Sum of 22

Fill in numbers such that the sum of each 3-character row is 22 while the sum of all five numbers is 30.

a
bcd
e

The problem works out to a set of three equations:
b + c + d = 22
a + c + e = 22
a + b + c + d + e = 30

Solving for c = 14, leaving d = 8 – b and e = 8 – a. In other words, c must be 14, but the other two numbers just have to add up to 8. The requirement that they be unique rules out 4 + 4, so you’re left to choose from the following combations for b + d and a + e:
0 + 8
1 + 7
2 + 6
3 + 5

Posted in Brain Teasers

Black When Clean and White When Dirty

What is black when it’s clean and white when it’s dirty?

A chalkboard (or blackboard). It’s solid black when clean, and as you write on it with white chalk it becomes dirty.

Posted in Riddles

The Start Of What You Might Conceive

I’m the start of whatever you might conceive.
Next I describe a Thanksgiving meal.
Last I transform to a state we all leave.

What am I?

begin, binge, being. Everything has a beginning, Thanksgiving dinner is known for being a meal of excessive consumption and the mortal state of being (or the state of a human being) is one which, for all our efforts to extend, will eventually end.

Posted in Riddles

Wear Black

What does this represent?

Wear
Black

Black underwear.

Posted in Riddles

Kevlar, Fire Escapes and Wipers, Oh My!

What do computer compilers, kevlar, fire escapes and windshield wipers all have in common?

They were all invented by women.

A variation of this brain teaser includes laser printers (they were invented by Gary Starkweather) and bulletproof vests (invented by Casimir Zeglen using silk, though modern vests use Kevlar, so it’s halfway right).

Posted in Brain Teasers

How Can You Pass the Tree

A car is on a narrow road with a tree in the middle of it. How can the car pass the tree?

The tree is in the middle of the road as measured by length, not in the middle of it by width. In other words, the tree is growing on the side of the road, but it is equidistant from either end of the road, and therefore in the middle.

This makes it quite easy to pass the tree as you just drive on the road, unless you’re texting and you run into said tree. If this is the case, stop texting.

Thanks to everyone’s input on this one!

Posted in Brain Teasers

Three Kinds of Apples

Three kinds of apples are mixed randomly in a box. How many apples must you take out to be sure of having at least two apples of one kind?

Four. If the apples are A, B, and C, it’s possible that you could take out one A, one B and one C with three apples, but the fourth apple must be one of the three kinds.

Posted in Brain Teasers

The Cost of Household Hardware

A man went to the hardware store to buy items for his house.

1 would cost $.25
12 would cost $.50
122 would cost $.75

When he left the store he had spent $.75, what did he buy?

House numbers.

Posted in Riddles

The Correct Name

Donald and Regan are married with four children, named Michael, Farley, Solomon and Larry. They just had a baby girl and are picking the name. It’s down to Olivia, Tiffany and Jasmine. Donald’s brother, a piano teacher, tells them only one of the names would be correct. Which name is it?

Tiffany. The rest of the family’s names start with solfège syllables: Do, Re, Mi, Fa, Sol, La. The last syllable is Ti, for Tiffany.

Posted in Brain Teasers

Two Identical Women

Two women apply for a job. They are identical and have the same mother, father and birthday. The interviewer asks, “Are you twins?” to which they honestly reply, “No”.

How is this possible?

They are triplets.

Posted in Brain Teasers