Riddles and Brainteasers

SkyHog said:
Actually, the correct answer is "Fire." Its supposed to be an artsy riddle, and fire produces light.
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I just found it on a website. I don't know what is and is not correct. Don't personally know any riddles by heart. Perhaps I should make one up?
 
Hey, it's Kimberly! I was just at Montery Jet Center yesterday. I brought you up on the forum to them as you were just posting about MJC (couldn't find that thread). They thought it was cool once I assured them nobody was speaking ill of them.

They have way cool new toys to give out now. They have this stupid little rubber thing that sticks on your iPhone. It's square where it 'snaps on' and a huge horn comes around the side. The idea is it amplifies your music coming out of the speaker of your iPhone and it also acts as a stand. It works amazingly well. I tried it out. They also have a face time stand which holds your iPhone in a perfect orientation to do FaceTime and only uses a sticky type mat that holds it very securely.

I took none of it as I didnt get any gas. I did have an awesome flight to KMRY from KOAK. Like 8'000 feet right down the coast. Clear skies and beautiful.


Btw, to all, I could have PM'd this but didn't want to project 'stalker dude'...so I put it here. Sorry.
 
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Captain said:
Hey, it's Kimberly! I was just at Montery Jet Center yesterday. I brought you up on the forum to them as you were just posting about MJC (couldn't find that thread). They thought it was cool once I assured them nobody was speaking ill of them.

They have way cool new toys to give out now. They have this stupid little rubber thing that sticks on your iPhone. It's square where it 'snaps on' and a huge horn comes around the side. The idea is it amplifies your music coming out of the speaker of your iPhone and it also acts as a stand. It works amazingly well. I tried it out. They also have a face time stand which holds your iPhone in a perfect orientation to do FaceTime and only uses a sticky type mat that holds it very securely.

I took none of it as I didnt get any gas. I did have an awesome flight to KMRY from KOAK. Like 8'000 feet right down the coast. Clear skies and beautiful.


Btw, to all, I could have PM'd this but didn't want to project 'stalker dude'...so I put it here. Sorry.
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Stalker dude. LOL. Look, I doubt they remember me, it was New Year's Day, and I was only there for a few hours. But hilarious you said something. I will go back there, in fact, I got a $100 gift certificate from work to a chain restaurant (no, not Olive Garden or anything crappy). I googled the restaurant and decided rather than eat up here where I live and they have a place, why not fly to Monterey / Carmel for the weekend? Every time I fly, I never have extra money of course for a nice dinner, so now I can buy a nice dinner and stay the night! This is one of many ideas I have, the other being take the dog and go camping somewhere like Yosemite if the flight school will let me have dogs (which I'm pretty sure they already said I could).
 
FlyerQ said:
You survived the game of Russian roulette and are immediately faced with a new challenge. The guard explains there are 1000 buckets, one filled with poison the rest water. The poison takes 30 minutes to kill, err, an inmate. The guard informs you to determine, using inmates, which bucket contains the poison in no more than 1 hour. Looking into the spiteful eyes of your fellow prisoners you can see your future well-being is tied to using as few inmates as possible for this experiment. What is the minimum number you need find the poisoned bucket?
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I need a maximum of 10 prisoners. Maybe none will die.

Divide the 1,000 buckets into 32 groups of 32 (1 group will have only 8). Sample all the buckets of each group into a container to be sampled by prisoners. This is just to find which group has the poison.

Using the samples have the first of 5 prisoners sample every other one. The next samples two and then skips two. The third samples three and skips three, the forth samples four and skips four and the fith samples five and skips five.

If they all die it's the first group. Get the next five and do the same process on the 32 buskets of group one. If none die then it's the 16th group...hurray, now do it again on the 32 buckets of the 16th group and hope its not the first bucket!

If its between all of them and none of them then look at your graph (I had to make one to figure this out) and determine the correct group to test next.



P.S. There are 10 types of people in the world, those that understand binary and those that don't.
 
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Captain said:
I need a maximum of 10 prisoners. Maybe none will die.

Divide the 1,000 buckets into 32 groups of 32 (1 group will have only 8). Sample all the buckets of each group into a container to be sampled by prisoners. This is just to find which group has the poison.

Using the samples have the first of 5 prisoners sample every other one. The next samples two and then skips two. The third samples three and skips three, the forth samples four and skips four and the fith samples five and skips five.

If they all die it's the first group. Get the next five and do the same process on the 32 buskets of group one. If none die then it's the 16th group...hurray, now do it again on the 32 buckets of the 16th group and hope its not the first bucket!

If its between all of them and none of them then look at your graph (I had to make one to figure this out) and determine the correct group to test next.



P.S. There are 10 types of people in the world, those that understand binary and those that don't.
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Good! You can encode 512 unique numbers w/ 9 bits, so label the first 511 buckets in binary from 1 - 511. You can't use binary 0 because it might mean no buckets are poisoned.

Each prisoner is a bit, and therefore must drink from any bucket where their bit position is one. If none die in 30 minutes, retest the remaining buckets. If some die simply look up the bucket number.

There is an elaborate scheme that reduces the need to 7 prisoners. I won't post it here because it gives me a headache.
 
FlyerQ said:
Exactly.
Or you could bet 500, win 750 so now you have 1750.
You then bet 1/2 and lose and your at the same 875.

Now we can see you can have a positive expected return in a game (or investment), but if you bet too much you risk a negative return.

So how much should you bet?
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If you were to play the guards game (bet half the pot) your initial 1000 would become 17.75 over 52 rounds regardless of the order in which you won or lost.

Betting more conservatively offers the opportunity to turn the 1000 into 2335 in those same 52 plays - again regardless of order.

The moral is that having an edge isn't enough - you need to know how much to exploit it. If this interests you, google Kelly Criterion.
 
I've been holding this one until the prision riddles were up...and I think they've all been solved.



Save You Men Sarge!!!

You're a Sergeant in WWII and your squad has been shot all to hell. There are only 4 of you left and you're in charge. You have got to cross a bridge at night with your men to get to friendly territory and deliver the war winning plans to HQ.

There's only one problem (well, a few really).

-The bridge is wired to explode in 16 minutes. Everyone MUST cross in that time.

-It's night and you only have ONE flashlight. The flashlight must make each and every crossing. No throwing it accross, no lighting the bridge from one side or the other.

-The bridge can ONLY support 2 individuals at a time.

-Your men are shot up to varrying degrees and take different amounts of time to cross the bridge.
1. You. You are in good shape and can cross in 1 minute
2. The next guy is okay and only takes 2 minutes
3. The next guy is pretty rough and takes 5 minutes
4. The last guy is really shot up and takes 8 minutes.


So, you must get your men across in the alloted time (16 minutes). There are no tricks. No hidden boats. No jumping alternately. Just get across two at a time WITH the light each way in time.

Good luck! Your country is depending on you...
 
Captain said:
I've been holding this one until the prision riddles were up...and I think they've all been solved.



Save Your Men Sarge!!!

...
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I can't believe it. I posted the same riddle (with a different set up) just a minute after you did. (I just deleted it.) Since I know the answer, I'll let the others play.
 
Captain said:
I've been holding this one until the prision riddles were up...and I think they've all been solved.



Save You Men Sarge!!!

You're a Sergeant in WWII and your squad has been shot all to hell. There are only 4 of you left and you're in charge. You have got to cross a bridge at night with your men to get to friendly territory and deliver the war winning plans to HQ.

There's only one problem (well, a few really).

-The bridge is wired to explode in 16 minutes. Everyone MUST cross in that time.

-It's night and you only have ONE flashlight. The flashlight must make each and every crossing. No throwing it accross, no lighting the bridge from one side or the other.

-The bridge can ONLY support 2 individuals at a time.

-Your men are shot up to varrying degrees and take different amounts of time to cross the bridge.
1. You. You are in good shape and can cross in 1 minute
2. The next guy is okay and only takes 2 minutes
3. The next guy is pretty rough and takes 5 minutes
4. The last guy is really shot up and takes 8 minutes.


So, you must get your men across in the alloted time (16 minutes). There are no tricks. No hidden boats. No jumping alternately. Just get across two at a time WITH the light each way in time.

Good luck! Your country is depending on you...
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Got it w/ a minute to spare... Will wait to post.
 
upstateny said:
I can't believe it. I posted the same riddle (with a different set up) just a minute after you did. (I just deleted it.) Since I know the answer, I'll let the others play.
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What are the odds? Sorry, had I known I'd have let you keep yours.

FlyerQ said:
Got it w/ a minute to spare... Will wait to post.
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Correct. Only 15 minutes is needed.
 
Captain said:
What are the odds? Sorry, had I known I'd have let you keep yours.
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It's an oldie but goodie. It had to be posted eventually. But I think you left out the part where both men have to cross at the speed of the slower man of the pair.

BTW, we never let the rest of the world in on "Petals around the rose". Anyone want the answer or is it still an open riddle?
 
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Captain said:
I've been holding this one until the prision riddles were up...and I think they've all been solved.



Save You Men Sarge!!!

You're a Sergeant in WWII and your squad has been shot all to hell. There are only 4 of you left and you're in charge. You have got to cross a bridge at night with your men to get to friendly territory and deliver the war winning plans to HQ.

There's only one problem (well, a few really).

-The bridge is wired to explode in 16 minutes. Everyone MUST cross in that time.

-It's night and you only have ONE flashlight. The flashlight must make each and every crossing. No throwing it accross, no lighting the bridge from one side or the other.

-The bridge can ONLY support 2 individuals at a time.

-Your men are shot up to varrying degrees and take different amounts of time to cross the bridge.
1. You. You are in good shape and can cross in 1 minute
2. The next guy is okay and only takes 2 minutes
3. The next guy is pretty rough and takes 5 minutes
4. The last guy is really shot up and takes 8 minutes.


So, you must get your men across in the alloted time (16 minutes). There are no tricks. No hidden boats. No jumping alternately. Just get across two at a time WITH the light each way in time.

Good luck! Your country is depending on you...
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I start across with the 8 minute guy and keep running, signal 2 minute guy who finishes and signals 5 minute guy, he and 8 minute guy should finish together. I run in the damned dark and get everybody across in half the time while providing maximum supporting cover for my weakest guy.
 
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Henning said:
I start across with the 8 minute guy and keep running, signal 2 minute guy who finishes and signals 5 minute guy, he and 8 minute guy should finish together. I run in the damned dark and get everybody across in half the time while providing maximum supporting cover for my weakest guy.
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Good solution, but Captain left out one of the constraints to the riddle.
When two men are walking across the bridge, both men have to cross at the speed of the slower man of the pair.

[I know. It's his riddle, but it's a classic and this rule makes it more interesting.]
 
No, I covered it. Only two men on bridge on a time and they both have to share a single flashlight. As a result both men have to stay together so the time to cross equals that of the slower man.
 
1. 1 min and 2 min cross. (2 total)
2. 2 min returns (4 total)
3. 8 and 5 min cross (12 total)
4. 1 min returns (13 total)
5. 1 and 2 min cross (15 total)

15 total.
 
Captain said:
No, I covered it. Only two men on bridge on a time and they both have to share a single flashlight. As a result both men have to stay together so the time to cross equals that of the slower man.
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That negates Henning's solution.
 
SkyHog said:
1. 1 min and 2 min cross. (2 total)
2. 2 min returns (4 total)
3. 8 and 5 min cross (12 total)
4. 1 min returns (13 total)
5. 1 and 2 min cross (15 total)

15 total.
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Ding Ding Ding!
 
OK, how about an easy one?

Imagine that you put a coin into an empty bottle and then insert a cork into the neck.

Is there a way to remove the coin without taking out the cork or breaking the bottle?
 
Another easy one -

Tim owns a pocket knife with five different tools. It has a corkscrew, a bottle opener, tweezers, a screwdriver and something else. What?
 
And one that's not so easy -

Susan is in the final of a match at the olympic games. At the moment she reaches the finish, all the other contestants are behind her back. She did not play unfair and did also not use doping, but she does not get the gold medal? Why is that?
 
upstateny said:
OK, how about an easy one?

Imagine that you put a coin into an empty bottle and then insert a cork into the neck.

Is there a way to remove the coin without taking out the cork or breaking the bottle?
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push the cork all the way into the bottle.
 
upstateny said:
And one that's not so easy -

Susan is in the final of a match at the olympic games. At the moment she reaches the finish, all the other contestants are behind her back. She did not play unfair and did also not use doping, but she does not get the gold medal? Why is that?
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She rows crew.

-Skip
 
OK, so all three were easy.

How about -
Imagine you are a pilot of a plane. You are going to fly a plane from Northern Maine to Los Angelos, California, which is 3000 miles. It takes 10 hours. You drive to a hotel in LA which is 18 miles from the airport. The next day, you wake up and drive back to the airport which is another 18 miles. You fly another plane up to Vancouver, Canada which is 700 miles. When you arrive in Canada, you go into the employees lounge and you sleep at the airport that night. The next day, you fly a long trip to Sydney, Australia which is 10,000 miles. You stay in Sydney for 3 days, and then you fly all the way back to Northern Maine, where your home is. The flight is 12,000 miles. How may miles did you go in total and how old is the pilot?
 
upstateny said:
OK, so all three were easy.

How about -
Imagine you are a pilot of a plane. You are going to fly a plane from Northern Maine to Los Angelos, California, which is 3000 miles. It takes 10 hours. You drive to a hotel in LA which is 18 miles from the airport. The next day, you wake up and drive back to the airport which is another 18 miles. You fly another plane up to Vancouver, Canada which is 700 miles. When you arrive in Canada, you go into the employees lounge and you sleep at the airport that night. The next day, you fly a long trip to Sydney, Australia which is 10,000 miles. You stay in Sydney for 3 days, and then you fly all the way back to Northern Maine, where your home is. The flight is 12,000 miles. How may miles did you go in total and how old is the pilot?
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0 miles and 30 years old....actually, the pilot was born in early December, 1981.
 
SkyHog said:
0 miles and 30 years old....actually, the pilot was born in early December, 1981.
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Damn, you're good!

1
11
21
1211
111221
312211
13112221

What number comes in the next row?
 
SkyHog said:
0 miles and 30 years old....actually, the pilot was born in early December, 1981.
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Huh?

And I want to know the solution to the petal rose numbers.. PM works if no one else is ready to hear the answer here
 
In a vacum you fire a rifle straight up. The bullet goes up and up and finally comes to a stop and falls back to earth. The bullet strikes the ground right next to the rifle that fired it.

At what velocity does the bullet strike the ground?
-slower than it left the barrel?
-faster than it left the barrel?
-same speed as it left the barrel?
 
Didn't you ask this one already?
upstateny said:
In a vacuum, it will pass the end of the barrel at the same speed it left. Since gravity is still acting on it for the rest of the fall, it will be going slightly faster by the time it hits the ground. (Assuming you didn't bury the firearm so the end of the barrel is at ground level.)

But if it's in a vacuum, nobody would be alive to pull the trigger let alone prove this theory.
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Captain said:
Correct!
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Captain said:
In a vacum you fire a rifle straight up. The bullet goes up and up and finally comes to a stop and falls back to earth. The bullet strikes the ground right next to the rifle that fired it.

At what velocity does the bullet strike the ground?
-slower than it left the barrel?
-faster than it left the barrel?
-same speed as it left the barrel?
Click to expand...
 
A carpenter and a plumber are standing in line at a hardware convention. One is the father of the other ones son. How is this possible?
 
Oh it's not a true story. It's just a riddle.
 
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