mediummath

A man is considering how quickly his life has flown by. He thinks to himself, "the day before yesterday I was 37, and next year I will be 40!" The man has made no error in his calculation. On what day of the year is his birthday?

December 31st and the current day is Jan 1.

Why this works

This riddle plays with the concept of time and birthdays. The man states that "the day before yesterday I was 37," which implies that his birthday is on December 31st. So, two days ago (December 30th), he was still 37, but he turned 38 on December 31st. Now, since it's January 1st, he can say that "next year I will be 40," because he will turn 39 on December 31st of this year and then 40 the following year. The clever twist lies in how he references time, making his statement logically sound while playing with the calendar!

Common Wrong Answers

“January 1st”

If his birthday were January 1st, he would not be able to say he was 37 the day before yesterday and turn 40 next year, as he would have already turned 38 on January 1.

“December 30th”

If his birthday were December 30th, he would not have turned 39 yet when he says he was 37 the day before yesterday, as he would only be 38 at that point.

“February 28th”

If his birthday were February 28th, he would not be able to accurately say that he was 37 the day before yesterday and would not turn 40 next year, as the timeline does not align with the date calculations.

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