Messy Math

What is the answer to this problem?

48 / 2(9 + 3) = ?

It depends. Usually, math has one right answer, but in this case, the order of operations can get a little quirky.

There are two ways to solve this. First, like so:
48 / 2 × (9 + 3) = ?
48 / 2 × (12) = ?
24 × 12 = 288

But another, arguably valid way is:
48 / 2 × (9 + 3) = ?
48 / 2 × (12) = ?
48 / 24 = 2

Thanks to KnowYourMeme for providing a great overview on this one. Math StackExchange has more discussion.

Posted in Brain Teasers

Forever Stuck

I can’t go right,
I can’t go left.

I’m forever stuck going only up and down.

What am I?

An elevator.

Posted in Riddles

Dead At The End of An Alley

A man is found dead at the end of an alley. A detective who enters the scene sees the letter X and immediately knows who killed the man and why. What did the detective conclude?

The alley is a bowling alley. The man who was killed was a pin spotter (an old profession where they would reset the pins by hand). The X was the marking on the score sheet for a strike. The detective saw the letter X and knew that the person bowled last, got a strike, and was due to bowl again. But they bowled before the pin spotter could get out of the way.

Submitted by Dennis

Posted in Riddles

Water Rebus

What does this represent?

 WATER
-------
 SWIM

Swim underwater.

Posted in Brain Teasers
Tagged with

September 10th In Britain

What happened on September 10th, 1752 in Britain?

Nothing happened that day. It didn’t exist due to the transition from a Julian calendar to Gregorian.

Read more here.

Posted in Riddles

This Is What Some People Do

This is what some people do,
For a compliment or two,
Anglers do it on a bank,
Others keep theirs in a tank.

What am I?

A fish. Some people fish for compliments, anglers are fishermen and fish live in a tank.

Posted in Riddles
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Three Pills From the Doctor

Your doctor gives you three pills and tells you to take one every half hour. How much time will have passed by the time you’ve taken all three pills?

One hour. You take the first pill, then wait a half hour and take the second pill, then at the hour mark you take the third and last pill.

Posted in Brain Teasers

A Promise to the President

Ronald has a rare opportunity to meet the President of the United States. During his visit the president gives him a gift but tells Ronald he is never to sell it unless he sees the president again. Ronald consents, but the president dies later that year. Years later a man offers to buy the President’s gift for $1000. Ronald agrees and exchanges the gift for 20 crisp $50 bills. Did he keep his promise?

Yes. The president was Ulysses S. Grant, who died in 1885 and whose face has been on the $50 bill since 1913. He saw the president on the bills before he made the exchange.

Posted in Brain Teasers

Old Mother Hubbard’s Seven Letters

What seven letters did Old Mother Hubbard use when she opened her cupboard?

O I C U R M T

(Oh, I see you are empty)

Posted in Riddles

Not Seen Nor Felt

It cannot be seen, cannot be felt,
Cannot be heard, cannot be smelt.
It lies behind stars and under hills,
And empty holes it fills.
It comes first and follows after,
Ends life, kills laughter.

The darkness.

Posted in Riddles