Only Self-Enumerating Number

What is the only self-enumerating number in English?

Four. The number four has four letters, making it self-enumerating. Interestingly, there are no self-enumerating numbers in French.

Posted in Brain Teasers

Three Burning Rooms

Three rooms contain:
1) Gold coins
2) Currency notes
3) Cotton bags

If all three rooms catch fire, which room will the ambulance pour water on first?

An ambulance doesn’t pour water.

Posted in Brain Teasers

Which Are True and Which Are False?

A. When a car is driven forwards the wheels rotate counter-clockwise.
B. If a clock is put forward 1 1/4 hours the minute hand moves through 450°
C. When a clock reads 4.10 the acute angle between the hands is exactly 60°

A. False – The near-side wheels rotate counter-clockwise, but the far-side wheels rotate clockwise.
B. True
C. False – The acute angle is a little more than 60° because by the time the minute hand reaches 10, the hour hand will have moved slightly past the 4.

Posted in Brain Teasers

3661 Seconds Past Midnight

What is special about 3,661 seconds past midnight on January 1, 2001?

At the 3,661st second, the time and date can be written 01:01:01 01/01/01.

That is one cool date :)

Posted in Brain Teasers

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

Once I’m Known You Can Hit A Grand Slam

A nine-letter word with but one vowel,
After I’m used you may need a towel,
Tests can be used to learn what I am,
Once I am known you can hit a grand slam.

Strengths. It has 9 letters with only one vowel, when you use your strengths the exertion can cause you to sweat, requiring a towel, tests can identify ones strengths and once you know what they are, you can hit a metaphorical grand slam by employing them in an area of your choosing.

Posted in Riddles

If I’m Ever Gone, Beware

Sometimes you’ll find me hard and cold,
Other times I’m hard to hold,
Always present in the air,
If I’m ever gone, beware.

What am I?

Water. As ice I’m hard and cold, as water vapor I’m hard to hold and I’m always present in the air as humidity (aka water vapor). If the earth ever runs out of water, we’re toast.

Posted in Riddles

Four Nines To Make a Hundred

How can you make four 9’s equal 100?

99 9/9 = 100

Posted in Brain Teasers

A Surprise Party

What is a surprise party without any cause for celebration?

An ambush.

Posted in Riddles

What Looks Like Food

What looks like food, tastes like food, smells like food, sounds like food when you cook it, is grown in dirt like food, fills up your stomach like food, but is not food?

A poisonous mushroom. Since some types of mushrooms are edible, it can be very hard to distinguish between a safe mushroom and one that will kill you. Food is defined as a substance consumed to provide nutrition, therefore a poisonous mushroom that kills you doesn’t qualify as food, even though it shares all of the traits of a regular mushroom.

Other valid answers include anything that’s edible, resembles food, but is poisonous.

Posted in Riddles