50. DOLLARS
Why are 1994 dollar bills worth more than 1993 dollar bills?
Solution
49. LINKS
You have four 3-link chain pieces. You must connect them so that you
have one 12-link circle. It costs $.20 to open a link and $.30 to
close a link. How can you create the 12-link closed circle for no
more than $1.50?
Solution
48. 8'S
Using eight 8's, how do you come up with exactly 1000? You can only
use the number 8, in any configuration, as well as any combination
of +, -, *, or /.
(8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 = 1000)
Solution
47. TRAP FOR A RAINY DAY
Two cars made their way along the winding country road and came to an
abrupt stop at the park's gate. Seven men got out of the two cars and
proceeded along a footpath when it began to rain. None of them had
umbrellas, so six of the men began to walk faster to get out of the rain
but the seventh man couldn't be bothered. Ironically it was the seventh
man who remained dry and the other six got soaked. Since all seven men
arrived at their destination together, how was this possible?
Solution
46. TETHER BALL CHAMPIONSHIP
Mr. Dodgers volunteered to be the chief organizer for the world's tether
ball championships. There were 657 contestants from around the world. The
tournament was set up whereby the winner would advance and the loser
would be eliminated. Since there was an odd number of participants, the
initial pairing leaves one player out. That player gets a bye and
automatically advances to the next round.
How many matches will Mr. Dodgers have to schedule to determine the tether
ball champion? (Try figuring it out in your head!)
Solution
45. DROPPING PENNIES
Billy had a coin purse with fifty coins, totaling exactly $1.00.
Unfortunately, while counting them, he dropped one coin behind the
radiator. What is the probability that it was a penny?
Solution
44. MOVE THE DIGIT
Move just one digit to make this equation true:
101 - 102 = 1
Solution
43. PASS/FAIL
Changing only one letter at a time to make only legitimate words,
change FAIL into PASS:
F A I L
_ _ _ _
_ _ _ _
_ _ _ _
P A S S
Solution
42. TOTAL THE BOX
This one comes from Jerry, who says he got it from a Mensa test:
| w | x | y | z | = | 110 |
| x | w | y | z | = | 110 |
| x | z | y | w | = | 110 |
| w | x | z | y | = | 110 |
| 90 | 105 | 125 | ? | | |
The sum of each row and column except one is shown. Figure out the
missing number.
Solution
41. THE BEARD
"I've only met one of them," said Margaret. "The guy with the beard.
Which is he?"
"You figure it out yourself," Clem replied. "Two of them are married,
two have blue eyes, and two are clean-shaven. The bearded one has brown
eyes. Doug's wife is Ken's sister, and the bachelor has the same color
eyes as Joe. They're three great guys."
Who had the beard?
Solution
40. FIVE-LETTER WORDS
This one has two parts, though you may answer them independently.
A. What five-letter word becomes shorter when you add two letters to it?
B. Professor Quantum enjoyed ending his lectures by posing a challenging
riddle or puzzle to his English students. Quantum instructed his class to
write their answers to his question on a slip of paper, and then wait in
line until he called out their names. Quantum's question was: "What is a
five letter word in the English language whose pronunciation isn't changed
by removing four of its letters?"
Solution
39. CHRISTMAS PRESENTS
"I'm broke," said Ted. "Last Christmas I averaged nine dollars on little
gifts for the few who got them. But this Christmas I spent thirty bucks
more on gifts for the same people."
"So what?" Fred chuckled. "You've only got nieces and nephews to think
about."
Ted smiled. "Them and one sister, too," he replied. "Last Christmas I
spent exactly as much on the nephews as on the nieces, and the same
total on my sister. This time her gift cost me seven dollars more, and
I spent five dollars more on each nephew and four dollars on each niece."
How much had he spent on those gifts this time?
Solution
38. CHRISTMAS SHOPPING
Ms. Adams, Ms. Baker, Ms. Carmichael, Ms. Dodge, Ms. Eldridge, and
Ms. Franklin all went Christmas shopping one morning at Nordstroms.
Each woman went directly to the floor carrying the article that she
wanted to buy, and each woman bought only one article. The purchases
were a book, a dress, a handbag, a necktie, a hat, and a lamp.
All the women except Ms. Adams entered the elevator on the main floor.
Two men also entered the elevator. Two women, Ms. Carmichael and the
one who bought the necktie, got off at the second floor. Dresses were
sold on the third floor. The two men got off at the fourth floor. The
woman who bought the lamp got off at the fifth floor, leaving Ms.
Franklin all alone to get off at the sixth floor.
The day after Christmas, Ms. Baker, who received the handbag as a
surprise gift from one of the women who got off at the second floor,
met her husband returning the necktie that one of the other women had
given him. If books are sold on the main floor, and Ms. Eldridge was
the sixth person to get out of the elevator, what did each of these
women buy?
Solution
37. BANANAS AND TARANTULAS
There are three boxes in a South American warehouse, one marked
"Tarantulas," one marked "Bananas," and the third marked "Tarantulas
and Bananas." You are told that all three boxes are marked wrong, and
you must rearrange the labels correctly. Without peeking, you may
withdraw only one item from each box.
What is the minimum number of boxes from which you would have to remove an item in order to be able to correctly label all three?
Solution
36. DROP THE BALL
In Hawaii, if you drop a steel ball weighing five pounds from a height
of 45 inches, will it fall more rapidly through water at 20 degrees
Fahrenheit or water at 40 degrees Fahrenheit. Or will it make no
difference?
Solution
35. WHO'S TELLING THE TRUTH?
A says B lies.
B says C lies.
C says A & B both lie.
Is anyone telling the truth?
Solution
34. MARBLES
There are 100,000 blue marbles in a blue barrel and 100,000 red
marbles in a red barrel. A blindfolded person transfers 100 marbles
from the blue to the red barrel, mixes the marbles in the red barrel,
and transfers 100 marbles from it back to the blue barrel. This is
repeated again with 100 marbles taken from the blue to the red barrel
and then 100 randomly chosen marbles taken back from the red to the
blue barrel. This blue-to-red, red-to-blue transfer of 100 marbles
is repeated three times.
After this blue-to-red, red-to-blue transfer of marbles has been
repeated three times, are there more blue marbles in the red barrel
than red marbles in the blue barrel, or are there more red marbles
in the blue barrel than blue marbles in the red barrel?
Solution
33. CHOOSING DEATH
Many years ago, an explorer was captured by a group of natives in Africa.
Because they were going to kill him, they offered him a choice of deaths.
He was allowed to choose between death by hanging or beheading. He was
to make a final statement. If that statement was true, he would be hanged.
If it was false, he would be beheaded.
He made a one-sentence statement, and they could neither hang him nor
behead him. They had to let him go. What did the explorer say?
Solution
32. SALLIE LOU
Sallie Lou likes sequoia trees but not evergreens
She doesn't want either disease, but she'd rather have pneumonia than influenza
She jokes facetiously but not humorously
Does Sallie Lou shop stingily or abstemiously?
Explain.
Solution
31. POLITICIANS
In a certain mythical community, politicians never tell the truth, and non-politicians always tell the truth. A stranger meets three natives and asks the first of them, "Are you a politician?" The first native answers the question. The second native then reports that the first native denied being a politician. The third native says that the first native is a politician.
How many of these three natives are politicians?
COROLLARY:
In the same mythical community, a stranger meets three other natives and
asks them, "How many of you are politicians?" The first native replies, "We
are all politicians." The second native says, "No, just two of us are politicians." The third native then says, "That isn't true either."
Solution
30. EYES
Amos, Bert, and Clem are brothers.
- Amos has exactly two brothers with grey eyes.
- Bert has exactly two brothers with grey or hazel eyes.
- Clem has exactly two brothers who do not have blue eyes.
- At least one of the three has hazel eyes and at least one of the three has blue eyes.
Whose eyes do you know the color of?
Solution
29. TRAINS
A single railroad track 100 miles long runs from north to south. Two trains
leave at the same time, one heading north and one heading south, and
reach the same speed. But they never collide. Why?
Solution
28. GOLF
Mr. Short, his sister, his son, and his daughter are fond of golf and often
play together. The following statements are true of their foursome:
(1) The best player's twin and the worst player are of opposite sex.
(2) The best player and the worst player are the same age.
Which one of the foursome is the best player?
Solution
27. HEIGHT
If Sid Shady is 80 centimeters plus half his own height, how tall is he?
Solution
26. THE BAR MURDER
Two men enter a bar and order identical drinks. When they arrive, the
drinks contain exactly the same contents. Nothing is added as they drink.
One man drinks his drink quickly and leaves the bar unharmed. The other
man drinks his drink slowly and dies on the bar. He was not attacked in any
way by anyone. Why did the first man survive and what killed the second man?
Solution
25. THE FUGITIVE
Sid Shady escaped from jail and headed to the country. While walking along
a rural road, he saw a police car speeding toward him. Shady ran toward it for
a short time and then fled into the woods. Why did he run toward the car?
Solution
24. THE CLOCK
Let's say you have a friend who collects candles. He spends so much money
on them that he can hardly afford anything else, and he owns only one timepiece,
a clock. Disliking electricity, he doesn't pay much attention to his bills, and one night it's all turned off, stopping his clock.
After a phone call to the company, they turn it back on, but now he doesn't know
what time it is. He leaves to spend the day at the wax museum. When he returns,
he walks right over to his clock and sets the correct time. How?
Solution
23. SNOWY CORPSE
Shadow surveys the scene. A woman is shot to death and is lying face down
in the parking lot. A light snow covers the ground. Leading to the body is a set
of footprints which run between two sets of parallel tracks. Leading away from the
dead woman are just two sets of parallel tracks. What type of person should Shadow
be looking for?
Solution
22. WORDS
Do you see any relationship in these four words: thorn, shout, seat, stew?
Solution
21. KIDS AND ANIMALS
Melissa and Andy are two of the five students who sit at the center table in
Ms. Schindler's fifth grade class. Last weekend, Melissa's house was painted
and Andy got a new pet, so the Monday morning recess conversation revolved
around pets and houses. From the following clues, can you find the full name
of each child (one last name is Gibson), the color of his or her home, and the
type of pet each has?
- Nicole and the Wolfe child sat together on one side of the table; the
boy named Sean and the boy who has the cat sat together on the other side;
the child who lives in the grey house sat at one end.
- Neither the child with the hamster nor the one with the canary lives
in the green house.
- The Harris boy and the child who has the pet goat did not sit together.
- The child with the dog and the one who has the hamster sat together;
neither lives in the white house.
- Nicole doesn't live in the yellow house or the green house.
- The Parker child does not live in the white house or the brown house.
- The Braden child does not have the goat or the hamster.
- Becky is not Wolfe or Parker.
Solution
20. WHICH WORD?
HOE OAR PAD TOE VAT
1. Each of three logicians was told one letter of a certain word, so that
each logician knew only one of the letters and no two logicians knew the same letter.
2. The logicians were then told their three letters could be arranged to spell
one of the words in the list above.
3. When the logicians were asked "Do you know which word the letters spell?"
One logician replied "Yes." On hearing this, the second logician replied "Yes."
Finally the third logician also replied "Yes."
Which word did their letters spell?
Solution
19. THE LOAN COMPANY
The employees of a small loan company are Mr. Black, Mr. White, Mrs. Coffee,
Miss Ambrose, Mr. Kelly, and Miss Earnshaw. The positions they occupy are
manager, assistant manager, cashier, stenographer, teller, and clerk, though
not necessarily in that order. The assistant manager is the manager's grandson,
the cashier is the stenographer's son-in-law, Mr. Black is a bachelor, Mr. White
is twenty-two years old, Miss Ambrose is the teller's step-sister, and Mr. Kelly is the manager's neighbor.
Who holds each position?
Solution
18. AIRPLANES
There are two planes heading straight toward each other. One plane is
traveling at 15 kilometers per minute, and the other is traveling at 10
kilometers per minute. Assuming that the planes are exactly 1000 kilometers
apart, what distance will be between them one minute before they meet?
Solution
17. ALARM CLOCK
Gary Gladhand, the politician, was very tired after a long day of campaigning.
He went to bed at 10 p.m., wound his alarm clock and set it for noon the next
day. Since Gary fell asleep almost immediately, how many hours of sleep did
he get before the alarm woke him?
Solution
16. HOUSES
Alice, Bob, Chuck, David, and Elsa live in five different houses that are
numbered 101, 102, 103, 104, and 105, along a street that runs from south
to north, with 105 being the farthest north.
Alice does not live in 105.
Bob does not live in 101.
Chuck does not live in either 101 or 105.
David lives in a house farther north than Bob.
Elsa does not live in a house adjacent to Chuck.
Chuck does not live in a house adjacent to Bob.
Who lives in which house?
Solution
15. WHAT'S THE WORD?
What word am I talking about? The first two letters mean a man, the first
three letters mean a woman, the first four letters mean a great man, and all
the letters mean a great woman.
Solution
14. THE COUNTERFEIT COIN
You have 10 coins and a balance scale. One of the coins is counterfeit and
does not have the same weight as the other nine, but all 10 coins look exactly
alike. In how few weighings can you be sure to identify the counterfeit coin?
Explain.
Solution
13. QUEENS
How many Queens can you place safely on a chess board, such that none
can capture any others? Demonstrate.
Solution
12. PARAGRAPH
This is a most unusual paragraph. How quickly can you find out what is so
unusual about it? It looks so ordinary you'd think nothing was wrong with it --
and in fact, nothing is wrong with it. It is unusual, though. Why? Study it, think
about it, and you may find out. Try to do it without coaching. If you work at it
for a bit, it will dawn on you. So jump to it and try your skill at figuring it out. Good luck. Don't blow your cool!
Solution
11. THREE SONS
The following conversation takes place between two friends, A and B, who
have not seen each other for a long time but have kept up their mental exercises:
A: I have three sons.
B: How old are they?
A: The product of their ages is 36.
B: That is not enough to answer my question. Can you give me another clue?
A: Yes. Their ages are integer numbers whose sum is the same as the number
on the store across the street.
B: Give me a few minutes to work it with a pencil.
(A few minutes later)
B: I have almost got the answer, but I need another clue.
A: OK. The oldest one has red hair.
B: I have got it.
What are the ages of the three sons?
Solution
10. TRUEL
Three men, A, B, & C, participated in a TRUEL (three-way duel) in accordance
with the following rules.
Each man was given a pistol and two bullets and positioned himself at the vertex of an equilateral triangle, 30 meters from the other two men. A was to fire one bullet first, next B, next C. They were to repeat this sequence until all bullets were fired or one man survived. The probabilities of each man hitting a target 30 meters away were 2/3 for A, 3/4 for B and 1 for C. This explains the reason for the sequence of firing.
What should A do with his first bullet?
Solution
9. COLORED HATS
Three blindfolded people, Abe, Beth, & Chuck, each take one hat from a
barrel containing 3 black and 2 white hats. Abe and Beth remove their
blindfolds and can each see the hats on the heads of the other two, but
not the hat on their own head. Abe says: "I cannot tell what color my hat
is." Upon hearing this, Beth says: "I cannot tell the color of my hat either."
Hearing these two statements, Chuck, who is still blindfolded, says: "I
know what color my hat is."
How did he know, and what was the color of his hat?
Solution
8. THE VILLAGE
A man is walking through the jungle on a path that suddenly splits and
goes two different directions. Each path leads to a different group of
natives. One group is cannibalistic and ALWAYS tells lies. The other
group is friendly and ALWAYS tells the truth. A native from one of the
groups is giving directions to the villages, but he can't tell which village
the native is from. What question can the man seeking directions ask
that will get him to the friendly village?
Solution
7. AN EXAMPLE OF LATERAL THINKING
Many years ago, when a person who owed money could be thrown in jail,
a merchant in London had the misfortune to owe a huge sum to a money-lender.
The money-lender, who was old and ugly, fancied the merchant's beautiful
teen-age daughter. He proposed a bargain. He said he would cancel the
merchant's debt if he could have the girl instead.
Both the merchant and his daughter were horrified at the proposal. So the cunning money-lender proposed that they let Providence decide the
matter. He told them that he would put a black pebble and a white pebble into
an empty money bag, and then the girl would have to pick out one of the pebbles.
If she chose the black pebble she would become his wife, and her father's debt
would be canceled. If she chose the white pebble she would stay with her father
and the debt would still be canceled. But if she refused to pick out a pebble, her
father would be thrown into jail and she would starve.
Reluctantly the merchant agreed. They were standing on a pebble-strewn
path in the merchant's garden as they talked, and the money-lender stooped to
pick up two pebbles. As he picked them up the girl, sharp-eyed with fright,
noticed that he picked up two black pebbles and put them into the money bag.
He then asked the girl to pick out the pebble that was to decide her fate and
that of her father.
What would you do if you had been the girl?
If you think of this problem in a logical, straightforward way, you're using
vertical thinking, a type of thinking that will not be of much help in this situation. Typical vertical thinking answers are, "Let the girl sacrifice herself or expose him for the crook he is."
Solution
6. GROOVY RECORD
How many grooves are there on each side of a standard 33-1/3 record album
that has SIX songs on each side?
Solution
5. RECORDS
"Your collection of rare record albums almost rivals your murdered aunt's world
famous collection," said Shadow to Sam Sham.
"Yes," replied Sam, she had several one-of-a-kinds. As her accountant I can
certainly verify the value of such a collection."
"We're not sure what the burglar was after when he murdered your aunt," said
Shadow, "but we found two very rare records hidden under the floorboards. These
would certainly be of interest to you."
Sam leaned forward and indicated he would very much like to read them.
Shadow then withdrew the two accounting records hidden by the deceased
lady which showed the debits and credits of a substantial fortune. "My aunt
was going senile so her entries wouldn't mean a thing," offered Sam.
"I believe you were involved in your aunt's murder," accused Shadow.
Why?
Solution
4. THE ELEVATOR
A man worked in a tall office building. Each morning he got in the elevator on the ground floor, pressed the button to the tenth floor, got out and walked up to the fifteenth floor. At night he would get into the elevator on the fifteenth floor and get out again on the ground floor. On rainy days, however, he rode the elevator all the way up to 15.
Why did the man act this way?
Solution
3. THE BLACK CAR
Mark Phillips checked out of the "Soul-Ace Hotel" and headed for the parking lot. Without the aid of moonlight or any artificial light, he was able to spot his black car a hundred yards away. How was this possible?
Solution
2. ARTIFACTS
Professor Herring just returned from a six month vacation in the middle East. In one of the lectures she gave, she said the highlight of the trip was seeing many ancient artifacts first-hand. She made mention of having seen several mummies and tapestries dating as far back as 200 B.C. She claimed to have seen coins dated 46 B.C., and weapons made of metal from approximately 500 B.C.
What is wrong with Professor Herring's claims?
Solution
1. MYSTERY
Shadow surveyed the scene. Itzak Gusher, the famous oil tycoon, was found shot to death while sitting in his car. Shadow was puzzled by the fact that he couldn't find a single trace of gunpowder anywhere in the car. This led Shadow to believe that Itzak had been murdered by someone outside the car. The strange part is, all the windows and doors were completely closed and locked. The only bullet holes found were on Itzak's body. Since the car wasn't damaged, how did the assassin manage to kill him?
Solution