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:
You are decorating for spring and you’ve found a bargain. A huge box of beautifully decorated tiles, enough to provide a border in two rooms. You really can’t figure out how to arrange them. If you set a border of two tiles all around, there’s one left over. If you set three tiles all around or four or five or six there’s still one tile left over. Finally you try a block of seven tiles for each corner and you come out even. What is the smallest number of tiles you could have to get this result?
The owner of the butcher shop is five foot ten inches tall, has brown hair and wears size 11 1/2 shoes. He is married and has two children, one boy and one girl. What does he weigh?
Daughter-in-law. Her daughter’s father is her husband (she’s only been married once and is devoted, meaning she didn’t have an affair). This means John’s son is her husband, so John is her father-in-law, making her the daughter-in-law.
Supposedly this is given as a test in Japan. I have no idea if that’s accurate.
There are 8 people who have to cross the river on a raft.
1. Policeman 2. Thief 3. Father 4. Boy 1 5. Boy 2 6. Mother 7. Girl 1 8. Girl 2
The rules are:
Only two people can cross at a time. Only the adults can operate the raft. The father can’t be with the girls unless the mother is there. The mother can’t be with the boys unless the father is there. The thief can’t remain with anyone unless the policeman is present.
How do you get them all across?
Instead of working it out by hand, here’s a flash version.
Click on the circle to start. Click on a person to put them on the raft and click on the lever to make the raft cross.
Three brothers share a family sport: A non-stop marathon The oldest one is fat and short And trudges slowly on The middle brother’s tall and slim And keeps a steady pace The youngest runs just like the wind, A-speeding through the race “He’s young in years, we let him run,” The other brothers say “‘Cause though he’s surely number one, He’s second, in a way.”