Three Cuts to Turn a Round Cake Into Eight Equal Slices

How can you cut a round cake three times to make eight equal slices?

Cut #1 – Down the center of the cake (vertically) leaving two equal halves.
Cut #2 – Across the center of the cake (horizontally) leaving four equal slices.
Cut #3 – Through the middle edge of the cake slicing all four of the pieces in equal halves, leaving eight equal slices (four equal tops and four equal bottoms).

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I Have Four Pairs of Letters

I have four pairs of letters,
Leaving two to stand alone.
You’re often doing the opposite,
When playing on your phone.

I help you get things done,
With one big caveat,
If taken to extremes,
I could make you fat.

What am I?

Efficiency. Being efficient helps you get things done, but if you’re extremely efficient with your tasks you get less exercise.

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Sunny Weather Coming?

It’s raining at midnight. Will there be sunny weather in 72 hours?

No, because in 72 hours it will be midnight again.

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A Real Life Emergency

Mary was out riding a frisky pony in a meadow by the sea when the bridle came loose. The animal shook it off and started to gallop full speed toward the ocean, paying no attention to Mary’s yelling to slow down. She couldn’t bear to jump off and lose her beloved pony, so she stayed on and hoped for the best. When the cliff loomed ahead of her, she knew she had to stop the pony. How did she do it?

Mary clapped her hands tightly over the animal’s eyes, causing it to stop.

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Which Switch?

You are standing outside a closed door. On the other side of the door is a room that has three light bulbs in it. The room is completely sealed off from the outside. It has no windows and nothing can get in or out except through the door. On the outside of the room there are three light switches that control each of the respective light bulbs on the other side of the door.

Your assignment is to determine which light switch controls which light bulb. You are allowed to enter the room only once, and once you come out, you must be able to state with 100% certainty which light switch controls which light bulb.

Turn one light switch on, wait a few minutes, then turn it off and turn another light switch on. Go into the room and feel the light bulbs. The one that’s still warm is connected to the switch that you first turned on, the one that is on was the second switch you turned on, and the last bulb is controlled by the switch that you didn’t touch.

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Same Forward, Backward and Upside Down

What word is the same written forward, backward and upside down?

NOON. The word needs to be a palindrome and made up of only these letters that look the same upside down:

H I N O S X Z

For instance, SOON doesn’t work, because even though each letter looks the same upside down, it reads NOOS.

Posted in Riddles

Five Three Two

What is the answer to the last equation?

5 3 2 = 151012
9 2 4 = 183662
8 6 3 = 482466
5 4 5 = 202504
7 2 5 = ?

10000 × (x × y) + 100 × (x × z) + transpose_digits(x × y + y × z)

transpose_digits() just swaps the digits

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Round Manhole Covers

Why are manhole covers round?

It allows them to be rolled around easily and prevents the cover from falling into the hole.

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I Stretch The Length of A Football Field

I stretch as far as a football field,
Yet I fit in the palm of your hand.
I will make you bleed if you don’t use me often.
You put me in your mouth but don’t eat me,
Then you throw me away.

What am I?

Floss. It typically comes in 100 yard packs, which fit easily in your hand. If you don’t floss regularly, your gums will bleed. You use floss in your mouth then throw it away when you’re done.

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Turning the Years Upside Down

What years from the 1900s and 1800s are the same year when read upside down?

1961 and 1881.

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