The Age of Three Daughters

I was visiting a friend one evening and remembered that he had three daughters. I asked him how old they were. “The product of their ages is 72,” he answered. Quizzically, I asked, “Is there anything else you can tell me?” “Yes,” he replied, “the sum of their ages is equal to the number of my house.” I stepped outside to see what the house number was. Upon returning inside, I said to my host, “I’m sorry, but I still can’t figure out their ages.” He responded apologetically, “I’m sorry, I forgot to mention that my oldest daughter likes strawberry shortcake.” With this information, I was able to determine all three of their ages. How old is each daughter?

3, 3, and 8. The only groups of 3 factors of 72 to have non-unique sums are “2 6 6” and “3 3 8” (with a sum of 14). The rest have unique sums:

2 + 2 + 18 = 22
2 + 3 + 12 = 18
2 + 4 + 9 = 15
3 + 4 + 6 = 13

The house number alone would have identified any of these groups. Since more information was required, we know the sum left the answer unknown. The presence of a single oldest child eliminates “2 6 6”, leaving “3 3 8” as the only possible answer.

Posted in Brain Teasers

Where I Never Was

You saw me where I never was and where I could not be. And yet within that very place, my face you often see. What am I?

A reflection

Posted in Riddles

Feet on the Hike

A man hiked through the woods with his dog and saw three coyotes, six wolf cubs, seven bunnies, nine squirrels and thirteen chipmunks. How many total feet were there?

Two. The man has two feet. The rest of the animals have paws.

Posted in Brain Teasers

Samuel the Secretive Scotsman

Fill in the blanks with four, four-letter words that all share the same first three letters.

Samuel the secretive Scotsman was dressed to ____ in his twill woven ____. Little did they know he had a ____ of marijuana stashed away as he innocently warmed his hands by the Scotch ____.

kill
kilt
kilo
kiln

Samuel the secretive Scotsman was dressed to kill in his twill woven kilt. Little did they know he had a kilo of marijuana stashed away as he innocently warmed his hands by the Scotch kiln.

Posted in Brain Teasers

As Long As They’re Dead

This is a place. The first letter is after A and before Z but nowhere in between. You can bring as many people as you want, as long as they’re all dead. Where is it?

The cemetery. The letter C is after A and before Z, and it’s not found in the word “between”. The cemetery won’t take live ones. Fortunately I don’t speak from experience on that.

Posted in Riddles

Come For a Ride

I go up, but at the same time go down,
Up toward the sky and down toward the ground,
I’m present tense and past tense too,
Come for a ride, just me and you.

What am I?

A see-saw.

Posted in Riddles
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Apples Rebus

What does this represent?

APPLE
APPLE
APPLE
aPPLe
APPLE

One bad apple spoils the bunch.

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At Birth It Can’t Start Nor By Death Is It Ended

More precious than gold, but cannot be bought,
Can never be sold, only earned if it’s sought,
If it is broken it can still can be mended,
At birth it can’t start nor by death is it ended.

Friendship. It is more precious than gold to have a genuine friend, and true friendship cannot be bought or sold, only earned. When a friendship is broken it can be fixed and infants aren’t able to make friends until they’re older, but death can’t end it. Love doesn’t work as an answer because a friendship requires two people to interact, while parents love their children as soon as they’re born.

Posted in Riddles

Don’t Get a Goat

On a game show there are three closed doors – one hides a car and the other two conceal a goat. The contestant selects a door, which remains closed, and the host, knowing where the car is hidden, reveals a goat behind one of the remaining two doors. The contestant is then given the option to switch doors or stay with the one they originally selected. What should the contestant do to have the best chance of winning the car?

The contestant should switch doors, which doubles the chance of winning the car. Initially there is a 2/3 chance of picking a goat, but once the other goat is revealed, switching to remaining door gives the contestant a better chance of winning the car. This is known as the Monty Hall Problem and can be very unintuitive.

Posted in Brain Teasers

I’m Yours, But Used More By Others

I belong to you, but am used more by others.

What am I?

Your name. It could also be your phone number.

Posted in Riddles