The worlds first riddle!

[size=7]TARAH
32

888333331111111[/size]

You find a note under your co-workers desk on which a message seems to be written in code. It reads: Abc'd ebbf ghi ibajckgldmkf qhdc nbcobbl hd. Bakpjnbcm.

You take it to your teenage son. He deciphers the secret alphabet except for one word that he keeps in code.

It reads: Let's keep our relationship just between us. Bakpjnbcm.

The curiosity is getting to you. Can you figure out the missing word

[size=7]NOTE
Hmmm.
Eli?abeth
I wonder what it could be...
That's a tough one. I give up.[/size]

Ok, ok:
You own a magazine stand. Last month, you sold 1134 magazines at an average price of $4.25 per magazine. You pay out a total of $1,530.00 in salaries to your two full-time employees, Mutt and Jeff, which constitutes 80% of your business expenses.

How much profit did you realize last month

[size=7]MAGAZINE STAND
$2907[/size]

Mark's right, 2907 bucks

4.25x1134=4819.5

1530x2=.8X when X=expenses
multiply by 2, divide by .8
=
1912.5

4819.5-1912.2=2907

Black stump thanks TA and my inlaws live in wagga.



I would be somewhat reluctant to answer

Mark:

TARAH
32

888333331111111


NOTE
Hmmm.
Eli?abeth
I wonder what it could be...
That's a tough one. I give up.


(I think you gave up too soon. You were so close - it was ?'Elizabeth' - better luck next time.


MAGAZINE STAND
$2907


Nick confirms the correct amount with the insight:

4.25x1134=4819.5

1530x2=.8X when X=expenses
multiply by 2, divide by .8
=
1912.5

4819.5-1912.2=2907

Making it look so easy.


DP observes, "Black stump thanks"

On a visit to a theme park I saw a sign to ?'Burnt Stump', so now ?'Black' is burnt.

"my inlaws live in wagga."

Tell us something we don't know. :wink:

"I would be somewhat reluctant to answer"

Right on. Or, don't write on as the case may be.



At a yard sale, Nick is lucky enough to find an old milk crate containing 104 record albums for $26.00. If he could purchase each album individually, how much will Nick pay for the 28 albums that he selects from the crate



If DP ran 9 miles in 1-1/2 hours (yes, I know that's not believe able but neither was star wars) and he decided to continue at the same pace for another 30 minutes, how many miles will he have run altogether

[size=7]NICK
$7

DP
12[/size]

ok, first of all, thats not so unbelieveable, considerring i can run one mile in 7:18, and long distance pace would probably be about a 10 min mile pace. but thats beside the point mark's right with both of them, with getting 7 bucks for the first one and 12 miles total for the second

give us somethin to think about, these are elementary..im not tryin to be a smart ass, or cocky, but i think mark would agree, GIVE US A CHALLENGE (that doesnt have to do with a dude walkin by 2 guys talking outside a cave that only a nobel prize winner that hasnt been found yet can solve)

Dear Nick, many thanks for your feedback. As you may know, we cater for various levels of ability and even those from France.

You wrote, "ok, first of all, thats not so unbelieveable, considerring i can run one mile in 7:18"

Listen up dude, we are talking about ?'DP' - nickname, ?'five bellies'. Heck it would take him longer than that to mosey from one end of the bar, to the other.

However, your wish is my command as we start, ?'IV US - A CHALLENGE'



What would be the next letter in this series:

Poi lkj mnb uyt




On the planet of Xidir, there are two moons which orbit it. One is red and the other is white. The red one is closer to the planet, and it orbits the planet at twelve times the rate of the white one (but in the same direction).

The Xidirs enjoy watching eclipses of the white moon, much as humans enjoy watching eclipses of their sun. The total time it takes for the red moon to orbit the planet once is twelve months.

How long (precisely) must the Xidirs wait in between each eclipse before they can observe another one

[size=7]ECLIPSES
144/11 (or 13 1/11) months[/size]

Mark:

NICK
$7

(Divide your cost by the number of albums, 26.00 / 104 = $0.25 per album. Multiplying the 28 albums you want by the unit cost, 28 x $0.25 = $7.00).


DP
12

(Divide 9 miles by 1.5 hours for your average speed = 6mph. Divide your average speed by 2 for miles per ½ hour, 6mph / 2 = 3 miles per 30 minutes. Add the 3 miles to the 9 miles you ran, 9+3 =12 miles).


Nick confirms the numbers.


Mark:

ECLIPSES
144/11 (or 13 1/11) months /

(Congrats Mark)


The amount of time the red moon must travel for can be broken down into two parts:

1. the amount of time needed to complete one orbit
2. the additional amount of time needed to cover the distance achieved by the white moon.

The amount of time it would take the red moon to orbit the planet once would be twelve months. The amount of time it would take the red moon to cover the distance achieved by the white moon would be one twelfth of the time it took the white moon to do this, thus t/12.

As the white moon and the red moon will in fact have travelled for the same amount of time (just at different speeds), the time the red moon travels for (12 mos. + t/12) will be equal to the amount of time (t) for which the white moon has traveled. Thus we get the equation:

12 mos. + t/12 = t
Solving for t, we get: 144/11 (or 13.090909...) months.

The space below is reserved for Nick's answer.

"




"


What would be the first number in this series




You drop 4 coins in a well. One nickel, one quarter, and the other two are dimes. Using a special device, your friend is able to retrieve two coins from the well and tells you that one of the coins is a dime.

What are the chances that the other coin she took out is also a dime



What is the next number set in this idiosyncratic series:

Wsx edc rfv

[size=7]COINS IN A WELL
1/5[/size]

What's up with these sequences?

Mark, "What's up with these sequences?"

These ?'quirky' little riddles lack the answer that is before you. :wink:


Mark, "COINS IN A WELL 1/5" /

To coin a phrase, are you unwell?



I was down at the shack where Gus lives (doing my community service) when he suddenly, and without warning said:

Take the 2-digit number 45.
Square it (45 x 45) to make 2025
Split this 4-digit number in half to make 20 and 25
Add them (20 + 25) to make 45
Which is what you started with.

This got me to a thinking. Is there another 2-digit number which does the same

(Gus was mute on the topic)

55 does that too....

COINS IN A WELL
There are C(4,2)=6 ways to select two of the coins:
D1D2
D1N
D1Q
D2N
D2Q
NQ
Five include at least one dime. Only one of those includes both dimes.

So does 99

?'Square it'

Nick:

55

Mark:

99


How about that, one question two unique answers.



COINS IN A WELL
There are C(4,2)=6 ways to select two of the coins:
D1D2
D1N
D1Q
D2N
D2Q
NQ
Five include at least one dime. Only one of those includes both dimes.



Agreed - BUT…


There are 6 possible pairings of the four coins:
dime/dime,
dime(1)/nickel,
dime(2)/nickel,
dime(1)/quarter,
dime(2)/quarter,
nickel/quarter.

You can eliminate the nickel/quarter pairing since we know that 1 coin is a dime.
Since one of the dimes (say dime1) is already out, it leaves 3 possible combinations -

dime1/dime2,
dime1/nickel,
dime1/quarter.)

Therefore: 1 in 3.

What say you?



What number should follow in the series 33, 49.5, 74.25, 111.37, 167.06…




Lord Helpless and his family listened to the evening news anxiously for any report of further advances by the military forces. When they heard the reporter announce that the army was pressing forward, and would reach their area by nightfall, Lord Helpless decided that it was necessary that the family evacuate that very night, rather than waiting for morning as previously planned.

However, the recently-retired Colonel Lord Helpless had secret documents in the house which could not be found by the attacking army. Colonel Lord Helpless urged his family to take the car and proceed to the train station. He would remain to burn the documents, and then attempt to catch up with them later on.

Just as the Colonel finished burning the last of the documents, he glanced at his watch. It was too late. The train would have already departed.
Nevertheless, he leaped on his motorbike, and gunned the engine. As he glanced at the horizon, he caught site of the train in the distance.

The train was heading directly east of the station, heading directly for a bridge lying up ahead. He estimated that the train had already done 1 km and that it had 2 km more to go before reaching an upcoming bridge. After the train had passed over the bridge, Lord Helpless would not be able to catch up with it, for he could not pass over the bridge on his motorbike.

Lord Helpless knew that his house was exactly 4 km directly south of the train station. The train itself was .5 km long, and travelled at 50 km an hour.

Would it be possible for Lord Helpless to make it to the train and jump aboard before it passed over the bridge

If you answer the above in the affirmative, what speed would he have to be going