I’m Yours, But Used More By Others

I belong to you, but am used more by others.

What am I?

Your name. It could also be your phone number.

Posted in Riddles

The Most Impressive Boundary

The most impressive boundary’s not a wall.
It’s not a manufactured thing at all.
Moving towards it won’t reduce the gap
and nothing marks its presence on a map.

The horizon.

By Sef Daystrom

Posted in Riddles

What is the First Number of the Sequence?

If a number in a numeric sequence is 17 and the second number is 3, what is the first number?

I hesitated to add this because it’s poorly worded, ambiguous and the answer could be almost anything. I prefer teasers with a single answer, but there you go.

If you came up with a different answer and can explain how you did it, don’t think you’re wrong. It’s probably just as valid. Feel free to share yours in the comments.

My answer for the first number is 2.

Here’s how I got it.

The generic rule for a number in the sequence is: 2^(n – 1) + 1, where n is the position in the sequence.

Note: The teaser doesn’t specify the position of 17. In this case, it’s fifth.

Position 1: (so n = 1) is 2^(1 – 1) + 1 = 2

Position 2: 2^(2 – 1) + 1 = 3

Position 3: 2^(3 – 1) + 1 = 5

Position 4: 2^(4 – 1) + 1 = 9

Position 5: 2^(5 – 1) + 1 = 17

For the curious, the next 5 numbers of the sequence would be:

Position 6: 2^(6 – 1) + 1 = 33

Position 7: 2^(7 – 1) + 1 = 65

Position 8: 2^(8 – 1) + 1 = 129

Position 9: 2^(9 – 1) + 1 = 257

Position 10: 2^(10 – 1) + 1 = 513

Posted in Brain Teasers

Making Lots of Shirts

In a textile factory, 5 machines take exactly 5 minutes to make 5 shirts. How many minutes will it take 100 machines to produce 100 shirts?

5 minutes. It takes each machine 5 minutes to make a shirt, so if you have all 100 machines running at the same time, they’ll produce the 100 shirts in 5 minutes.

Posted in Brain Teasers

Tongue Can’t Taste, Throat Can’t Swallow

What has a tongue that can’t taste, a throat that can’t swallow, eyes that can’t see and a soul that will never die?

A shoe. It has a tongue, a throat, eyes (or eyelets) and a sole. I used soul here or else it would have given the answer away, but this riddle works best when told rather than read. And as the joke goes, old shoes never die, they just lose their sole.

Posted in Riddles

Related Strangers

A man gets off the bus looking for an address and approaches a couple walking in the same direction for directions. The woman says they’re going that way and take him. Along the way the man asks if they’re related. The woman grins and says, “We’re not strangers. This man’s mother is my mother’s mother-in-law.” The man is confused but doesn’t say anything. When he gets back home he tells his wife about the conversation and she can’t figure it out either. They decide to ask their lawyer and he eventually works it out with pen and paper. How are the couple related?

The couple is either a man and his daughter or an uncle and his niece.

Posted in Brain Teasers

Ten Men’s Strength

Ten men’s strength,
Ten men’s length,
Ten men can’t break it,
Yet a young boy walks off with it.

What am I?

A rope.

Posted in Riddles

Everyone Has It

Everyone has it.
Those who have it least don’t know that they have it.
Those who have it most wish they had less of it,
but not too little or none at all.

Age. Young children don’t even know their age and extremely old folks wish they could turn back the hands of time, but not so much that they’re too young or they no longer have an age at all.

By Sef Daystrom

Posted in Riddles

What Has Hair and Leaks?

What has hair and leaks when something bad happens?

Your eye. Your eyelashes are the hair and when something bad happens, your cry.

Posted in Riddles
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Ever Rising Then Gone Away

Ever rising then gone away,
I send messages or help some pray,
I’ll make you cry, but flavor meat,
But If I’m heavy, use your feet.

What am I?

Smoke. It rises then slowly dissipates in the air. Smoke signals send messages and incense is used in religious ceremonies. Anyone who’s sat at a bonfire knows smoke in your eyes can make you cry when the wind changes direction. Smoked meats are a tasty treat, but if you see heavy smoke (i.e. from a fire) then run. Or stop drop and roll if the fire already caught you.

Posted in Riddles
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