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
45 Cent Concert Riddle
Mary and Jeffrey were going to a concert. The show featured Jeffrey's favorite band, and Mary's favorite rapper. Together the show was only worth 45 cents. Who performed at the concert?
Hint:
Sumer House Riddle
Hint:
The Tri-Wizard Tournament Riddle
First think of the person who lives in disguise,
Who deals in secrets and tells naught but lies,
Next tell me whats always the last thing to mend,
The middle of middle and end of the end?
And finally give me the sound often heard,
During the search for a hard-to-find word.
Now string them together, and answer me this,
Which creature would you be unwilling to kiss?
Who deals in secrets and tells naught but lies,
Next tell me whats always the last thing to mend,
The middle of middle and end of the end?
And finally give me the sound often heard,
During the search for a hard-to-find word.
Now string them together, and answer me this,
Which creature would you be unwilling to kiss?
Hint:
A Game Of Dodge Ball Riddle
You are playing a game of dodge ball with two other people, John and Tom. You're standing in a triangle and you all take turns throwing at one of the others of your choosing until there is only one person remaining. You have a 30 percent chance of hitting someone you aim at, John has a 50 percent chance, and Tom a 100 percent change (he never misses). If you hit somebody they are out and no longer get a turn.
If the order of throwing is you, John, then Tom; what should you do to have the best chance of winning?
If the order of throwing is you, John, then Tom; what should you do to have the best chance of winning?
Hint:
Miss the first time on purpose.
If you try to hit John and do. Then Tom goes next and he will hit you and you will lose for sure. If you aim at Tom and hit him then John will go for you. If you miss on your first turn John will go for Tom for sure because he is a stronger player. If he hits him then it's just you and John, but you are going first. If he misses him then Tom will hit John and it will be just you and Tom, but again in this case you are going first. Did you answer this riddle correctly?
YES NO
If you try to hit John and do. Then Tom goes next and he will hit you and you will lose for sure. If you aim at Tom and hit him then John will go for you. If you miss on your first turn John will go for Tom for sure because he is a stronger player. If he hits him then it's just you and John, but you are going first. If he misses him then Tom will hit John and it will be just you and Tom, but again in this case you are going first. Did you answer this riddle correctly?
YES NO
The Plane Crash
There was an airplane crash, every single person on board died, but yet two people survived. How is this possible?
Hint:
Measuring A Mule Riddle
A mule travels the same distance daily.
I noticed that two of his legs travels 10km and the remaining two travels 12km.
Obviously two mules legs cannot be a 2km ahead of the other 2.
The mule is perfectly normal. So how come this be true ?
I noticed that two of his legs travels 10km and the remaining two travels 12km.
Obviously two mules legs cannot be a 2km ahead of the other 2.
The mule is perfectly normal. So how come this be true ?
Hint:
The mules is moving in circular path and hence outside legs travels more distance than inner legs. Did you answer this riddle correctly?
YES NO
YES NO
A Walk In The Desert Riddle
Four men walk into the desert. Suddenly all four are simultaneously knocked out. They awake buried to their heads in the sand unable to look anywhere but straight ahead. They are positioned so that each man sees another's head before him. However between the first and second man there is a separating wall.
So the first man sees only desert. The second man sees only wall. The third man sees another's head and a wall. The fourth man sees two heads and a wall. On top of each mans head is a hat. The underside of each cap is black, but the outside of each cap is either blue or white. Before any of the men can speak, their captors tell them if they speak, they die. However, if any of them can guess the color of their cap on the first try they go free. The captors tell them that there are two blue caps and two white caps.
Being an omniscient observer of the situation, we know that the order of the caps are: blue, white, blue, white. So knowing the perspective of each man in the sand, and that they can only see the color of caps/wall/desert in front of them, which of the four men knows for certain the color of his own cap. More importantly: why?
So the first man sees only desert. The second man sees only wall. The third man sees another's head and a wall. The fourth man sees two heads and a wall. On top of each mans head is a hat. The underside of each cap is black, but the outside of each cap is either blue or white. Before any of the men can speak, their captors tell them if they speak, they die. However, if any of them can guess the color of their cap on the first try they go free. The captors tell them that there are two blue caps and two white caps.
Being an omniscient observer of the situation, we know that the order of the caps are: blue, white, blue, white. So knowing the perspective of each man in the sand, and that they can only see the color of caps/wall/desert in front of them, which of the four men knows for certain the color of his own cap. More importantly: why?
Hint:
The third man. This is because he knows there are only two of each color cap. If the man behind him (the fourth man) saw two caps that were the same color in front of him, he would know that his own must be the opposite. However, because the caps alternate in color. The fourth man has only a 50% chance of getting his hat color correct, so therefore he stays quiet. The third man realizes that the fourth man is quiet because he must not see two caps of the same color in front of him, otherwise the fourth man would say the opposite of the caps in front of him. Therefore, the third man presumes his own cap must be the opposite of the mans in front of him, and his presumption is correct. Under this same logic, after the third man speaks his color hat, the second man, even though he sees only wall, would be the next to go free, because he knows his cap must be the opposite of whichever color the third mans cap was. Did you answer this riddle correctly?
YES NO
YES NO
A Man And Not A Man Riddle
There is a story that a man and not a man
Saw and did not see a bird and not a bird
Perched on a branch and not a branch
And hit him and did not hit him with a rock and not a rock.
How is this possible?
Saw and did not see a bird and not a bird
Perched on a branch and not a branch
And hit him and did not hit him with a rock and not a rock.
How is this possible?
Hint:
A eunuch who did not see well saw a bat perched on a reed and threw a pumice stone at him which missed. Did you answer this riddle correctly?
YES NO
YES NO
Death On Saturday Riddle
A man is found dead one Saturday morning. He was killed while his wife was sleeping. The wife tells the police all that she knows. She tells them that the cook was cooking breakfast, the maid was cleaning and the butler was getting the mail. The police immediately arrest the person who is responsible. Who is responsible and why?
Hint:
The wife is responsible. The reason is simple – she was supposed to be sleeping but she knew all that had happened! Did you answer this riddle correctly?
YES NO
YES NO
The Egg Spinning Competition
You are a junior detective investigating a case. Boys at an apartment complain that every day, they have an egg spinning competition with only raw eggs, and every day one particular boy wins.
The boys want you to find out how. You are observing the boy spinning an egg when suddenly it drops to the floor. The apartment clerk casually hands him a broom to clean it up, as if it happens every day. You now know why the boy always wins the daily competition. How?
The boys want you to find out how. You are observing the boy spinning an egg when suddenly it drops to the floor. The apartment clerk casually hands him a broom to clean it up, as if it happens every day. You now know why the boy always wins the daily competition. How?
Hint:
The clerk handed the boy a broom, so the egg the boy was spinning must have been hard-boiled. If the egg was raw, the clerk would have handed the boy a mop. Did you answer this riddle correctly?
YES NO
YES NO
The Piggy Bank Riddle
A girl liked to collect money in a piggy bank. She bought pink colored piggy bank when she was 10 years old. She put $250 in the box on each of her birthday. Her younger sister took $50 out of her piggy bank on her birthday. The girl died when she was 50 years old due to an incurable disease.
When the piggy bank was opened, it had just $500. How can that be possible?
When the piggy bank was opened, it had just $500. How can that be possible?
Hint:
The girl was born on 29 February. Thus her birthday came once in four years only while her sister was born on a normal day and celebrated her birthday every year. Thus the girl had a chance of depositing money only 10 times in 4 years through which she collected $2500 while her sister took $50 from the piggy bank every year making the total amount to be $2000. Thus when the piggy bank was opened, it had just $500. Did you answer this riddle correctly?
YES NO
YES NO
A Man Who's Not A Man
There is a story that a man and not a man
Saw and did not see a bird and not a bird
Perched on a branch and not a branch
And hit him and did not hit him with a rock and not a rock
How is this possible?
Saw and did not see a bird and not a bird
Perched on a branch and not a branch
And hit him and did not hit him with a rock and not a rock
How is this possible?
Hint:
A eunuch who did not see well saw a bat perched on a reed and threw a pumice stone at him which missed. Did you answer this riddle correctly?
YES NO
YES NO
A Fishy Surgeon Riddle
Hint:
The 100th Floor Riddle
A man lives on the 100th floor of his apartment building. Every day he takes the elevator down from his apartment to the lobby. After work, he takes the elevator from the lobby to the 50th floor and walks up the stairs the rest of the way. On rainy days he takes the elevator all the way from the lobby to the 100th floor. Why?
Hint:
The man was a dwarf. On rainy days he had an umbrella to help him press the button 100. Did you answer this riddle correctly?
YES NO
YES NO
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