The Mills family had traveled to their vacation cabin which was next to a large, beautiful lake in the mountains. Mr. and Mrs. Mills and their three children, Brock (age 6), Cindy (age 7), and Susan (age 8) had come to the lake to relax for the weekend. They were all looking forward to taking a long, relaxing swim in the lake, and to try out the brand new boat Mr. Mills had just purchased for some family fun. As they were swimming near the middle of the lake, it dawned on Mr. Mills that their son Brock was not in the water with them. Suddenly, with no warning, the family heard motor sounds and saw their newly-purchased boat speeding directly toward them, accompanied by the maniacal laughter of their missing child, Brock. Again and again, Brock drove the boat directly at his vulnerable family, laughing insanely each time it passed near them. "I told Brock not to go near that boat unless I was with him," shouted Mr. Mills, "and now he's trying to kill us with it!" However, Mrs. Mills nonchalantly responded, "Oh, boys will be boys." Considering the circumstances, why was Mrs. Mills so cavalier concerning her son's disobedient and reckless behavior, and why did she seem unconcerned about her six-year-old driving a boat without supervision?
Think about the context of the situation and the fact that the family was "swimming near the middle of the lake"... what does that imply about Brock's ability to operate the boat?
Mr. Mills had bought the family a new remote controlled boat, but bad boy Brock decided to ignore his father’s instructions, and sent the two-foot long boat on its maiden voyage as a mischievous prank on his family. I don’t envy Brock when his father reaches shore.
Dorothy has never expressed suicidal thoughts, but whenever she experiences feelings of sadness or depression, she makes arrangements to travel to a very high spot that she has visited on numerous occasions. Once there, she proceeds to jump from that great height. The fascinating fact though is she has never been injured from this leap, and in fact, she tells everyone that she feels much better afterward. If she’s not suicidal, then what is going on here, and why has she never been injured, or even worse, died from her risky actions?
Think about a common activity people do at high spots, and how it might relate to Dorothy's feelings of sadness and depression...
There are several possible solutions to this brain teaser. Either Dorothy is a parachutist, or a ski jumper, or a hang glider enthusiast. There may be other possible solutions.
Mrs. Fortini has been married for 10 years. For her 10th wedding anniversary, she got a pair of beautiful diamond earrings. Mrs. Fortini also has two daughters–Beatrice and Ivy–who always touch her stuff. One day, Mrs. Fortini was going to put on the earrings, when she found out that they had been stolen. She concluded that it must have been one of her daughters, so she asked them, "I've told you two so many times to not take my things! Who took my jewelry this time?". Beatrice said, "I never touch your jewelry box!". Ivy also denied taking her mom's stuff; "I don't wear earrings!", she said. Who stole the earrings?
Think about what each daughter said, and how it might relate to their actions...
It was Ivy who stole the earrings. Her mother didn't specify which piece of jewelry was missing.
A thief was in the process of robbing the house of a wealthy widow. As he was rifling through the dresser drawers where her jewelry box was located, he came upon a bunch of diamonds. He knew the diamonds were genuine because he had seen the same type many times before, but he left them untouched in the drawer and continued searching the room. When he heard police sirens approaching, he ran from the home empty-handed, not retrieving the diamonds. Did this thief flunk out of crook college? Why didn't he grab those diamonds when he had the chance?
The thief's occupation is not what you think it is...
The diamonds he spotted in the dresser drawer were a bunch of playing cards with the suit of 13 diamonds facing up where he could see them.
Four men sat down to play, They played all night till the break of day. They played for gold and not for fun, With separate scores for every one. When they had come to square accounts, They all had made quite fair amounts. Can you the paradox explain, If no one lost, how all could gain?
Think about a game where the "gain" is not necessarily at the expense of the others...
Once upon a time, there was a beautiful princess named Anna. Anna's father, the King, wanted to be sure his daughter married an intelligent man. To test his daughter's suitors the King hid Anna's picture in one of three boxes. The suitor had to be able to select the box with Anna's picture on one try and within twenty seconds. On the gold box was the message "Anna's picture is in this box". The silver box had the message "Anna's picture is not in this box." "Anna's picture is not in the gold box" was written on the bronze box. The King would tell each suitor "Only one of the three messages is correct." Which box contained Anna's picture?
Think about it like this: if a message is true, what would it imply about the other two boxes?
The silver box contained Anna's picture. If her picture had been in the gold box, two statements would have been true. (The messages on both the gold box and the silver box.) If her picture had been in the bronze box, two statements would have been true. (The messages on the bronze box and the silver box.)
Steve woke up after a good night's sleep. He wanted to make a big breakfast for himself. He has a dozen eggs in a carton. He breaks two eggs, fries two, and eats two. How many eggs are there in the carton afterward?
Think about what happened to the eggs, but don't forget to consider what didn't happen to the eggs...
Afterwards, there are 10 eggs in the carton. Steve broke, fried, and ate the same two eggs. This is because: 1) cooking the egg while it is still in its shell would be considered boiling the egg, not frying it; after all, you would need to break the egg into a pan before frying it, and; 2) you cannot eat a raw egg while it is still in the shell because of the risk of foodborne illnesses.
Donny was driving his semi under an overpass when suddenly he came to a screeching halt. Donny wasn't paying enough attention and inadvertently drove under the overpass that was just barely as high as his truck. The semi was wedged so tightly that he could not go forward or backward. A fellow trucker came by and told him how he could easily get the semi out from under the bridge. What did he suggest?
Think about what's not nailed down on a semi-truck...
He told Don to let some air out of his tires. This would make the truck lower and allow him to pass through.
Someone stole $20 off your desk at school. You find 4 suspects: Gina, Kelly, Peter, and Liam. You ask them all about the money: Gina: Hey, I didn't take it! Kelly: I'm pretty sure Peter took it! Peter: No way! Kelly is lying! Liam: Gina's telling the truth! One of these people is telling the truth. Who took your money?
Gina took the money. She, Kelly, and Liam are lying while Peter is telling the truth. If any of the other people had taken it, then there would be only 1 liar and 3 people telling the truth.
Jordan is leaving from a small town in Wyoming and hiking through the wilderness to a post where he will spend the summer. The hike will take Jordan six days. One man can only carry enough food and water for four days. Jordan cannot take a mule or any other animal to haul his food and water, because there will be insufficient food and supplies for the animals at his destination.
How can Jordan make it to his destination?
Think about what Jordan can do on the way back...
Jordan takes two other hikers with him. Each hiker starts out with a four day supply of food and water. After the first day, the first hiker gives a one day supply to each Jordan and the second hiker. This leaves the first hiker with a one day supply to go home and Jordan and the second hiker now each have a four day supply again. After the second day, the second hiker gives Jordan a one day supply and keep a two day supply for himself so that he can get home. This gives Jordan a four day supply of food and water, and now he has enough to reach his destination.
An old parchment describes the location of buried treasure: "On the island there are only two trees, A and B, and the remains of a gallows. Start at the gallows and count the steps required to walk in a straight line to tree A. At the tree turn 90 degrees to the left and then walk forward the same number of steps. At the point where you top drive a spike into the ground. Now return to the gallows and walk in a straight line, counting your steps, to tree B. When you reach the tree, turn 90 degrees to the right and take the same number of steps forward, placing another spike at the point where you stop. Dig at the point exactly halfway between the spikes and you will find the treasure." However, our hero when he gets to the island finds the gallows missing. Is there any way he can still get to the treasure?
Think about what the instructions would have looked like from the perspective of tree A and tree B...
A simple experiment with a ruler and paper shows that any position for the gallows leads to the same point.
A large truck is crossing a bridge 1 mile long. The bridge can only hold 14000 lbs, which is the exact weight of the truck. The truck makes it half way across the bridge and stops. A bird lands on the truck. Does the bridge collapse?
Think about the weight of the bird, but also think about the distribution of the truck's weight on the bridge...
No, it does not collapse. Because it has driven a half mile - you would subtract the gas used from the total weight of the truck.
A forest exists somewhere on Earth. This forest has no life except for trees. After a storm, a tree was hit by lightning and falls.
What sound would it make?
Think about the phrase "no life except for trees"... what does that really mean?
Three working women have different careers. If only one of statements 1, 2 and 3 are true, can you tell whether or not Mary is a nurse? 1. This statement is only true if statement 5 is false. 2. This statement is true if statements 4 or 5, or both 4 and 5 are true. 3. This statement is false only if both statements 6 and 1 are true. 4. Mary is a nurse 5. Karen is an artist. 6. Sarah is a photographer.
Pay close attention to the relationships between the statements, especially statements 1, 2, and 3, as they will help you navigate the puzzle.
Mary is not a nurse. The way to solve this riddle is to consider statements 4, 5, and 6 and create a chart of all possible true and false answers. Next, fill in the chart according to statements 1 through 3. You will discover that there is only one line where only one of the statements one, two, and three are true. Thus, it is determined that: Statements 4 and 5 are false and statement 6 is true.
Mr. and Mrs. Smith were walking home from the shopping mall with their purchases when Mr. Smith began to complain that his load was too heavy. Mrs. Smith turned to her husband and said, "I don't know what you're complaining about because if you gave me one of your parcels, I would have twice as many as you and if I gave you just one of mine, we would have equal loads." How many parcels was each carrying?
Think about the ratio of parcels between Mr. and Mrs. Smith, and how it changes when they exchange one parcel. The key is to find the smallest possible ratio that satisfies the conditions.
Mrs. Smith was carrying seven parcels and Mr. Smith was carrying five.
Can you divide the watch face with 2 straight lines so that the sums of the sums of the numbers in each part are equal?
Think about the symmetry of the watch face and the numbers that are diagonally opposite each other...
The sum of the numbers on the watch face is 78. If the two lines cross, there must be 4 equal parts, but 78 is not divisible by 4. Then the lines do not cross, giving three parts with the sum of 26 each. Once you see the pairs on the face that add to 13(12+1,11+2, and so far) the answer will be easy to find.
My life is often a volume of grief, your help is needed to turn a new leaf. Stiff is my spine and my body is pale, but I'm always ready to tell a tale.
What am I?
Think about an object that's often associated with stories and information, but can also be a symbol of sadness or mourning...
When in hot water I get harder. I am only useful once broken. Some people eat only the white part for its low fat, high protein nutritional content. What am I?
Think about something you might find in a kitchen, but isn't always edible in its original form...
I'm sometimes white, and always wrong. I can break a heart and hurt the strong. I can build love and tear it down. I can make a smile, but more often bring a frown.
What am I?
Think about something that can be written or spoken, and can have a profound impact on people's emotions...
I am a puzzle with a wordy facade. There's always an answer, even if it seems odd. Only the clever can understand my code. If you don't answer, then you'll never know. What am I?
Think about a type of puzzle where the answer is always there, even if it's not immediately clear, and the cleverness required to solve it lies in deciphering a hidden meaning or pattern...
I am the tool, for inspiring many. Buy me in the store, for not much more than a penny. Don't overuse me, or my usefulness will go, what am I? Do you know?
Think about something that sparks creativity, is very affordable, and can lose its effectiveness if used excessively...
I sound a color,
But that's the old me;
I grow near the water;
I'm what your doing.
What am I?
Think about a word that has changed its meaning over time, and its old meaning is related to a color. Also, consider an activity you're doing right now...
I am the fountain from which no one can drink. For many I am considered a necessary link. Like gold to all I am sought for, But my continued death brings wealth for all to want more. What am I?
Think about something that's highly valued and sought after, yet its "death" or depletion is what actually makes it valuable to people. It's a bit of a paradox!
With pointed fangs it sits in wait, With piercing force it doles out fate, Over bloodless victims proclaiming its might, Eternally joining in a single bite. What is it?
A man goes out drinking every night, returning to his home in the wee hours of every morning. No matter how much he drinks, he never gets a hangover. This drink is very well known, but is rarely consumed, served warm and taken straight from its source. The man is a sucker for a free drink, especially since he can't live without it. What is his favorite drink?
Think about a daily routine that involves a "drink" that's essential for survival, and the "source" is something you might find in every home...
Around the world, a wingless thing flies, and on the way it whistles and cries. Sometimes it helps destroy towns and trees, but sometimes it relaxes humans and beasts. It can fly through holes so tiny, so small. It can fly through plains that are big and wide. From the north, to the south, it is feared when it comes. But also enjoyed by the people around. What is the thing?
Think about something that can travel long distances, make sounds, and have both positive and negative effects on the environment and living things. It's not a living creature, but it can be found almost everywhere...
A detective who was mere days away from cracking an international oil smuggling ring has suddenly gone missing. While inspecting his last-known location, officers find a note: 710 57735 34 5508 51 7718. Currently, there are 3 suspects: Bill, John, and Todd. Can you break the detective's code and find the criminal's name?
Hint: Look for a pattern in the numbers that corresponds to a common method of communication, and think about how the detective might have used this method to conceal the name of the suspect.
Bill is the suspect if you read upside down the numbers it says: "Bill is boss. He sells oil."
A precious stone as clear as a diamond. Seek it out when the suns near the horizon. Though you can walk on water with its power. Try to keep it, and it will vanish in an hour. What am I?
"Think about a natural phenomenon that occurs when the sun is near the horizon, and it's related to light and water..."
The Pope has it but he does not use it. Your father has it but your mother uses it. Nuns do not need it. Your lady friend's husband has it and she uses it. What is it?
You use me for my name, I'm not a breeze to tame, I'm fastest when I'm full and when it's cheap it sounds the same. You'll spot a nest near me (although I'm not a tree), the sea is fore, the sea is aft, it's all around, you see. What am I?
"Think about something you might find near the ocean, and consider the multiple meanings of a certain word..."