Love this riddle

The classic answer is the archeologist (Howard Carter) juggles the stones as he walks over the bridge, where two stones are always in the air.

Bloomin WHIM!!!
WHIM!!!!

Will you stop answering my riddles, or at least answer wrong once in a while!! lol

Helios, the only way to ensure this is to come up with a riddle you just thought up. ;-)


But, to show my willingness I will try to answer the next one wrong. Mind you try!

I don't think you should be giving advice on how to successfully pillage the heritage of primitive peoples. Museums the world over are stuffed full of ill gotten gains.

What if the archeologist couldnt juggle.Its not an archeological requirment.

And another thing, if you can't throw the stones more than 1m, which is about the distance you can throw your own weight, how the hell can you juggle with them?

I don't think the physics supports this answer because in order to throw a stone into the air the force needed (action) must be greater than the stone's weight. Action and reaction are equal and opposite hence the bridge parameters might still be exceeded.

This situation is in some ways similar to the weight of a plane carrying a flying bird. The total weight is the plane plus all its contents irrespective of their positions.

(NB Other problems with bridges concern setting up vibrations by rhythmic load variations. This is why a marching army "breaks step" when crossing)

Other physics-based solutions


True, if the system is static--if the position of the bird is accelerating downward, then the plane _does_ weigh less (stand on a scale and sudden drop and see what your weight does); however, the bird can only fall a short way, so averaged over any reasonable time period, the plane's weight is constant.

Therefore, if the archeologist were to begin crossing the bridge with the artifacts held high above his head and allow them to fall (accelerate downward) as he crossed, the bridge would not have to support the entire weight. But that would require him to cross extremely quickly.

Or, he could tie a rope around one and let it fall off the bridge as he crossed. That would give him more time to get across the bridge. Once on the other side, he could then pull the artifact up.

waste of time
lol thats alot of energy being put into a riddle thats already solved......could've used that brain power on another riddle.......or perhaps you are only able to pick holes in them as oppose to solve them. I haven't seen your name on any solutions as of yet