Mental Calculations

Perform this calculation in your head, mentally adding the numbers as quickly as you can. Start with 1000 and add 40. Now add 1000. Add 30 to that, then add another 1000. Now add 20 to that result. Add another 1000 and finally, add 10 to that. What is the total?

4,100. If you got 5,000 you’re not alone. 96% of test subjects get the wrong answer.

Posted in Brain Teasers

Mystical Rock Group

What rock group has four men that don’t sing?

Mount Rushmore.

Posted in Riddles

Five Games of Checkers

Two children were playing checkers and each played five games. Both children won the same number of games yet there were no ties. How is this possible?

They weren’t playing each other.

Posted in Brain Teasers

Paula and Quincy

Paula had four times the money that Quincy had, but after Paula gave Quincy $33, Quincy had 3 times as much as Paula.

How much did they each start with?

Paula had $48 and Quincy had $12.

If Q is the amount Quincy had, then 3(4Q – 33) = Q + 33

Solved, Q = 12.

Posted in Brain Teasers

Take Away All My Letters

Take away my first letter and I remain the same. Take away my last letter and I remain unchanged. Remove all my letters and I’m still me.

What am I?

A mail carrier. Letters in this sense are envelopes rather than the letters of the alphabet.

Posted in Riddles

Five Items In a Tennis Court

We’re five little items of an everyday sort. You’ll find us all in a tennis court. What are we?

The vowels. The phrase “a tennis court” contains all five vowels sorted in alphabetic order: a, e, i, o, u.

Posted in Riddles

13579U

What does this represent?

13579U

The odds are against you. All of the odd single-digit numbers are lined up next to the letter u, representing the word you.

Posted in Brain Teasers
Tagged with

Whelming Rebus

What does this represent?

 1 3 5 7 9
-----------
 WHELMING

Overwhelming odds.

Posted in Riddles
Tagged with

Enjoyed By Some, Despised By Others

I am enjoyed by some, despised by others. Some take me for granted, some treasure me like a gift. I last forever, unless you break me first.

Marriage.

Posted in Riddles

A Corny Question

A merchant has 21 sacks of grain: 7 full, 7 half-full and 7 empty. He wants to divide them equally among his three sons. How can he do this, without transferring any grain between sacks, so each son has the same quantity of grain and number of sacks?

We know each son must end up with 7 sacks and 3.5 sacks of grain, since (7 sacks + 7 half sacks) / 3 = 3.5 sacks each.
There are two solutions.

Solution 1
Son 1: 3 full, 1 half-full and 3 empty.
Son 2: 3 full, 1 half-full and 3 empty.
Son 3: 1 full, 5 half-full and 1 empty.

Solution 2
Son 1: 2 full, 3 half-full and 2 empty.
Son 2: 2 full, 3 half-full and 2 empty.
Son 3: 3 full, 1 half-full and 3 empty.

Posted in Brain Teasers