Weight In My Belly

Weight in my belly,
Trees on my back,
Nails in my ribs,
Feet I do lack.

What am I?

A boat.

Posted in Riddles

Wily Winifred and the Case of the Odd Numbers

Mrs. Shine was having a rough day and wanted a break. So she asked her class to calculate the sum of the first 50 odd numbers. In a few moments, Winifred was at her desk with the correct answer of 2,500. Stunned, Mrs. Shine figured she must have gotten lucky, and sent precocious Winifred back to her seat with the task of finding the sum of the first 75 odd numbers. Again, Winifred returned in seconds with the correct answer (5,625).

How did Winifred find the answer so quickly?

Winifred, being the precocious child she is, realized there was a pattern when computing smaller sums of odd numbers.

First 3: 1 + 3 + 5 = 9
First 4: 1 + 3 + 5 + 7 = 16
First 5: 1 + 3 + 5 + 7 + 9 = 25

Do you see the pattern like our dear friend Winnie?

For the first n odd numbers, the sum is equal to n2. Thus the first 50 is 502, or 2,500, and the first 75 is 752, or 5,625.

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

Letters, Letters, What Comes Next?

What letter comes next letter in this series?

A E F H I ___

K. It’s the series of capital letters without curves in alphabetical order.

Posted in Brain Teasers

I See Much But Change Little

I see much but change little,
I am firm, irresolute,
Powerful but gentle,
I can rip apart mountains,
Yet be moved by gentle stirrings,
I am valued and wasted,
I am life itself,
And I give life to others.

What am I?

A tree. A tall one can see long distances but don’t change much. They are strong and powerful, and the roots of a tree can slowly tear apart a mountain. The gentle stirrings of the wind can blow their branches and leaves. Trees are valuable as they provide wood and paper, but they are also wasted. And lastly, trees, like all plants, provide us with life-giving oxygen.

Posted in Riddles

Long Legs Crooked Thighs

Long legs, crooked thighs,
Little head and no eyes.
No burn, make a ting,
Use hands, but no ring.

What am I?

A pair of tongs.

Posted in Riddles

Mountain Covered With Snow

Why doesn’t a mountain covered with snow catch cold?

Because it has a snowcap. ;) I know, it was more joke than riddle, but I found it amusing.

Posted in Riddles

I Never Return

What are these three related items? When I am placed somewhere I will never stand up. Whatever you give me I will eat. When I go I never return.

A stove, fire, smoke.

Essentially a duplicate of A Group of Three but I’m keeping it here to avoid broken links.

Posted in Riddles

One Six Seven Nine to Twenty Four

Given the numbers 1, 6, 7 and 9, find an equation that equals 24. You may only use each digit once.

91 – 67 = 24 or
(9 – 6) x (7 + 1) = 3 x 8 = 24 or
6 x √9 + 7 – 1 = 18 + 6 = 24

Posted in Brain Teasers

Something To Everybody And Nothing To Everyone Else

What is something to everybody and nothing to everyone else?

Your mind.

Posted in Riddles