Your doctor gives you three pills and tells you to take one every half hour. How long do the pills last?

Why this works

At first glance, this riddle seems to dance around a complex timeline, but it cleverly plays with our assumptions about duration. The key lies in the timing of when you take each pill: you have three pills, and the instruction is to take one every half hour. If you take the first pill immediately, the second goes down after 30 minutes, and the third follows just 30 minutes later, precisely at the one-hour mark. This riddle is satisfying because it flips the expectation of having to wait longer than one hour to consume all three pills. Instead, it reveals that the sequence of events can be much simpler than anticipated. The satisfaction comes from the realization that the pills last for only one hour, a perfect example of how our minds can overcomplicate a straightforward scenario. Interestingly, riddles like this one often use time or sequence to challenge our thinking patterns, a technique that's been around since ancient civilizations. They remind us to think outside the box and question our assumptions, a skill that can be valuable not only in puzzles but in daily life as well. Next time you encounter a seemingly convoluted situation, remember to simplify and look for the clever twist hiding in plain sight!