3 Gallon Jug And 5 Gallon Jug
You have a 3-gallon and a 5-gallon jug that you can fill from a fountain of water.
The problem is to fill one of the jugs with exactly 4 gallons of water. How do you do it?
You've got to defuse a bomb by placing exactly 4 gallons (15 L) of water on a sensor. The problem is, you only have a 5 gallon (18.9 L) jug and a 3 gallons (11 L) jug on hand! This classic riddle, made famous in Die Hard 3.
The problem is to fill one of the jugs with exactly 4 gallons of water. How do you do it?
You've got to defuse a bomb by placing exactly 4 gallons (15 L) of water on a sensor. The problem is, you only have a 5 gallon (18.9 L) jug and a 3 gallons (11 L) jug on hand! This classic riddle, made famous in Die Hard 3.
Hint:
Fill the 5-jug up completely. There will be, of course, 5 gallons in the 5-jug. You must fill all the gallons up to the top, otherwise you don't actually know how much you have.
Use the water from the 5-jug to fill up the 3-jug. You're left with 3 gallons in the 3-jug and 2 gallons in the 5-jug.
Pour out the 3-gallon jug. You're left with nothing in the 3-jug and 2 gallons in the 5-jug.
Transfer the water from the 5-jug to the three jug. You're left with 2 gallons in the 3-jug. And nothing in the 5-jug.
Fill up the 5-jug completely. You now have 2 gallons in the 3-jug and 5 in the 5-jug. This means that there is 1 gallon (3.8 L) of space left in the 3-jug.
Use the water from the 5-jug to fill up the 3-jug. Fill up the last gallon of space in the 3-jug with the water from the 5-jug. This leaves you with 3 gallons in the 3-jug, and 4 gallons in the 5-jug.
Fill the 3-jug completely with water. You now have 3 gallons (11.4 L) of water.
Transfer this water into the 5-jug. You now have nothing in the 3-jug, and 3 gallons (11.4 L) in the 5-jug.
Re-fill the 3-jug with water. You now have 3 gallons (11.4 L) in the 3-jug and 3 gallons in the 5-jug.
Fill the 5-jug with water from your 3-jug. You now have 1 gallon (3.8 L) in the 3-jug and 5 gallons (18.9 L) in the 5-jug. This is because, in the last step, you only had 2 gallons (7.6 L) of space left over, so you could only pour 2 gallons.
Pour out the 5-jug and refill it with your 1 gallon. You now have nothing in the 3-jug and 1 gallon in the 5-jug
Fill up the 3-jug. You now have 3 gallons (11.4 L) in the 3-jug and 1 in the 5-jug.
Transfer the 3 gallons (11.4 L) of water into the 5-jug to end up with 4 gallons (15.1 L). Simply pour over your three gallons into the 5-jug, which only had 1 gallon (3.8 L) in it previously. 1+3=4, and a successfully defused bomb. Did you answer this riddle correctly?
YES NO
Use the water from the 5-jug to fill up the 3-jug. You're left with 3 gallons in the 3-jug and 2 gallons in the 5-jug.
Pour out the 3-gallon jug. You're left with nothing in the 3-jug and 2 gallons in the 5-jug.
Transfer the water from the 5-jug to the three jug. You're left with 2 gallons in the 3-jug. And nothing in the 5-jug.
Fill up the 5-jug completely. You now have 2 gallons in the 3-jug and 5 in the 5-jug. This means that there is 1 gallon (3.8 L) of space left in the 3-jug.
Use the water from the 5-jug to fill up the 3-jug. Fill up the last gallon of space in the 3-jug with the water from the 5-jug. This leaves you with 3 gallons in the 3-jug, and 4 gallons in the 5-jug.
Fill the 3-jug completely with water. You now have 3 gallons (11.4 L) of water.
Transfer this water into the 5-jug. You now have nothing in the 3-jug, and 3 gallons (11.4 L) in the 5-jug.
Re-fill the 3-jug with water. You now have 3 gallons (11.4 L) in the 3-jug and 3 gallons in the 5-jug.
Fill the 5-jug with water from your 3-jug. You now have 1 gallon (3.8 L) in the 3-jug and 5 gallons (18.9 L) in the 5-jug. This is because, in the last step, you only had 2 gallons (7.6 L) of space left over, so you could only pour 2 gallons.
Pour out the 5-jug and refill it with your 1 gallon. You now have nothing in the 3-jug and 1 gallon in the 5-jug
Fill up the 3-jug. You now have 3 gallons (11.4 L) in the 3-jug and 1 in the 5-jug.
Transfer the 3 gallons (11.4 L) of water into the 5-jug to end up with 4 gallons (15.1 L). Simply pour over your three gallons into the 5-jug, which only had 1 gallon (3.8 L) in it previously. 1+3=4, and a successfully defused bomb. Did you answer this riddle correctly?
YES NO
17 Cows Riddle
An old farmer died and left 17 cows to his three sons. In his will, the farmer stated that his oldest son should get 1/2, his middle son should get 1/3, and his youngest son should get 1/9 of all the cows. The sons, who did not want to end up with half cows, sat for days trying to figure out how many cows each of them should get.
One day, their neighbor came by to see how they were doing after their father's death. The three sons told him their problem. After thinking for a while, the neighbor said: "I'll be right back!" He went away, and when he came back, the three sons could divide the cows according to their father's will, and in such a way that each of them got a whole number of cows.
What was the neighbor's solution?
One day, their neighbor came by to see how they were doing after their father's death. The three sons told him their problem. After thinking for a while, the neighbor said: "I'll be right back!" He went away, and when he came back, the three sons could divide the cows according to their father's will, and in such a way that each of them got a whole number of cows.
What was the neighbor's solution?
Hint:
The neighbour borrowed an extra cow, to make the total number of cows 18. Then the oldest son got 1/2 of 18 is 9 cows, the middle son got 1/3 of 18 is 6 cows, and the youngest son got 1/9 of 18 is 2 cows. Since 9+6+2 = 17, the cows could be divided among the three brothers in such a way that the borrowed cow was left over, and could be returned to its owner. Did you answer this riddle correctly?
YES NO
YES NO
Pierce Ones Ears Riddle
Hint:
Sleeping And Hungry Riddle
You are sleeping and you are hungry and you have butter, cheese and bologna in the fridge. What do you open first?
Hint:
Sleeping And Hungry Riddle
You are sleeping and you are hungry, you have butter, cheese and baloney in the fridge. What will you open first?
Hint:
Hard To Find Riddle
Hint:
The Strongest Creature Riddle
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Full Of Me Riddle
Hint:
I Rise Above All Death And Fire
Despised am I by knave and liar,
After me, the wise inquire.
I rise above all death and fire.
What am I?
After me, the wise inquire.
I rise above all death and fire.
What am I?
Hint:
A Man Is Sitting In A House At Night That Has No Lights
A man is sitting in a house at night that has no lights on at all. There is no lamp, no candle, nothing. Yet he is reading. How?
Hint:
Five Rows Of Four Christmas Trees Riddle
"I planted five rows of four Christmas trees each." The man boasted to his boss. The boss looked at him and said, are you saying you planted 20 Christmas trees in one day? No, the man said, I only planted 10 trees. How did he do it?
Hint:
Just imagine a 5 pointed star, and then plant one tree at each point, and one tree where the sides intersect.
There are actually several distinct solutions. All of them can be constructed as follows:
Draw a nice long straight line.
Draw a second straight line that intersects the first.
Draw three more straight lines making sure each line intersects all the lines youve already drawn and avoiding any of the previous points of intersection. That is, no three lines should intersect at the same point.
With the first four lines, theres only one topologically distinct configuration, but by varying the position of the fifth line, several different distinct configurations can be created. Did you answer this riddle correctly?
YES NO
There are actually several distinct solutions. All of them can be constructed as follows:
Draw a nice long straight line.
Draw a second straight line that intersects the first.
Draw three more straight lines making sure each line intersects all the lines youve already drawn and avoiding any of the previous points of intersection. That is, no three lines should intersect at the same point.
With the first four lines, theres only one topologically distinct configuration, but by varying the position of the fifth line, several different distinct configurations can be created. Did you answer this riddle correctly?
YES NO
Eating The Most
Hint:
Three Gods Riddle
Three gods A, B, and C are called, in no particular order, True, False, and Random. True always speaks truly, False always speaks falsely, but whether Random speaks truly or falsely is a completely random matter. Your task is to determine the identities of A, B, and C by asking three yes-no questions; each question must be put to exactly one god. The gods understand English, but will answer all questions in their own language, in which the words for yes and no are da and ja, in some order. You do not know which word means which.
What three questions can you ask?
What three questions can you ask?
Hint:
A possible solution is:
Q1: Ask god B, "If I asked you 'Is A Random?', would you say ja?". If B answers ja, either B is Random (and is answering randomly), or B is not Random and the answer indicates that A is indeed Random. Either way, C is not Random. If B answers da, either B is Random (and is answering randomly), or B is not Random and the answer indicates that A is not Random. Either way, you know the identity of a god who is not Random.
Q2: Go to the god who was identified as not being Random by the previous question (either A or C), and ask him: "If I asked you 'Are you False?', would you say ja?". Since he is not Random, an answer of da indicates that he is True and an answer of ja indicates that he is False.
Q3: Ask the same god the question: "If I asked you 'Is B Random?', would you say ja?". If the answer is ja, B is Random; if the answer is da, the god you have not yet spoken to is Random. The remaining god can be identified by elimination. Did you answer this riddle correctly?
YES NO
Q1: Ask god B, "If I asked you 'Is A Random?', would you say ja?". If B answers ja, either B is Random (and is answering randomly), or B is not Random and the answer indicates that A is indeed Random. Either way, C is not Random. If B answers da, either B is Random (and is answering randomly), or B is not Random and the answer indicates that A is not Random. Either way, you know the identity of a god who is not Random.
Q2: Go to the god who was identified as not being Random by the previous question (either A or C), and ask him: "If I asked you 'Are you False?', would you say ja?". Since he is not Random, an answer of da indicates that he is True and an answer of ja indicates that he is False.
Q3: Ask the same god the question: "If I asked you 'Is B Random?', would you say ja?". If the answer is ja, B is Random; if the answer is da, the god you have not yet spoken to is Random. The remaining god can be identified by elimination. Did you answer this riddle correctly?
YES NO
A Fervent Hope Riddle
Hint:
The Yuletide Season Riddle
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