There are several books on a bookshelf. If one book is the 4th from the left and 6th from the right, how many books are on the shelf?
9. Try sketching the problem out to see it.
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In the fathers will, he states that his sons must race their horse, and the son with the slowest horse will receive the fathers entire fortune. The two sons race, but never finish it, as they deliberately slow their horses. After visiting the oracle the sons race horses as fast as possible. What did the oracle tell them?ANSWER
You have two ropes. Each rope takes one hour to burn. These ropes are not identical, nor are they uniform; i.e. it does not necessarily take half an hour for half the rope to burn (if you have trouble visualizing this, imagine a rope of varying thickness across its length). With only these two ropes and a way to light them, how do you measure out 45 minutes?ANSWER
A murderer is condemned to death. He has to choose between three rooms. The first is full of raging fires, the second is full of assassins with loaded guns, and the third is full of lions that haven't eaten in 3 years. Which room is safest for him?ANSWER
A basket contains 5 apples. Do you know how to divide them among 5 kids so that each one has an apple and one apple stays in the basket?ANSWER
We travelled the sea far and wide. At one time, two of my sailors were standing on opposite sides of the ship. One was looking west and the other one east. And at the same time, they could see each other clearly.
How can that be possible?ANSWER
In a certain country ½ of 5 = 3. If the same proportion holds, what is the value of 1/3 of 10 ?ANSWER
Mr. Smith has 4 daughters. Each of his daughters has a brother.
How many children does Mr. Smith have?ANSWER
There is a chain nailed to the wall. The chain is 10 feet long and the centre of the chain dips down 5 feet from where each side of the chain is nailed to the wall. How far are the 2 ends of chain from each other?ANSWER
There are two planes. One is going from New York to London at a speed of 600 MPH. The other is travelling from London to New York at a speed of 500 MPH.
When the planes meet which one will be closer to London?ANSWER
If you toss a coin 10 times and it lands heads up every time, what are the chances it will land heads up if you toss it again?ANSWER
Whoever makes it, tells it not; whoever takes it, knows it not; and whoever knows it, wants it not. What is it?ANSWER
A girl was ten on her last birthday, and will be twelve on her next birthday. How is this possible?ANSWER
A ladder hangs over the side of a ship anchored in port. The bottom rung of the ladder touches the water. The distance between rungs is 30cm, and the length of the ladder is 270cm.
If the tide is rising at a rate of 15cm per hour, how long will it be before the water reaches the top rung?ANSWER
Usain and Mo race one another over 100m. When Usain crosses the finish line, Mo is only at the 90m mark. They agree to have a second race, but to make it fairer, Usain will begin 10m behind the starting line. All things being equal, who would you expect to win the race?ANSWER
A man is shown a portrait painting. He looks closely, then exclaims rather cryptically: “Brothers and sisters have I none, but that man’s father is my father’s son.”
Who is the man in the portrait?ANSWER
There are three light switches outside a room. Inside is a single light bulb, controlled by one of the three switches. You need to determine which switch operates the bulb.
You can turn the switches on and off as many times as you wish (they are all off to begin with), but may only enter the room once. There is no one there to help you. The door to the room is closed, and there are no windows, so you cannot see inside. How can you discover which switch operates the bulb?ANSWER
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