A Precious Thing to Most

A precious thing to most,
In order to take it,
You must already have it.

What is it?

Life.

By Sef Daystrom

Posted in Riddles

The Truck and the Plane

A delivery truck from the post office is sent to the airport to meet a cargo plane at its planned arrival time. The plane lands ahead of schedule and its contents are brought toward the post office by bicycle. After a half hour, the bicycle meets the truck and the mail is transferred.

The truck returns from the post office 20 minutes early. How early did the plane arrive? (Assume all transactions are instantaneous)

The delivery truck arrived back 20 minutes early, so it would have taken 20 minutes to go from where it met the bicycle to get to the airport and back. Therefore, the bicycle and truck met when the truck was 10 minutes from the airport. Adding those 10 minutes to the 30 minutes the truck had already driven to meet the bicycle means the plane arrived 40 minutes ahead of schedule.

Posted in Brain Teasers

Snakes and Mice

On a remote (imaginary) island, there are 11 snakes and a single mouse. As you’d expect, snakes eat the mice. But contrary to what you’d expect, when a snake eats a mouse, it turns into one.

The snakes live by only two rules:

1. Don’t get eaten.
2. Eat mice as long as rule #1 isn’t violated.

How many snakes and mice will there be left on the island?

10 snakes, 1 mouse.

If there were only a single snake and mouse, the snake could eat the mouse, then turn into one, leaving a single mouse.

If there were two snakes and a single mouse, rule 2 would keep either of the snakes from eating the mouse to avoid being eaten themselves.

With three snakes and one mouse, one of the snakes could eat a mouse and be safe as a mouse thanks to rule 2.

This pattern continues. With an even number of snakes, nothing happens. With an odd number of snakes, one snake can eat the mouse.

Thus, with 11 snakes, one snake would eat the mouse, turn into one and leave 10 snakes and 1 mouse.

Posted in Brain Teasers

Fall Crop

What three or four-letter word belongs between the word on the left and the word on the right so that the first and second, and second and third words form a compound word or phrase?

For example: FOOT _ _ _ _ PARK would be BALL, or FOOTBALL and BALL PARK.

1. FALL _ _ _ CROP
2. KNEE _ _ _ SIZE
3. BOARD _ _ _ _ WAY

1. OUT – FALLOUT, OUTCROP
2. CAP – KNEECAP, CAPSIZE
3. WALK – BOARDWALK, WALKWAY

Posted in Brain Teasers

Highest Product Using All Digits

What is the highest product that can be generated by multiplying two numbers while only using each digit once (1 through 9)?
For example, 12345678 * 9 = 111,111,102

9642 * 87531 = 843,973,902

Posted in Brain Teasers

Teams Assembling Bikes

If 6 bike makers can assemble 9 bikes in a day and a half, how many of them would it take to assemble 270 bikes in 30 days?

9. Each bike maker can assemble one bike a day.

Posted in Brain Teasers

The Average of Three

There are three numbers. The first two are 2/3 and 3/4.

What does the third number have to be to make the average of all three be 2?

4 7/12

In order for the average of three numbers to be 2, they must all add up to 6. That gives you this equation:
2/3 + 3/4 + n = 6

Solve for n = 55/12, or 4 7/12.

Posted in Brain Teasers

Marcus’ Strange Age

Marcus was 15 years old in 2010. In 2015 he was only 10 years old. How is this possible?

The years are B.C., so 2015 came before 2010.

Posted in Brain Teasers

Your Mother’s Brother’s Brother-In-Law

I am your mother’s brother’s only brother-in-law. Who am I?

I am your father. L-u-u-u-u-u-u-ke!

Posted in Brain Teasers

A Silent Murder Witness

Emily witnessed a murder in early January but didn’t call the police. Why?

It was a murder of crows.

Posted in Brain Teasers