Cornelius got a flat tire on a miserable, rainy day. As he was changing it on the side of the road, he placed the four lug nuts in the overturned hub cap. As our dear friend was moving back to put on the spare, he accidentally bumped the hub cap. He watched helplessly as all four lug nuts rolled into a deep sewer and were whisked away. Then our friend had a brilliant solution and within minutes was driving safely away.
Emily passed away and it was a celebration of her life. Of course you don’t invite the deceased. Her body was in the casket, but Emily the person wasn’t there.
I was visiting a friend one evening and remembered that he had three daughters. I asked him how old they were. “The product of their ages is 72,” he answered. Quizzically, I asked, “Is there anything else you can tell me?” “Yes,” he replied, “the sum of their ages is equal to the number of my house.” I stepped outside to see what the house number was. Upon returning inside, I said to my host, “I’m sorry, but I still can’t figure out their ages.” He responded apologetically, “I’m sorry, I forgot to mention that my oldest daughter likes strawberry shortcake.” With this information, I was able to determine all three of their ages. How old is each daughter?
The house number alone would have identified any of these groups. Since more information was required, we know the sum left the answer unknown. The presence of a single oldest child eliminates “2 6 6”, leaving “3 3 8” as the only possible answer.
The magic word – please. It makes people do things they otherwise wouldn’t be inclined to do. When parents are teaching children about manners, they call it the magic word and wait to fulfill a request until the child says please. Once the child says it, the parent feels bound to do it to show the child that it works.