Code in the Cold

Last winter I found myself locked out of my house because I couldn’t remember the 5-digit code to open the garage door. I used the following facts to get inside.

1. The second and third digits add up to 9.
2. The first digit is equal to the second digit cubed.
3. The sum of the third and fifth digits is the smallest number with exactly five divisors.
4. The fourth digit is equal to 6 times the second-to-last digit.
5. None of the digits repeat.

What was the code?

82709

If we label each digit a, b, c, d and e, we get the following equations.
1. b + c = 9
2. a = b3
3. c + e = 16 (since 16 is the smallest number with five divisors – 1, 2, 4, 8 and 16).
4. d = 6 * d (The fourth and second-to-last digits are the same number, meaning d must be zero to satisfy the equation)
5. b must be zero, one or two (b can’t be three because that makes a=27, which isn’t a single digit). Zero and one result in duplicate digits (00907 and 11808 respectively) so the only remaining value for b is 2, giving us 82709 and warmth.

Posted in Brain Teasers

Early Ages The Iron Boot Tread

Early ages the iron boot tread,
with Europe at her command.
Through time power slipped and fled,
’til the creation of new holy land.
Who am I?

Italy / Rome.

Posted in Riddles

A Big Pizza Pie

To get the most pizza, should you order two 12″ pizzas or one 18″ pie?

One 18″, with ~255 sumptuous square inches. Two 12″ pizzas would only give you ~226 square inches.

Note: The area of a circle is = πr2.

Posted in Brain Teasers

Priscilla and Bruce Exchanging Money

Priscilla gave her brother Bruce as much money as Bruce started with. Bruce gave Priscilla as much money as Priscilla had left. Priscilla then gave Bruce as much as Bruce had left, which left Priscilla broke. Bruce had $80.00.

How much money did Priscilla and Bruce start with?

Priscilla: $50
Bruce: $30

Step 1
Priscilla gives Bruce $30
Priscilla: $20
Bruce: $60

Step 2
Bruce gives Priscilla $20
Priscilla: $40
Bruce: $40

Step 3
Priscilla gives Bruce $40
Priscilla: $0
Bruce: $80

Posted in Brain Teasers

Against the Rules for You to Play Fair

It’s against the rules for you to play fair,
I always win but you don’t care,
I’ve ruined lives and crushed dreams,
But the allure is too much it seems.

What am I?

A casino. If you use methods to make the odds more fair to you, they kick you out. The house always wins, yet people continue to play. Gambling has ruined countless lives and crushed dreams of making millions, but the hope of winning continues to draw people in.

Posted in Riddles
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Leaving Home

A man leaves home, turns left, goes straight, turns left again, goes straight and turns left once more then returns home and there’s another man with a mask on. What’s going on?

A baseball game.

Posted in Brain Teasers

First One, Then I Seem None

First I am one, then I seem none,
In death I birth new life.
What’s raised exceeds me,
For on bent knee,
I add to a world that’s rife.

What am I?

A seed. One seed turns into a plant or tree and seemingly disappears. When a plant dies, the seeds can be harvested to create new plants. From a single seed, hundreds more are created, vastly exceeding the original. Gardeners care for plants on bent knee and each new plant helps make the air fresher.

Posted in Riddles

The Long River

How many times does the letter S appear in the name of the longest river in the world?

Zero. The Nile is the longest river in the world. Some claim the Amazon as the longest, but that too has no “S”es (that looks weird but I don’t know how else to write the plural of “s”). The Mississippi is the 4th largest river in the world according to a href=”https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_rivers_by_length”>Wikipedia.

Posted in Riddles

Coat Best Put On Wet

What kind of coat is best put on wet?

A coat of paint.

Posted in Riddles

Forever Stuck

I can’t go right,
I can’t go left.

I’m forever stuck going only up and down.

What am I?

An elevator.

Posted in Riddles