How Old Is The Shepherd?

There are 125 sheep and 5 dogs in a flock.

How old is the shepherd?

You can’t determine the answer.

I debated adding this riddle because it is less of a riddle and more of an illustration of how kids are (or are not) being taught to think for themselves. But after reading how kids feel the need to make up an answer without understanding why, I thought this could be a good reminder for all of us to exercise our critical thinking skills.

(via Student Voices)

Posted in Riddles

First One, Then I Seem None

First I am one, then I seem none,
In death I birth new life.
What’s raised exceeds me,
For on bent knee,
I add to a world that’s rife.

What am I?

A seed. One seed turns into a plant or tree and seemingly disappears. When a plant dies, the seeds can be harvested to create new plants. From a single seed, hundreds more are created, vastly exceeding the original. Gardeners care for plants on bent knee and each new plant helps make the air fresher.

Posted in Riddles

The Barber of Seville

The Barber of Seville shaves all men living in Seville.
No man living in Seville is allowed to shave himself.
The Barber of Seville lives in Seville.

Who shaves the Barber of Seville?

Nobody. The Barber of Seville is a woman. Female barbers are rare, but they exist.

And for more fun with barbers, check out the Barber paradox.

Posted in Brain Teasers

Forward I’m Heavy

Forward I’m heavy, but backwards I’m not. What am I?

Ton.

Posted in Riddles

Three Digits in a Row

On a regular 12-hour digital clock how many times would the same three digits in a row be displayed (e.g. 1:11, 11:12, 12:22) in one day?

34 times. These 17 instances will be visible twice in a 24 hour period.

1:11
2:22
3:33
4:44
5:55
10:00
11:10
11:11
11:12
11:13
11:14
11:15
11:16
11:17
11:18
11:19
12:22

Posted in Brain Teasers

What Goes Up And Down But Doesn’t Move?

What goes up and down but doesn’t move?

A staircase. They go up and down, but you’re the one moving.

Posted in Riddles

Hello Father

A women and daughter walked into a restaurant. A man walked past and the women both said, “Hello, Father”. How is this possible?

The man was a priest.

Posted in Brain Teasers

Old Mother Twitchet Had One Eye

Old Mother Twitchet had one eye
and a long tail that she let fly.
And every time she went through a gap,
she left some tail in the trap

A needle and thread.

Posted in Riddles

At Least One is a Boy

A couple has two children. At least one of them is a boy. Assuming the probability of having a boy or girl is 50%, what is the probability that both children are boys?

If you answered 1/2, you’re not without comrades, but the generally accepted answer by statisticians (though not without debate) is 1/3. This is because there are four possible combinations: boy-boy, boy-girl, girl-boy and girl-girl. Since we are told one of the children is a boy (but we don’t know if it’s the first or second child), we can rule out the girl-girl combination, leaving three remaining options. Only one out of 3 is boy-boy, so we get a 1/3 chance.

This is a well-known problem known as the Boy or Girl paradox. The other variation is this brain teaser.

Posted in Brain Teasers

What Do You Serve?

What do you serve that a polite recipient would immediately send back?

A ball, when you’re playing tennis, volleyball, table tennis, etc.

Posted in Riddles