Lucky Number Seven

How is 7 different from the rest of the numbers from 1-10?

7 (seven) is the only one with two syllables.

Posted in Brain Teasers

A Leathery Snake

A leathery snake,
With a stinging bite,
I’ll stay coiled up,
Unless I must fight.

A whip.

Posted in Riddles

Four Chains in One Loop

You have four chains. Each chain has three links in it. Although it is difficult to cut the links, you wish to make a single loop with all 12 links. What is the fewest number of cuts you must make to accomplish this task?

Three cuts. Cut each link in one chain. Separate them, and use the links to join the ends of the three intact chains.

Posted in Brain Teasers

Reaching Stiffly For The Sky

Reaching stiffly for the sky,
I bare my fingers when it’s cold
In warmth I wear an emerald glove
And in between I dress in gold

A deciduous tree.

Posted in Riddles

In Times Of War He Burns Asunder

Man walks over, man walks under,
In times of war he burns asunder.

What is it?

A bridge.

Posted in Riddles

Having and Sharing

If you have it, you want to share it.
If you share it, you don’t have it.

What is it?

A secret.

Posted in Riddles

If You Look You Cannot See Me

If you look you cannot see me. If you see me you cannot see anything else. I can make anything you want happen, but later everything goes back to normal.

What am I?

Your imagination.

Posted in Riddles

Cut But Never Eaten

What is put on a table and cut but never eaten?

A deck of cards.  You put the cards on the table to play, and you cut the cards to mix them up, but you don’t eat them. Flowers is another possible answer.

Posted in Riddles
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At Least One is a Boy

A couple has two children. At least one of them is a boy. Assuming the probability of having a boy or girl is 50%, what is the probability that both children are boys?

If you answered 1/2, you’re not without comrades, but the generally accepted answer by statisticians (though not without debate) is 1/3. This is because there are four possible combinations: boy-boy, boy-girl, girl-boy and girl-girl. Since we are told one of the children is a boy (but we don’t know if it’s the first or second child), we can rule out the girl-girl combination, leaving three remaining options. Only one out of 3 is boy-boy, so we get a 1/3 chance.

This is a well-known problem known as the Boy or Girl paradox. The other variation is this brain teaser.

Posted in Brain Teasers

A Dog Running in the Forest

How far can a dog run into the forest?

Halfway. After that it will be running out of the forest.

Posted in Brain Teasers