The worlds first riddle!

My congratulations Rich, I will have to kick it up a notch to match you.

As for ?'Incest' if there is any, I think it is best for it to be kept in the family.

The 5 people and their wins/losses are:

Person #1: Barbara (+ £4).
Person #2: Edward (- £5).
Person #3: Alice (+ £14).
Person #4: Daniel (- £7).
Person #5: Claire (- £6).

This result is obtained from the statements of the 5 people.

Since the sisters-in-law (#1 and #5) lost, wile #5 and Alice have won, then #3 is Alice.

Alice won £14, because £2 lost by the sister-in-law, and £12 lost by the men.

#1 is Barbara, as she talks about Claire.

Alice is the only child, therefore the sisters-in-law must be sisters of the husband (Daniel).

Daniel lost £7, as the bunch of brothers and sisters have lost a total of £9, of which only £2 was lost by the sisters.

Edward lost £5, as the two men lost a total of £12, of which £7 was lost by Daniel.

Barbara - Edward's wife because Claire is single - won £4, as the total lost by the couple Barbara-Edward is £1.

Claire lost £6, as the total loss of the two sisters is £2, but Barbara won £4.

Pleased to know you have decided to stay awhile, there are some very good riddlers out there, apart from Whim who just made a ?'lucky' guess. Strange thing is every time he makes a ?'lucky' guess he gets it right. :wink:

thanks, try, I had a lot of fun with that one.

Slow down Rich, at this rate I will have to employ more staff just to keep up.

"She has eight children and 4 are boys? you didn't say she *just* had 7."

Answer: all of them are boys, so half of them are boys
and the other half are boys. :wink:

"A horse driven carriage?"
Answer: A garbage truck :wink:

I'd imagine it would sink

Protect a cow's insides?
Answer: To cover cows. (same thing)

t


What do you throw out when you want to use it, but take in when you don't want to use it

If a father bull drinks 4 gallons of water a day and a baby bull drinks 2 gallons of water, how many gallons of water does a mother bull drink a day

Give me a quick "off-the-top-of-your-head" answer to this: How many second's are there in a calendar year

Try - not very good (soccer) - in first game we played 0-0 with Switzerland in dullest game ever. Since games against France and England are left, if they don't improve they have no chance

Back once again :>


Netherlands - Germany 1-1

not good

If a father bull drinks 4 gallons of water a day and a baby bull drinks 2 gallons of water, how many gallons of water does a mother bull drink a day

Bulls are male

What do you throw out when you want to use it, but take in when you don't want to use it

An anchor

Give me a quick "off-the-top-of-your-head" answer to this: How many second's are there in a calendar year


12 ---> january second, february second etc etc

Magnum, it is good to see you back. I knew the cops could never hold you and your gang.

"not very good (soccer) - in first game we played 0-0 with Switzerland"
"Netherlands - Germany 1-1 not good"

What's up with you guys. A draw is better than a loss.

Bulls are male
An anchor
12 ---> january second, february second etc etc


Is it just me, or is there a riddle within these words?

"I think I never had a decent signature.
Not until now."


There is a number made of eleven tens of thousands, eleven thousands, eleven hundreds, and eleven units?

What is that number



The unforgiving heat of the desert sun was unbearable. Nearing total exhaustion, Lek the Polish traveller stumbled ever onwards through the endless expanse of sand. His camel had fled, his water reserves were long exhausted, and there was not even a lizard to catch for sustenance -- not that he would have had the energy to catch it in any case. All he had left with him were the clothes he wore, eight golden coins, and his need for food and water.

He collapsed, looked up and thought that the sun had had the better of even his eyes; he saw two Bedouins walking towards him. Mirages, he thought. He shook his head and rubbed his eyes to clear it, but the Bedouins were still there, getting closer. When they reached him, Lek weakly asked for water and some food, and promised he would repay them generously.

They introduced themselves as Azad and Mohammed. "Water," one of them said, "is free." As far as food was concerned, they would share with him, which consisted of bread only. Azad had three slices, and Mohammed had five. They put the slices together, split them in three equal parts, and each of them ate his portion quietly. When they finished their meal, Lek pulled out his eight golden coins, and set them before the Bedouins, telling them to share them fairly. He thanked them for saving his life, promised to call them sometime, and with renewed energy continued his journey.

When the traveller was gone, the two Bedouins looked at the eight golden coins for a little while, and then Mohammed moved his hand to grab five coins.

"Hold it there!" said Azad. "We will share them as good friends; four coins each!"

Mohammed was convinced he deserved five coins, but Azad would not agree, and the argument grew louder. Before the first punch was thrown, the Great Sage happened to be passing by on his camel. He enquired about the matter, which was quickly explained by the Bedouins.

"Neither 5 - 3 nor 4 - 4 are fair," stated the Great Sage, before sharing his wisdom.

The Bedouins got their fair share of the coins, and the Great Sage went on his way, satisfied that yet another problem had been resolved.

How much did each of the Bedouins get


Some very ?'strange' people keep asking for more LA one liners, so help yourself. For those not familiar with LA (what passes for) humour it's a ?'fun' answer.


What is everyone's favourite tree


What is the difference between a fish and a piano



What kind of ant can count


What kind of kitten works for the Red Cross


What holes are not holes


What is a forum



What do you call a bee born in May

hm, not that I give it much thought, but very quickly I would say 7-1 is fair deal
Since Mohammed ate 7 times less of bread that he owned then Azad. Mohammad gave 15/3 of bread, and Azad gave 9/3 of bread. They all ate 8/3, therefore Mohammad "gave" 7/3 to Lek and Azad 1/3.

you say a draw is better than losing and i'm satisfied with that score
but the first half was dramatic

I knew the cops could never hold you and your gang???

explanation please

"explanation please"

News report in the press, "Gang sought in magnum raid"…"Police seek link" I notice your link is missing. Simple deduction my dear Watson. Have no fear I wont squeal. :wink:


A platoon of 40 soldiers, inclusive of troopers, senior soldiers, sergeants and commander, was standing by the bank of a river. In order to cross it, they found only a small rubber rowing boat and a pair of paddles, belonging to two young boys. Due to its rather restricted size, the boat can only carry either the two boys together, or a single grown-up.

While the lieutenant - commander of the platoon - was trying to figure out the best way to organize the crossing, the radio received an urgent request: the captain wanted to know exactly how long the platoon would take to cross the river; ie how many minutes, or hours, or days were needed before the last man set his foot on the opposite bank of the river.

The lieutenant worked out that the boat, when carrying the two boys, would take 10 minutes to cross the river. One boy alone on the boat would need 5 minutes. One soldier - soldiers are not the best rowers - would take 8 minutes.

These calculations included the time taken by people to jump on board and get off the boat. After a few seconds, the officer, who had an above average IQ, sent the message with the answer to his captain.


How was the crossing organised, and how long did it take for the entire platoon to cross the river

8 coins and the two brothers :

Malba Tahan, "The man who counted"

book contains this, and lots of puzzles like this one, plus an amazingly enlightened read. I was always fascinated by Arab stories (1001 night et al) and this book combines them nicely with some math.

One other famous problem noted in this book : the camel division

Father left to his three sons 11 camels. His last words were:
The oldest son should get 1/2 of the camels, the middle son should get 1/4 and the youngest 1/6.
The three brothers could not split the camels, and were wondering how to do it until the Sage came to help. How did he split the camels?


40*28 - 5 minutes = 1115 minutes = almost 20 hours.

Relative

Father left to his three sons 11 camels. His last words were:
The oldest son should get 1/2 of the camels, the middle son should get 1/4 and the youngest 1/6.
The three brothers could not split the camels, and were wondering how to do it until the Sage came to help. How did he split the camels?

Is this a new question??? i've been away for some time, but i can solve it anyway

Sage had a camel of its own and added it to the other eleven camels.
So there were now 12 camels
oldest gets 6
middle gets 3
youngest gets 2

and Sage left with his own...

"Malba Tahan, "The man who counted""
Is this book in English? Sounds very interesting.

"40*28 - 5 minutes = 1115 minutes = almost 20 hours." (Only in Slovenia) down here, it is nearer 19! :wink:

The manoeuvre was conducted this way:

The two boys cross to the opposite bank (10 mins)

One of them stays there while the other comes back (5 mins)

The boy gets off the boat, a soldier jumps on board and crosses the river (8 mins)

The soldier gets off, and the boat returns with the other boy (5 mins)

This operation required 28 minutes. The sequence had to be repeated as many times as the number of men in the platoon, ie 39 more times. However, it was needed to subtract 5 minutes from from the total: when the last man of the platoon crossed, the time (5 mins) taken by the second boy to cross back must not be counted, as the last soldier had already reached the other bank of the river.

The total time was therefore [(28 * 40) - 5] = 1115 minutes, which amounts to 18 hours and 35 minutes.

I would point out that it can be done faster if you leave both boys stranded on one side with the boat on the other. The first 39 soldiers cross at 28 minutes each (1092 minutes). You then have the two boys plus the last solider on one side. The final soldier then rows across himself, hence 1092 + 8 = 1100 minutes.



An Austrian mountaineer leaved Zurglatt, his village, at eight o'clock in the morning, and started his climb towards the refuge Tirpitz, on Gross Glossen mountain. He walked at a steady pace, without stopping, and his increase in heart pulse rate was negligeable. He reached the refuge at three in the afternoon, ie seven hours since he left the village. At the refuge he rested, admired the view, scribbled some notes on his diary, sang three lieder's, ate two sausages and drank a litre of beer. He then slipped in his sleeping bag and fell asleep.

The next morning, at eight o'clock, he started his descent, still with a steady pace, but faster, since he was travelling downhill. He reached Zurglatt at one in the afternoon, after walking for five hours.


Could there be a point along the path where the mountaineer walked, on the outbound and the return journey, exactly at the same time of day


You have been named as a traitor by the King, the punishment for this crime is death. Although he is a cruel tyrant he gives you one last chance at freedom. When you are finally brought before him he has this to say to you:

"There are 100 beads, 50 black and 50 white. You will be allowed to draw one bead, whilst blindfolded of course. If it is black you will be condemned to death, if it is white you will be set free".

So far so good you think to yourself, at least I have a 50/50 chance.

"The beads will be distributed amongst four boxes by me," he continued. "You must select a box by opening it, draw one bead from it and then present the bead to the court. Thus will your fate be decided".

Upon saying this a cruel smile appears on the King's face and you suddenly break into a cold sweat as you remember that the King is both very wicked and devilishly cunning.


Assuming that the King is incredibly smart, evil, thinks that you are a stupid, uneducated peasant and wants to minimise your chance of freedom, what strategy should you employ, and what is the probability of surviving

Notes:

The King whilst evil won't cheat.
The trick is to work out how he plans on distributing the beads to minimise your chance of success.
As soon as you stick your hand in one of the boxes you must draw a bead from it.
The boxes and beads light and portable, however you are not allowed to remove them from the area.
The King thinks you are stupid.



One day Arthur came to Merlin and asked him, "Show me how to be a wise and good king." Merlin replied, "If you can pass a series of mental tests, I will teach you".

Merlin then showed Arthur three chests, one was labelled GOLD COINS, the second was labelled SILVER COINS, and the last, GOLD OR SILVER COINS. He stated that all the three labels were all on the wrong chests. Given that one chest contained gold, one silver, and one bronze.


How many chests must Arthur open to deduce which label goes on which chest

magnum wrote (about camels)



You're welcome! Anyway the question is said to be some 2000 years old!

You have been named as a traitor by the King, the punishment for this crime is death. Although he is a cruel tyrant he gives you one last chance at freedom. When you are finally brought before him he has this to say to you:

"There are 100 beads, 50 black and 50 white. You will be allowed to draw one bead, whilst blindfolded of course. If it is black you will be condemned to death, if it is white you will be set free".

So far so good you think to yourself, at least I have a 50/50 chance.

"The beads will be distributed amongst four boxes by me," he continued. "You must select a box by opening it, draw one bead from it and then present the bead to the court. Thus will your fate be decided".

Upon saying this a cruel smile appears on the King's face and you suddenly break into a cold sweat as you remember that the King is both very wicked and devilishly cunning.


Assuming that the King is incredibly smart, evil, thinks that you are a stupid, uneducated peasant and wants to minimise your chance of freedom, what strategy should you employ, and what is the probability of surviving


The king will put 1 black bean in three of the four boxes. So the change will be about 75% that you draw a black bean.

But the weights of the boxes won't be the same so the you can determine in wich box are there 50 white beans and 47 black ones

and then your change will be more than 50 %

Magnum, "The king will put 1 black bean in three of the four boxes. So the change will be about 75% that you draw a black bean.

But the weights of the boxes won't be the same so the you can determine in which box are there 50 white beans and 47 black ones

and then your change will be more than 50 %"





Jack, Levi, Seth, and Robert were, not necessarily in this order, a Stock Broker, a Musician, a Doctor, and a Lawyer. They drove, also not necessarily in order, a Porsche, a Ferrari, a Cadillac, and a Corvette.

The Stock Broker, was remarking to no one in particular one day, while finishing up a round of golf which involved all four friends, that he found it curious that Jack and the Lawyer each wanted to buy the Corvette, but that the Musician didn't because he preferred his Porsche. After the game was over, Seth offered to buy a round of sodas for the Doctor, for the owner of the Cadillac, and for the owner of the Corvette. Levi, who was beaten by the Stock Broker, was in a bad mood, and so he declined Seth's offer and left without joining the others in the club house.

What car did each person own and what were their respective occupations


"A three-way duel is an old tradition in these lands," said Robin Hood, "because it is unlikely that between two champions, there shouldn't come a third party in between, to show he is the bravest. Miller, Allan-a-Dale, and Brother Tuck now battle like real thieves, and may the best win. Here are the crossbows, each of them with its own set of arrows. The three crossbows are all slightly different, and each set of arrows works only on the crossbow it was designed for. Unfortunately, only one set of arrows is flawless: a quarter of the set of arrows of the second crossbow is faulty, as is an incredible half of the third set. A faulty arrow is indistinguishable from a good one until it is shot. Now, go on, pick a straw, and let fate be fulfilled."

Robin Hood showed his clenched fist, from which three straws stuck out. Miller was the luckiest, having picked the longest straw, while Brother Tuck stared at his short straw with an expression of dread, for he knew full well that none of the three men would miss a target with a good arrow. "Well, Miller, here it is: the king of all crossbows. You have a 100% chance of killing your target. Allan-a-Dale, I hand you the crossbow with a few faulty arrows: with it, your chances are 75%. And there you are, Brother Tuck: the 50% crossbow. But then, a religious man like you could even duel with only your spiritual belief."

The fit monk breathed deep, and muttered, "God almighty, Robin, you want to see me dead. It is not possible to duel in these conditions."

"You are right, Brother Tuck," replied Robin Hood, after thinking for a little while. "Here is what we will do. You, Brother Tuck, will have the right to shoot first, after choosing your desired position on the field. Friends, please remember the rules: you will take position on the corners of an imaginary triangle, each of you 80 yards away from the other two. The order in which you will take turns to shoot is clockwise. On your turn, you may choose which of the other two you wish to shoot. Get ready: it is time to duel!"

Brother Tuck gulped as he chose his position, a taunting raven fluttering overhead squawking songs of doom.

…..Miller…..

A………….B

Alan-a-Dale



What position (A or B) did Brother Tuck choose, and which adversary did he shoot first, in order to have the highest chance of survival

I am slim and tall,
Many find me desirable and appealing.
They touch me and I give a false good feeling.
Once I shine in splendor,
But only once and then no more.
For many I am "to die for".
What am I



I am sometimes strong and sometimes weak,
But I am nobody's fool.
For there is no language that I can't speak,
Though I never went to school.
What am I



I am the center of gravity, hold a capital situation in Vienna, and as I am foremost in every victory, am allowed by all to be invaluable. Though I am invisible, I am clearly seen in the midst of a river. I could name three who are in love with me and have three associates in vice. It is vain that you seek me for I have long been in heaven yet even now lie embalmed in the grave.

What am I

I am the center of gravity, hold a capital situation in Vienna, and as I am foremost in every victory, am allowed by all to be invaluable. Though I am invisible, I am clearly seen in the midst of a river. I could name three who are in love with me and have three associates in vice. It is vain that you seek me for I have long been in heaven yet even now lie embalmed in the grave.

What am I


sounds to me the letter V