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

A Final Screech

I saw a strange creature,
Long, hard, and straight,
Thrusting in a round, dark, opening,
Preparing to discharge its load of lives,
Puffing and squealing noises accompanied it,
Then a final screech as it slowed and stopped.

Note: This may not be appropriate for younger ages.

A subway train.

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A Lady’s Delight

Lovely and round,
I shine with pale light,
Grown in the darkness,
A lady’s delight.

What am I?

A pearl. They’re formed in clams, which are of course dark.

Posted in Riddles

Five Hundred Begins It

Five hundred begins it, five hundred ends it,
Five in the middle is seen;
First of all figures, the first of all letters,
Take up their stations between.
Join all together, and then you will bring
Before you the name of an eminent king.

DAVID (Roman numerals).

Posted in Riddles

Feet on the Hike

A man hiked through the woods with his dog and saw three coyotes, six wolf cubs, seven bunnies, nine squirrels and thirteen chipmunks. How many total feet were there?

Two. The man has two feet. The rest of the animals have paws.

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Betcha Find a Chocolate

Laura saw that there were three pieces of candy left in a bowl on the kitchen table. She knew they were either chocolates or caramels but didn’t know how many there were of each. What is the probability that there is a piece of chocolate candy in the bowl?

7/8.

The possible combinations are:
1. Chocolate Chocolate Chocolate
2. Caramel Caramel Caramel
3. Chocolate Chocolate Caramel
4. Caramel Caramel Chocolate
5. Chocolate Caramel Caramel
6. Caramel Chocolate Chocolate
7. Chocolate Caramel Chocolate
8. Caramel Chocolate Caramel

Number 2 is the only one that doesn’t have chocolate, thus Laura’s love of chocolate will more than likely be satiated.

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Blindly Picking Socks

You have 12 black socks and 12 white socks mixed up in a drawer. You’re up very early and it’s too dark to tell them apart. What’s the smallest number of socks you need to take out (blindly) to be sure of having a matching pair?

Sock drawer

Three socks. If the first sock is black, the second one could be black, in which case you have a matching pair. If the second sock is white, the third sock will be either black and match the first sock, or white and match the second sock.

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PPOD Rebus

What phrase does this represent?

PPOD

Two peas in a pod.

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Flowers, Families and Streets

Five kinds of flowers grow in separate gardens on five different streets. Here is what you know:

1. The Smiths do not grow violets.
2. The Morgans grow peonies and do not live on 2nd street.
3. The Parks live on 3rd street.
4. Begonias bloom on 4th street.
5. Roses do not grow on 5th street.
6. The Johnsons do not live on 1st street.
7. The Rosens do not grow daffodils
8. The Johnsons grow roses
9. Daffodils grow on 1st street

Which flowers grow on in whose gardens on what streets?

1st street: Smiths, daffodils.
2nd street: Johnsons, roses.
3rd street: Parks, violets
4th street: Rosens, begonias
5th street: Morgans, peonies.

Posted in Brain Teasers

The Quirky Fruit Stand

At a quirky fruit stand, an orange costs 18 cents, a pineapple costs 27 cents and a grape costs 15 cents. Using the same logic, how much does a mango cost?

A mango costs 15 cents. The logic is 3 cents per letter.

Posted in Brain Teasers