The worlds first riddle!

I think the steps are:
1: start with |||+||+|
2: move exactly one line to form an expression that represents 0
3: starting with the solution at step 2, move exactly one line to form an expression that represents 1
4: continue moving exactly one line to form expressions that represent 2, 3, 4, ...

None of the birds in this aviary live on mince-pies.

FAKE FARMER
12 chickens - barnyard - 20 min
6 goats - vegetable garden - 10 min
5 horses - neighbor's lawn - 15 min
4 sheep - hayfield - 10 min
2 cows - grain room - 5 min

Thank you Mark, But if the Romans were so smart why didn't they learn to write in proper English? :wink:

Candles:
I have; 40/11 hours

"None of the birds in this aviary live on mince-pies."

Amazing answer.

FAKE FARMER
12 chickens - barnyard - 20 min
6 goats - vegetable garden - 10 min
5 horses - neighbor's lawn - 15 min
4 sheep - hayfield - 10 min
2 cows - grain room - 5 min


Question: Smith and Jones, both 50% marksmen, decided to fight a duel in which they exchange alternate shots until one is hit. What are the odds in favour of the man who shoots first

Question: Three men play a game with the understanding that the loser is to double the money of the other two. After three games, each has lost just once; and each has $24. How much did each have to start?

Question: A famous mathematician who is always in a hurry, walks up an upgoing escalator at the rate of one step per second. Twenty steps bring him to the top. Next day he goes up at two steps per second, reaching the top in 32 steps. How many steps are there in the escalator


1. No interesting poems are unpopular among people of real taste;
2. No modern poetry is free from affectation;
3. All your poems are on the subject of soap-bubbles;
4. No affected poetry is popular among people of real taste;
5. No ancient poem is on the subject of soap-bubbles.
6.



1. All the fruit at this Show, that fails to get a prize, is the property of the Committee;
2. None of my peaches have got prizes;
3. None of the fruit, sold off in the evening; is unripe;
4. None of the ripe fruit has been grown in a hot-house;
5. All fruit, that belongs to the Committee, is sold off in the evening.
6.


1. Promise-breakers are untrustworthy;
2. Wine-drinkers are very communicative;
3. A man who keeps his promises is honest;
4. No teetotalers are pawnbrokers;
5. One can always trust a very communicative person.
6.

SMITH & JONES
2 to 1 (first shooter wins 2/3 of the time)

THREE MEN
$39, $21, $12

FAMOUS MATHEMATICIAN
Euler - I mean 80

None of your poems are interesting.

My peaches were not grown in a hot house.

Damn, damn and thrice damn. Mark, you are far too good.

THREE MEN
$39, $21, $12



What is one thing that all wise men,
regardless of their religion or politics,
agree is between heaven and earth

Mark, you fooled me, (not for the first time) with your 'Three edits' The (Three men) answer is correct. I will get back with the others. Your question/answer ratio is most impressive.

I know you think you thought you knew what you thought I said,
but I'm not sure you understood what you thought I meant.



Question :Can you find the simplest solution in positive integers to the equation: 1/x^2 + 1/y^2 = 1/z^2 (I doubt it)


Question : Can you write 1997 as the sum of two perfect squares (No way)


Question : Five suspects were rounded up in connection with the famous "Cock Robin Murder". Their statements were as follows:
A: "C and D are lying."
B: "A and E are lying."
C: "B and D are lying."
D: "C and E are lying."
E: "A and B are lying."

Who is definitely lying

INVERSE SQUARES
30, 40, 24

1997
29, 34

COCK ROBIN MURDER
A is lying

Kittens that play with gorillas have green eyes.

Find the simplest solution:
15, 20, 12 But what the heck.


1997
29, 34

1997 = 34^2 + 29^2


COCK ROBIN MURDER
A is lying

He sure is.


No kitten with green eyes will play with a gorilla.


Relax it's Sunday:

1. What grows roots downward in winter but cannot grow in summer?

2. What is made dirty by washing?

3. What has many eyes but no nose?

4. What has one head, one foot, one body, and four legs?

5. What is full of holes but holds water?

6. Round as an apple, yellow as gold, with more things in it than you are old. What am I?

How about this for an encore...

The simplest solution for 1/y^0,5 + 1/x^0,5 = 1/z^0,5 is: x=4, y=4, z=1
(x,y,z whole numbers)

Question: How many different solutions are there with x,y <= 100?
(a,b,c and b,a,c are counted as 1)? Can you list them?



Whim

Whim,

I get 27:

25 are of the form:
4N, 4N, N (1 <= N <= 25)
4,4,1
8,8,2
.
.
.
100,100,25

The other two are:
9,36,4
18,72,8

Yep, 27 there are.

(4*k,4*k,k) with k is 1,2, 3..25
(9*k,36*k,4*k) with k is 1, 2


Whim

"How about this for an encore..."

That is not an encore; it is a full-blown symphony!
Whim, you have done it again. You have managed to take one question and produced an entirely different line of thought. An achievement only matched by Mark's quick and accurate answer.

Starting tomorrow, the shortest, most difficult math riddles ever. Not for those on medication.

CARDS
42

SPHERE
18

SEVEN
3

ABC
10.5

TRIANGLES
I posted this problem earlier - you got it right!

Vote early.

Mark:
ABC
10.5


TRIANGLES
"I posted this problem earlier - you got it right!"

Woops! Just checking. Damn this corrupted file. What I should have posted was:


Between Flite and Beeline are five other towns. The seven towns are an integral number of miles from each other along a straight road. The towns are so spaced that if one knows the number of miles a person has travelled between any two towns he can determine the particular towns uniquely.

What is the minimum distance between Flite and Beeline to make this possible


Find six distinct integers K, N, I, G, H, T such that the numbers KING and KNIGHT are both perfect squares.


Consider a list a_1, a_2, ... of random integers each between 1 and 1997 inclusive. Let k be the smallest integer such that a_k >= a_(k+1).

What is the probability that k is even

SIMPLIFY
2-sqrt(3)

KNIGHT
327184

BEELINE
25 miles

1997
After more than 60,000,000 simulations, I get a number that is awfully close to 1/e.