Riddles and Brain Teasers

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
b	c	d
e

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

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

Not Burned in Fire Nor Drowned in Water

What can’t be burned in a fire nor drowned in water?

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Ice. It melts instead of burning in a fire and it floats in water.

Posted in Riddles

Ted and The Vicious Dog

Ted was lost while driving around the country and saw a house. He parked under a nearby tree and started toward the house. As soon as he got out of his car a huge dog lunged at him from the opposite side of the tree. Fortunately the dog was chained and Ted managed to stay out of reach. Finding no one home at the house, Ted returned to his car, but as he approached the dog lunged at him again. The chain was so long the snarling animal could reach both car doors. How did Ted escape the dog and get back into his car?

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Ted moved slowly around the tree keeping just out of the dog’s reach. The animal followed, winding its chain around the tree until it was too short to reach Ted’s car

Posted in Brain Teasers

What Can You Add to One To Make It Go Away?

What can you add to one to make it go away?

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The letter g. Then it’s gone.

Posted in Brain Teasers

Tagged with groaner

011 235 Sequence

011 235 813 213 ???

What comes next?

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455. The numbers are from the Fibonacci sequence in groups of 3. The next numbers in the series are 34 (the 3 was already used in 213) and 55.

Posted in Brain Teasers

Tagged with sequence

Represent The Alphabet

What word or expression does this represent?

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTVWXYZ

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Missing you (U).

Posted in Brain Teasers

Flora Not Fauna

I am flora, not fauna,
I am foliage, not trees,
I am shrubbery, not grass,

What am I?

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A bush.

Posted in Riddles

Far Blow Bacon

What do the following words have in common?

far
blow
bacon
lather
fasting
wariness
pacemaker

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Each of these words becomes a new word when the letter ‘e’ is placed after the first letter.far = fear
blow = below
bacon = beacon
lather = leather
fasting = feasting
wariness = weariness
pacemaker = peacemaker

Each of these words becomes a new word when the letter ‘e’ is placed after the first letter.

far = fear
blow = below
bacon = beacon
lather = leather
fasting = feasting
wariness = weariness
pacemaker = peacemaker

Posted in Brain Teasers

More Than a Few

Nothing specific,
but more than a few.
This many clustered
together will do.

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Bunch. It’s a vague term that means more than a few. And clustered items like bananas, grapes or celery come in bunches.

By Sef Daystrom

Posted in Riddles

Kevin’s School Supplies

Kevin brings his school supplies to the counter. The cashier rings up his purchase for a total of $1.70. Kevin is puzzled, and says, “I bought 2 pencils at 2 cents each, 5 pencils at 4 cents each and 8 notebooks and 12 sheets of colored paper. I don’t remember the prices of the latter two, but the total can’t be $1.70.”

How did Kevin know?

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Because 4 cents, 20 cents, 8 notebooks and 12 sheets of colored paper are all divisible by 4, but 170 cents isn’t.

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