Sometimes I Get Stronger From The Sun

I can help you have some fun,
Sometimes I get stronger from the sun,
If you never give me a break,
You will find I never wake,
I am optimistic on one side,
I can be short, fat, tall or wide,
Rectangle and cylinder are two of my shapes,
And I can even help you make video tapes,
Sometimes you must wait for me to get ready,
Just hold on for a few hours and be steady,
I can help you get around the mall,
Or help you make a telephone call.

What am I?

A battery. Games and other entertainment devices run on batteries. Batteries can be charged using solar power, which is from the sun. If you use a battery-powered device long enough, the battery will die. Batteries have a plus side and can be all shapes and sizes. They can power scooters and Segways commonly used in malls and your cell phone requires a battery to function.

Posted in Riddles

Rotating Coins Around Coins

You have two coins of equal size on a table, situated end to end vertically. If you roll the top coin around the bottom coin until it returns to its original position, how many times will it have rotated?

Twice. See this video for more details.

Posted in Brain Teasers

Catches a Bullet With His Bare Hands

Alan fires a bullet from his hand gun and his friend Wade catches the bullet with his bare hands. The gun shoots actual, deadly bullets. The bullet does not touch anything but air after it leaves the gun and until it reaches Wade’s hand. Wade is uninjured. How does he do it?

Alan fires his bullet from a .25 ACP (Automatic Colt Pistol), which will reach a maximum height of 2,287 feet. He shoots directly upward while standing at the base of Burj Khalifa, a 2,722 foot tall building.

Wade is a window cleaner at that building, waiting at 2,287 feet. When the bullet reaches that height and is about to go back down again, he reaches out with his bare hands and catches it.

Posted in Brain Teasers

Starts With T

What starts with a T, ends with a T, and has “T” in it?

A teapot.

Posted in Riddles

A Human with Five Hands

How can a human have five hands?

In addition to the two hands on the end of their arms, they also have three hands of cards. Another alternative could be handwriting, of which most people have one, but that could be added into the mix.

Posted in Riddles

White, Round Not Always Around

I’m white, I’m round, but not always around. Sometimes you see me, sometimes you don’t. What am I?

The moon.

Posted in Riddles

What is the Chance That You’ll Be Correct?

If you choose an answer to this question at random, what is the chance that you will be correct?

a) 25%
b) 50%
c) 60%
d) 25%

This is becomes a self-referential paradox. Both A and D would be correct if there were four unique answers, but since A and D are the same answer, the chance that you would choose a correct answer is 50%, which makes B correct. But if there’s only one correct answer, the odds of choosing the correct one at random goes back to 25%. And around and round you go.

There’s a lot of discussion at Richard Wiseman’s blog and more at Lifehacker, where I first saw this.

Posted in Brain Teasers

Sleeping Killer

A man gets ready for bed at 9:45 pm. He makes himself a drink, then turns off the TV and the lights. The night was windy and there was a major storm. The next day he discovers he was the cause of seven deaths. How is this possible?

He lived in a lighthouse as lighthouse keeper. He turned off all the lights by accident, so a ship with 7 passengers couldn’t negotiate the rocky shores. One would think the light switches in a lighthouse would be more clearly marked.

Posted in Brain Teasers

Long Legs Crooked Thighs

Long legs, crooked thighs,
Little head and no eyes.
No burn, make a ting,
Use hands, but no ring.

What am I?

A pair of tongs.

Posted in Riddles

Your Father’s Sister’s Sister-in-law

What relation would your father’s only single sister’s sister-in-law be to you?

Your mother.

Posted in Brain Teasers