The Snooze Button

Why is it very common to have a 9 minute snooze interval on alarm clocks, why not 10 instead?

By setting the snooze time to 9 minutes, the alarm clock only needs to watch the last digit of the time. So, if you hit snooze at 6.45, the alarm goes off again when the last digit equals 4. They couldn’t make it 10 minutes, otherwise the alarm would go off right away, or it would take more circuitry.

Posted in Brain Teasers

Highest Number Without the Letter N?

What is the highest regular counting number that is spelled without the use of the letter “N”? (No numbers like Googolplex or Graham’s number)

Eighty-eight. From then on, they all have the letter “N”.

Posted in Brain Teasers

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 = 100

This equation is incomplete: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 = 100

One way to make it accurate is by adding seven plus and minus signs, like so.

1 + 2 + 3 – 4 + 5 + 6 + 78 + 9 = 100

How can you do it using only 3 plus or minus signs?

123 – 45 – 67 + 89 = 100

Posted in Brain Teasers

A Descending Nudge

A descending nudge,
Or a marvelous jibe,
An abode on excursion,
And a bashing immersion,
We all live in this tribe.

What am I?

Sports. A descending nudge is a touchdown (nudge = touch, descending = down), a marvelous jibe is a grand slam, an abode on excursion is a home run and a bashing immersion is a slam dunk. All of these phrases are found in sports, more specifically American football, baseball and basketball.

Posted in Riddles

Binds Two But Touches One

What binds two people yet touches only one?

A wedding ring.

Posted in Riddles

Two Eights and Two Threes to Make Twenty Four

Using one or more addition, subtraction, multiplication or division operations, what formula using the numbers 3, 3, 8 and 8 equals 24?

8 ÷ (3 – (8 ÷ 3)) = 24

Posted in Brain Teasers

Answer This Honestly

What question can you never honestly answer yes to?

Are you asleep? (or dead, or conscious, or being silent).

Posted in Riddles

It Cannot Be Seen and Weighs Nothing

It cannot be seen, it weighs nothing, but when put into a barrel, it makes it lighter. What is it?

A hole.

Posted in Riddles

I Am Big And Mighty

I am big and mighty, and scared of sharp objects.
I feed everyone and watch people go by.
I have my feet stuck and hate talking with my big mouth.

What am I?

A tree.

Posted in Riddles

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.

Posted in Brain Teasers