You are standing in front of a room with one light bulb inside of it. You cannot see if it is on or off. Outside the room there are 3 switches in the off positions. You may turn the switches any way you want to. You stop turning the switches, enter the room and know which switch controls the light bulb. How?
You turn 2 switches "on" and leave 1 switch "off" and wait about a minute. Then enter the room, but just before you enter, turn one switch from "on" to "off". Once in the room, feel the light bulb. If it is warm, but off, it has to be the last switch you turned off. If it is on, it has to be the switch left on. If it is cold and is off, it has to be the switch you left in the off position.
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In the fathers will, he states that his sons must race their horse, and the son with the slowest horse will receive the fathers entire fortune. The two sons race, but never finish it, as they deliberately slow their horses. After visiting the oracle the sons race horses as fast as possible. What did the oracle tell them?ANSWER
You have two ropes. Each rope takes one hour to burn. These ropes are not identical, nor are they uniform; i.e. it does not necessarily take half an hour for half the rope to burn (if you have trouble visualizing this, imagine a rope of varying thickness across its length). With only these two ropes and a way to light them, how do you measure out 45 minutes?ANSWER
A murderer is condemned to death. He has to choose between three rooms. The first is full of raging fires, the second is full of assassins with loaded guns, and the third is full of lions that haven't eaten in 3 years. Which room is safest for him?ANSWER
We travelled the sea far and wide. At one time, two of my sailors were standing on opposite sides of the ship. One was looking west and the other one east. And at the same time, they could see each other clearly.
How can that be possible?ANSWER
Whoever makes it, tells it not; whoever takes it, knows it not; and whoever knows it, wants it not. What is it?ANSWER
A girl was ten on her last birthday, and will be twelve on her next birthday. How is this possible?ANSWER
A ladder hangs over the side of a ship anchored in port. The bottom rung of the ladder touches the water. The distance between rungs is 30cm, and the length of the ladder is 270cm.
If the tide is rising at a rate of 15cm per hour, how long will it be before the water reaches the top rung?ANSWER
Usain and Mo race one another over 100m. When Usain crosses the finish line, Mo is only at the 90m mark. They agree to have a second race, but to make it fairer, Usain will begin 10m behind the starting line. All things being equal, who would you expect to win the race?ANSWER
A man is shown a portrait painting. He looks closely, then exclaims rather cryptically: “Brothers and sisters have I none, but that man’s father is my father’s son.”
Who is the man in the portrait?ANSWER
There are three light switches outside a room. Inside is a single light bulb, controlled by one of the three switches. You need to determine which switch operates the bulb.
You can turn the switches on and off as many times as you wish (they are all off to begin with), but may only enter the room once. There is no one there to help you. The door to the room is closed, and there are no windows, so you cannot see inside. How can you discover which switch operates the bulb?ANSWER
I cannot be other than what I am,
Until the man who made me dies,
Power and glory will fall to me finally,
Only when he last closes his eyes.ANSWER
Samuel was out for a walk and it started to rain. He did not have an umbrella and he wasn't wearing a hat. His clothes were soaked, yet not a single hair on his head got wet. How could this be?ANSWER
I have seven letters and am something you eat. My only anagram can help your pain. If you remove my first 2 letters I wear things down. Removing my first 3 letters is an adjective and removing my first 4 letters leaves a measure of time.
What am I?ANSWER
Tim and Mel are long distance lovers. Tim has just purchased an engagement ring for Mel and wants to mail it to her. Unfortunately the only way to ensure the ring will be received is to place a lock on the package. Tim has locks and Mel has locks but neither have keys for each others locks. How can they ensure the ring isn't stolen?ANSWER
A claustrophobic lady gets on a train. The train enters a tunnel just as it is leaving the station.
Where should she sit?
ANSWER
You are playing a game of dodge ball with two other people, John and Tom. You're standing in a triangle and you all take turns throwing at one of the others of your choosing until there is only one person remaining. You have a 30 percent chance of hitting someone you aim at, John has a 50 percent chance, and Tom a 100 percent change (he never misses). If you hit somebody they are out and no longer get a turn.
If the order of throwing is you, John, then Tom; what should you do to have the best chance of winning?ANSWER
Five men were eating apples, a finished before B, but behind C. D finished before E, but behind B. What was the finishing order?ANSWER
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