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?
A man wants to get into a night club where the bouncers test each person before they can enter. The man waits and watches.
A woman walks up to the bouncers and the bouncers say 6. The woman replies with 3 and goes in.
A small man walks up and they say 12. The man replies 6 and is admitted.
The first guy thinks he’s figured it out and walks up. They say 4 and the man replies with 2, but they don’t let him in.
begin, binge, being. Everything has a beginning, Thanksgiving dinner is known for being a meal of excessive consumption and the mortal state of being (or the state of a human being) is one which, for all our efforts to extend, will eventually end.
I change stature as I age, but my importance does not differ by age. My importance is manifested mostly when with my boss. When we part, I am of no importance.
A pencil. It gets shorter with use, but is no less important. Its impact is from the person using the pencil to write or draw. Without them, the pencil is just an idle tool.
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?
You dance in a circle of joined hands,
And though they spin away I can always see your face,
In the world, no matter where I am,
One look at you and I know my place.
An analogue clock is a circle, and the hands of a clock are joined at the middle.
The hands can point away from you, but the clock face is always visible.
No matter where you are in the world, you can probably find a clock.
“One look at you and I know my place…in time!”
Thanks to Helena for creating this and sending it in.
You ride on me every day but barely notice,
I’m hot and cold at the very same time,
I’m the densest of my clan,
And my first three help you enjoy music.
Earth. Most people don’t stop to think that they’re hurtling through space on a huge planet. At any given time the Earth has burning hot magma and freezing arctics at the same time. The Earth is the densest planet and the first three letters, “ear” help you listen to music.
Which of the following statements are true and which are false?
1. Only one of the statements is false.
2. Exactly two of the statements are false.
3. Only three of the statements are false.
4. Exactly four of the statements are false.
5. All five of these statements are false.
The problem works out to a set of three equations:
b + c + d = 22
a + c + e = 22
a + b + c + d + e = 30
Solving for c = 14, leaving d = 8 – b and e = 8 – a. In other words, c must be 14, but the other two numbers just have to add up to 8. The requirement that they be unique rules out 4 + 4, so you’re left to choose from the following combations for b + d and a + e:
0 + 8
1 + 7
2 + 6
3 + 5