one unlikely event here, and that is that he will notice the time when he is at the correct location on both days, but that was not what the question asked. Did you answer this riddle correctly?
YES NO
Explanation: Firstly, consider 2 men, one starting from the top of the mountain and hiking down while the other starts at the bottom and hikes up. At some time in the day, they will cross over. In other words they will be at the same place at the same time of day.
Now consider our man who has walked up on one day and begins the descent the next day. Imagine there is someone (a second person) shadowing his exact movements from the day before. When he meets his shadower (it must happen) it will be the exact place that he was the day before, and of course they are both at this spot at the same time.
Contrary to our common sense, which seems to say that this is an extremely unlikely event, it is a certainty.
NOTE: There is one unlikely event here, and that is that he will notice the time when he is at the correct location on both days, but that was not what the question asked. Did you answer this riddle correctly?
YES NO
The Blue And Red Dice Riddle
Timothy and Urban play a game with two dice. But they do not use the numbers. Some of the faces are painted red and the others blue. Each player throws the dice in turn. Timothy wins when the two top faces are the same color. Urban wins when the colors are different. Their chances are even.
The first die has 5 red faces and 1 blue face. How many red and how many blue are there on the second die?
The first die has 5 red faces and 1 blue face. How many red and how many blue are there on the second die?
Hint:
Each die has 6 faces. When two dice are thrown, there are 36 equally possible results. For chances to be even, there must be 18 ways of getting the same color on top. Let X be the number of red faces on the second die. We have: 18 = 5X + 1(6 - X)
X = 3
The second die must have 3 red faces and 3 blue faces. Did you answer this riddle correctly?
YES NO
X = 3
The second die must have 3 red faces and 3 blue faces. Did you answer this riddle correctly?
YES NO
100 Blank Cards Riddle
Someone offers you the following deal:
There is a deck of 100 initially blank cards. The dealer is allowed to write ANY positive integer, one per card, leaving none blank. You are then asked to turn over as many cards as you wish. If the last card you turn over is the highest in the deck, you win; otherwise, you lose.
Winning grants you $50, and losing costs you only the $10 you paid to play.
Would you accept this challenge?
There is a deck of 100 initially blank cards. The dealer is allowed to write ANY positive integer, one per card, leaving none blank. You are then asked to turn over as many cards as you wish. If the last card you turn over is the highest in the deck, you win; otherwise, you lose.
Winning grants you $50, and losing costs you only the $10 you paid to play.
Would you accept this challenge?
Hint: Perhaps thinking in terms of one deck is the wrong approach.
Yes!
A sample strategy:
Divide the deck in half and turn over all lower 50 cards, setting aside the highest number you find. Then turn over the other 50 cards, one by one, until you reach a number that is higher than the card you set aside: this is your chosen "high card."
Now, there is a 50% chance that the highest card is contained in the top 50 cards (it is or it isn't), and a 50% chance that the second-highest card is contained in the lower 50. Combining the probabilities, you have a 25% chance of constructing the above situation (in which you win every time).
This means that you'll lose three out of four games, but for every four games played, you pay $40 while you win one game and $50. Your net profit every four games is $10.
Obviously, you have to have at least $40 to start in order to apply this strategy effectively. Did you answer this riddle correctly?
YES NO
A sample strategy:
Divide the deck in half and turn over all lower 50 cards, setting aside the highest number you find. Then turn over the other 50 cards, one by one, until you reach a number that is higher than the card you set aside: this is your chosen "high card."
Now, there is a 50% chance that the highest card is contained in the top 50 cards (it is or it isn't), and a 50% chance that the second-highest card is contained in the lower 50. Combining the probabilities, you have a 25% chance of constructing the above situation (in which you win every time).
This means that you'll lose three out of four games, but for every four games played, you pay $40 while you win one game and $50. Your net profit every four games is $10.
Obviously, you have to have at least $40 to start in order to apply this strategy effectively. Did you answer this riddle correctly?
YES NO
Russian Roulette Riddle
You are in a game of Russian Roulette with a revolver that has 3 bullets placed in three consecutive chambers. The cylinder of the gun will be spun once at the beginning of the game. Then, the gun will be passed between two players until it fires. Would you prefer to go first or second?
Hint:
Russian Roulette
Probability puzzles require you to weigh all the possibilities and pick the most likely outcome.
Puzzle ID: #17681
Fun: *** (2.59)
Difficulty: ** (2.07)
Category: Probability
Submitted By: JMCLEOD****
Corrected By: cnmne
You are in a game of Russian Roulette with a revolver that has 3 bullets placed in three consecutive chambers. The cylinder of the gun will be spun once at the beginning of the game. Then, the gun will be passed between two players until it fires. Would you prefer to go first or second?
Answer
Label the chambers 1 through 6. Chambers 1 through 3 have bullets and chambers 4 through 6 are empty. After you spin the cylinder there are six possible outcomes:
1. Chamber 1 is fired first: Player 1 loses
2. Chamber 2 is fired first: Player 1 loses
3. Chamber 3 is fired first: Player 1 loses
4. Chamber 4 is fired first: Player 2 loses (First shot, player 1, chamber 4 empty. Second shot player 2, chamber 5, empty. Third shot player 1, chamber 6 empty. Fourth shot player 2, chamber 1 not empty.)
5. Chamber 5 is fired first: Player 1 loses (First shot, player 1, chamber 5 empty. Second shot player 2, chamber 6, empty. Third shot player 1, chamber 1 not empty.)
6. Chamber 6 is fired first: Player 2 loses (First shot, player 1, chamber 6 empty. Second shot, player 2, chamber 1, not empty)
Therefore player 2 has an 4/6 or 2/3 chance of winning. Did you answer this riddle correctly?
YES NO
Probability puzzles require you to weigh all the possibilities and pick the most likely outcome.
Puzzle ID: #17681
Fun: *** (2.59)
Difficulty: ** (2.07)
Category: Probability
Submitted By: JMCLEOD****
Corrected By: cnmne
You are in a game of Russian Roulette with a revolver that has 3 bullets placed in three consecutive chambers. The cylinder of the gun will be spun once at the beginning of the game. Then, the gun will be passed between two players until it fires. Would you prefer to go first or second?
Answer
Label the chambers 1 through 6. Chambers 1 through 3 have bullets and chambers 4 through 6 are empty. After you spin the cylinder there are six possible outcomes:
1. Chamber 1 is fired first: Player 1 loses
2. Chamber 2 is fired first: Player 1 loses
3. Chamber 3 is fired first: Player 1 loses
4. Chamber 4 is fired first: Player 2 loses (First shot, player 1, chamber 4 empty. Second shot player 2, chamber 5, empty. Third shot player 1, chamber 6 empty. Fourth shot player 2, chamber 1 not empty.)
5. Chamber 5 is fired first: Player 1 loses (First shot, player 1, chamber 5 empty. Second shot player 2, chamber 6, empty. Third shot player 1, chamber 1 not empty.)
6. Chamber 6 is fired first: Player 2 loses (First shot, player 1, chamber 6 empty. Second shot, player 2, chamber 1, not empty)
Therefore player 2 has an 4/6 or 2/3 chance of winning. Did you answer this riddle correctly?
YES NO
The Traffic Light Riddle
There is a traffic light at the top of a hill. Cars can't see the light until they are 200 feet from the light.
The cycle of the traffic light is 30 seconds green, 5 seconds yellow and 20 seconds red.
A car is traveling 45 miles per hour up the hill.
What is the probability that the light will be yellow when the driver first crests the hill and that if the driver continues through the intersection at her present speed that she will run a red light?
The cycle of the traffic light is 30 seconds green, 5 seconds yellow and 20 seconds red.
A car is traveling 45 miles per hour up the hill.
What is the probability that the light will be yellow when the driver first crests the hill and that if the driver continues through the intersection at her present speed that she will run a red light?
Hint:
The probability of the driver encountering a yellow light and the light turning red before the car enters the intersection is about 5.5%.
At 45 mph the car is traveling at 66 feet/second and will take just over 3 seconds (3.03) to travel the 200 feet to the intersection. Any yellow light that is in the last 3.03 seconds of the light will cause the driver to run a red light.
The entire cycle of the light is 55 seconds. 3.03/55 = 5.5%. Did you answer this riddle correctly?
YES NO
At 45 mph the car is traveling at 66 feet/second and will take just over 3 seconds (3.03) to travel the 200 feet to the intersection. Any yellow light that is in the last 3.03 seconds of the light will cause the driver to run a red light.
The entire cycle of the light is 55 seconds. 3.03/55 = 5.5%. Did you answer this riddle correctly?
YES NO
A Fathers Murder
A man goes to his mother funeral, there, he meets a woman. They go out and the part there separate ways. The man forgets to get the woman's phone number. Three days later he kills his Father...Why?
Hint:
So the woman would go to his father's funeral and he can get her number this time....98% of people who got this right turned out to be serial killers... Did you answer this riddle correctly?
YES NO
YES NO
The 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:
Dirt In A Hole Riddle
Hint:
On Display In December
I have numbers on me but Im not a phone
I have several doors but Im not a car
Im on display in December but Im not a nativity scene
Im not seen after Christmas Day but Im not a cookie for Santa
I often contain chocolate but Im not an Easter egg
What am I?
I have several doors but Im not a car
Im on display in December but Im not a nativity scene
Im not seen after Christmas Day but Im not a cookie for Santa
I often contain chocolate but Im not an Easter egg
What am I?
Hint:
Soccer Kick Riddle
Hint:
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