Fifty Quarters

You have fifty quarters on the table in front of you. You are blindfolded and cannot discern whether a coin is heads up or tails up by feeling it. You are told that x coins are heads up, where 0 < x < 50. You are asked to separate the coins into two piles in such a way that the number of heads up coins in both piles is the same at the end. You may flip any coin over as many times as you want.

How can you do it?

Take x coins, flip all of them and put them in one pile. The rest of the coins form the second pile.

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Two Backbones

I have two backbones and thousands of ribs and I stretch across the land. What am I?

Train tracks.

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Three Two Three Sequence

What number belongs at the beginning of this sequence?

?, 3, 2, 3, 9, 2, 4, 8, 4, 3, 7, 6

3 ½.

If you break up the numbers into groups of 4, a,b,c,d, then 2 × |a – d| = |b – c|.

9 2 4 8 → 2 × |9 – 8| = |2 – 4|, or 2 × 1 = 2
4 3 7 6 → 2 × |4 – 6| = |3 – 7|, or 2 × 2 = 4, so
n 3 2 3 → 2 × |3 ½ – 3| = |3 – 2|, or 2 × ½ = 1;

I’m not sure this is the correct solution, but it’s the best I’ve found so far. Email me if you know of a better one.

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Hot My Entire Life

I have been hot my entire life. Put me in water or in a freezer for days and I will still be hot. My red color should tell you but don’t be deceived, even when I’m green, I’m still hot. What am I?

A red or green laser. Red and green pepper also works.

Technically, the laser beam itself isn’t hot, but lasers can heat up what they’re shining on.

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Add An A But Sounds The Same

What word starts with the letter “I”, becomes another word by adding the letter “A” yet has the same pronunciation?

Isle, Aisle

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Insect Shipments

There once was a strange man who loved wordplay, he had a very important and successful business that would take insect shipments from all across the world and distribute them to zoos across the US.

What was the name of his company?

ImportANT

Posted in Riddles

The Beggar’s Brother

A beggar’s brother went out to sea and drowned.
But the drowned man had no brother.
What was the relationship between the man who drowned and the beggar?

The beggar was his sister.

Posted in Brain Teasers

I Always Tell the Truth

You see me quite often,
But don’t really care.
If you pass by me,
You’ll often stop and stare.

I can’t speak or see,
But don’t think me uncouth,
Because no matter what,
I always tell the truth.

What am I?

A mirror.

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Add Two To Eleven To Get One

When can you add two to eleven and get one as the correct answer?

When you add two hours to eleven o’clock to get one o’clock.

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Reaching Stiffly For The Sky

Reaching stiffly for the sky,
I bare my fingers when it’s cold
In warmth I wear an emerald glove
And in between I dress in gold

A deciduous tree.

Posted in Riddles