Title of Activity: Logical Puzzles / Brain Teasers

Number of Teams & Group Size: Minimum 3 people per group Maximum 8 people per group Variation: Involve all participants as 1 big group Variation: At least 2 teams for competition

Logistics Needed: A list of Logical Puzzles / Brain Teasers A4 Paper Markers / Pens

Time Allocated: 5 - 30 minutes

Goal: To successfully solve the logical puzzle(s)

Preparation & Set-Up: Prepare a list of logical puzzles Distribute it to all groups, or screen it Provide participants with A4 Paper and Markers / Pens for working

Directions for Conducting the Activity: 1. Distribute / screen the logical puzzles to all groups. Allow participants some time to work on it. 2. The amount of time you choose to allocate is dependent on your schedule. It can range from 5 minutes, to 30 minutes or more. 3. After participants have completed the puzzles, you should go through with them the solution, then the debrief.

Specific Rules: 1. All logical puzzles have a logical solution. Participants must state the answer, as well as the reason for the answer.

Variations: 1. Assign a time limit to the activity (~ 10 minutes). Participants must complete as many puzzles as they can within the time limit. 2. Use just 1 puzzle as a quick energizer / jolt / activity.

Learning Points: Creativity Logical Thinking Lateral Thinking Problem Solving Brainstorming, Contributing Ideas Perseverance Patience Challenging Assumptions / Preconceptions

Facilitator Notes: When preparing, ensure that you choose puzzles with logical solutions. Do NOT choose puzzles with a catch or humorous solution, as youll be drawing learning points from this activity through the debrief. Several examples of logical puzzles as follows:

Questions

1. Incorrectly Labeled Fruit Boxes: You have three boxes of fruit. One contains just apples, one contains just oranges, and one contains a mixture of both. Each box is labeled - one says "Apples", one says "Oranges", and one says "Apples & Oranges." However, it is known that none of the boxes are labeled correctly. How can you label the boxes correctly if you are only allowed to take and look at just one piece of fruit from just one of the boxes?

2. Frog In The Well: A frog is at the bottom of a 30 metre well. Each day, it summons enough energy for one 3 metre leap up the well. Exhausted, it then hangs there for the rest of the day. At night, while it is asleep, it slips 2 metres backwards. How many days will the frog take to escape from the well?

3. Matching Socks: In your drawer, you have 10 pairs of white socks, and 10 pairs of black socks. They are not arranged neatly. During a blackout at night, in complete darkness, you wish to pick out a matching pair of socks. Taking 1 sock from the drawer at a time, how many socks must you take before youre guaranteed to have at least one matching pair?

4. Camel Race: An elderly Sheikh feels his time is near, and wishes to pass his fortune to one of his two sons. He proposes that both his sons race their camels towards a distant town. The only criteria: Whoever owns the camel that crosses the finishing line last, will inherit his fortune. During the race, the two brothers wander aimlessly for days, neither willing to cross the finishing line. By chance, they come across a wise man, and they desperately ask for his advice. The wise man thinks, then tells them his advice. After hearing it, the two brothers jump onto the camels, and race furiously towards the finishing line. What did the wise man tell them?

5. Missing Dollar: Three men decide to dine at a caf, and the total cost for their meal is $30. They each contribute $10. The waiter takes the money to the chef, who recognises the three men as regular customers, and asks the waiter to return $5 to the men. The waiter realises that $5 cant be split evenly between three men, so he decides to give them each $1, and keeps the remaining $2 for himself. At this point, the three men have each paid $9, totaling $27. The waiter has kept $2. Where is the missing dollar?

6. Burnt Or Boiled: An explorer was trekking through a jungle when he was captured by cannibals. He was taken to their chief, who told him, You may now speak your last words. If your statement is true, we will burn you at the stake. If your statement is false, we will boil you in oil. The explorer thought for a moment, then made his statement. Perplexed, the cannibals realised they could do nothing, except release him. What did the explorer say to them to free himself?

7. White Marble, Black Marble: You are a prisoner sentenced to death. The Emperor offers you a chance to live by playing a simple game. He gives you 50 white marbles, 50 black marbles, and 2 bowls. You are instructed to divide the 100 marbles into the 2 bowls. You may divide them however you wish to, as long as all the marbles are in the bowls. You will then be blindfolded, and the marbles in the bowls thoroughly mixed. You must then choose a single marble from one of the bowls. If the marble is white, you live. If the marble is black, you will be put to death. How can you divide up the marbles so that you have the greatest probability of choosing a white marble, and surviving?

8. Unusual Paragraph: This is an unusual paragraph. I'm curious as to just how quickly you can find out what is so unusual about it. It looks so ordinary and plain that you would think nothing was wrong with it. In fact, nothing is wrong with it! It is highly unusual though. Study it and think about it, but you still may not find anything odd. But if you work at it a bit, you might find out. Try to do so without any coaching.

9. Special Number Sequence: What is special about the following number sequence? 8, 5, 4, 9, 1, 7, 6, 10, 3, 2, 0.

10. Train Tunnel: A mile-long train is travelling at sixty miles an hour when it reaches a mile-long tunnel. How long does it take the entire train to pass through the tunnel?

11. Similar Digits: On a regular 12-hour digital clock, how many times would the same three digits in a row be displayed (e.g. 1:11, 11:12, 12:22) in one day?

12. My Wife And Daughter: Two men are standing on a bridge and two women are approaching them. One of the men says, "Here comes my wife and daughter", to which the second man replies, "Here comes my wife and

daughter". They are both telling the truth, they have not married the same woman, and the women aren't pregnant. How is this possible?

13. Coded Message: What is the message in this code? 44 33 555 555 666 9 666 777 555 3.

14. Gallons Of Water: You have a three gallon container and a five gallon container. Neither has any markings on it. You wish to measure out exactly four gallons of water. How can you accomplish this?

15. Fuse Burning: You have two slow-burning fuses, each of which will burn up in exactly one hour. They are not necessarily of the same length and width as each other, nor even necessarily of uniform width, so you can't measure a half hour by noting when one fuse is half burned. Using these two fuses, how can you measure 45 minutes?

16. Buying Livestock: A farmer went to his banker to borrow money to buy livestock. The banker made a deal with the farmer. He told the farmer that he would give him $100.00, and that the farmer would not have to pay back the money if he could buy exactly 100 heads of livestock for exactly $100.00. The only rule was that at least one of each kind of livestock - cows, pigs, and sheep - had to be purchased. Each cow cost $10. Each pig cost $3. And each sheep cost $0.50. How many of each kind of livestock did the farmer buy?

17. Alternate Glasses: There are six glasses in a row. The first three are full of water, and the next three are empty. By moving only one glass how can you make them alternate between full and empty?

18. Same Word: What word can be written forward, backward or upside down while still remaining the same word?

19. Unique Sentences: What is unique about these sentences? PhD Mr Jock TV quiz few lynx bags J.Q. Vandz struck my big fox whelp Jocks find quartz glyph, vex BMW G.B. fjords vex quick waltz nymph

20. Switches And Light Bulbs: You are standing outside a closed door. On the other side of the door is a room that has three light bulbs in it. The room is completely sealed off from the outside. It has no windows, and nothing can get in or out except through the door. On the outside of the room there are three light switches that control each of the respective light bulbs on the other side of the door. Your assignment is to determine which light switch controls which light bulb. You are allowed to enter the room only once, and once you come out, you must be able to state with 100% certainty which light switch controls which light bulb. How can you accomplish this?

21. Remove The Coin: If you put a coin in an empty bottle and insert a cork into the neck of the bottle, how could you remove the coin without taking the cork out or breaking the bottle?

22. Secure Documents: You are a spy and need to send several documents to a contact in another country without letting anyone else have access to it. You have a box which can be fitted with multiple locks, and their corresponding keys. However, your contact does not have any keys to your locks, and if you send a key in an unlocked box, the key could be copied en route. All unlocked items will be opened and inspected in transit. How can you send the documents securely?

23. Avoid Certain Death: You've been sentenced to death in an obscure foreign country which has a strange law. Before the sentence is carried out, two papers - one with "LIFE" written on it and one with "DEATH" written on it - are folded up and placed in a closed bag. You are permitted to pick out one of the papers without looking, and if you choose the one with "LIFE" written on it, you are set free. Otherwise, the death sentence is carried out. On this occasion, an enemy of yours, bent on your demise, has substituted the paper with "LIFE" written on it with another one with "DEATH" written on it. This person gleefully informs you of what she has done and that you are doomed to die. You are not permitted to speak to anyone about this misdeed, nor will you have a chance to switch the papers or the closed bag yourself in time. When you are brought before the jailer, how will you avoid certain death?

24. Age Gap: Two days ago, Suzy was 8 years old. Next year, she'll be 11 years old. Explain how this might be possible?

25. Driving: You are driving down the road in your sports car on a wet, windy, stormy night, when you pass by a bus stop and you see 3 people waiting for the bus. The first is an old lady who looks as if she needs medical attention.

The second is your best friend who once saved your life. The third is the ideal life partner youve been searching for. Knowing there is space for only 1 passenger in your car, who will you choose?

26. Fox, Chicken, Grain: You are a farmer, travelling home with a fox, a chicken, and a sack of grain. You come upon a river that has no bridge, but with a boat that is strong enough to support you, and 1 animal or item that you choose to bring with you. If you leave the fox alone with the chicken, it will be eaten, and if you leave the chicken alone with the grain, it will eat it. How can you get all three across safely?

27. Truck And Bridge: An 18-wheeler transporting heavy construction equipment is about to cross a 4 kilometer bridge that can only support 10,000 kilograms. That's exactly how much the truck weighs. The bridge is closed off to other traffic, and the truck starts across. Halfway across the bridge a 30 gram sparrow lands on the truck, but the bridge doesn't collapse. Why not?

28. Rising Tide: A boat has an upright ladder that has 9 rungs. Each rung is 3 inches apart. The bottom rung is 3 inches from the water. The tide rises at 6 inches every 15 minutes. High tide peaks in one hour. When the tide is at its highest, how many rungs are under water?

29. Firing Squad: There are four men (call them A, B, C, and D) standing in front of a firing squad in a line. They are all facing the same direction such that A is at the back of the line, and D is at the front. A and C are wearing black hats, and B and D are wearing white hats. Between C and D is a brick wall. So A, at the back of the line, can see B and C. B can see C. Both C and D cannot see anybody. The men know that two of them are wearing black hats and two of them are wearing white hats. The commander of the firing squad offers a challenge. The challenge is that he will let all of them go if only one of them correctly names the color of his own hat. The men are not allowed to talk amongst themselves, look behind, or look around the brick wall. Which of the men know for sure the color of his hat?

30. Princess Challenge: A very beautiful princess had 4 eligible princes who wanted to marry her. Her father, a wise king, devised a contest for the 4 suitors to see who would receive his daughters hand in marriage. The princess was placed in the middle of a 50 metre by 50 metre square room. The entire room was carpeted. Each prince was placed in a corner of the room, standing on a small wooden box, 50 cm by 50 cm, at equal distance from the princess. The rules were: Each of the princes could not walk over the

carpet, cross the plane of the carpet, or hang from anything. No tools such as pulleys or ladders were allowed, and there is no magic or telepathy. They could only use their bodies, and their wits. The first prince to touch the hand of the princess would win. Eventually, one of the suitors figured out a way, married the Princess, and became the new King. What did this Prince do?

Answers & Reasons

1. Incorrectly Labeled Fruit Boxes: You have three boxes of fruit. One contains just apples, one contains just oranges, and one contains a mixture of both. Each box is labeled - one says "Apples", one says "Oranges", and one says "Apples & Oranges." However, it is known that none of the boxes are labeled correctly. How can you label the boxes correctly if you are only allowed to take and look at just one piece of fruit from just one of the boxes? Answer: Pick from the box labeled "Apples & Oranges". Reason: Since all the boxes are incorrectly labeled, the box labeled "Apples & Oranges" must contain either only apples, or only oranges. Thus, if you find an Orange, change the label of the "Apples & Oranges" box to "Oranges", change the Oranges box to Apples, and change the Apples box to Apples & Oranges.

2. Frog In The Well: A frog is at the bottom of a 30 metre well. Each day, it summons enough energy for one 3 metre leap up the well. Exhausted, it then hangs there for the rest of the day. At night, while it is asleep, it slips 2 metres backwards. How many days will the frog take to escape from the well? Answer: 28 days. Reason: Each day, the frog makes it 1 metre up the well. By day 27, it is 27 metres up the well. On day 28, it leaps the last 3 metres to freedom.

3. Matching Socks: In your drawer, you have 10 pairs of white socks, and 10 pairs of black socks. They are not arranged neatly. During a blackout at night, in complete darkness, you wish to pick out a matching pair of socks. Taking 1 sock from the drawer at a time, how many socks must you take before youre guaranteed to have at least one matching pair? Answer: 3 socks. Reason: In the best case scenario, the first 2 socks you pick are matching colours. But in the worst case scenario, they are opposite colours, with 1 black and 1 white. So the third sock you pick would match either of them.

4. Camel Race: An elderly Sheikh feels his time is near, and wishes to pass his fortune to one of his two sons. He proposes that both his sons race their camels towards a distant town. The only criteria: Whoever owns the camel that crosses the finishing line last, will inherit his fortune. During the race, the two brothers wander aimlessly for days, neither willing to cross the finishing line. By chance, they come across a wise man, and they desperately ask for his advice. The wise man thinks, then tells them his advice. After hearing it, the two brothers jump onto the camels, and race furiously towards the finishing line. What did the wise man tell them? Answer: The wise man told them to swap / exchange camels. Reason: Since the owner of the camel that finished last would inherit the fortune, by exchanging camels, the two brothers would not be riding their own camels. They could then race towards the finishing line.

5. Missing Dollar: Three men decide to dine at a caf, and the total cost for their meal is $30. They each contribute $10. The waiter takes the money to the chef, who recognises the three men as regular customers, and asks the waiter to return $5 to the men. The waiter realises that $5 cant be split evenly between three men, so he decides to give them each $1, and keeps the remaining $2 for himself. At this point, the three men have each paid $9, totaling $27. The waiter has kept $2. Where is the missing dollar? Answer: There is no missing dollar. The total cost of the meal was ultimately $27. Reason: The payments equal the total cost of the meal. It does not make sense to add what the men paid ($27), to what the waiter has ($2). The money the waiter kept ($2) is actually part of what the men paid. A correct accounting for the actual cost of the meal is $25 + $2 = $27, or $30 - $3 = $27.

6. Burnt Or Boiled: An explorer was trekking through a jungle when he was captured by cannibals. He was taken to their chief, who told him, You may now speak your last words. If your statement is true, we will burn you at the stake. If your statement is false, we will boil you in oil. The explorer thought for a moment, then made his statement. Perplexed, the cannibals realised they could do nothing, except release him. What did the explorer say to them to free himself?

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Answer: The explorer said, You will boil me in oil, or You will not burn me at the stake. Reason: The explorer has created a logical paradox, which renders both statements by the cannibal chief as contradictory.

7. White Marble, Black Marble: You are a prisoner sentenced to death. The Emperor offers you a chance to live by playing a simple game. He gives you 50 white marbles, 50 black marbles, and 2 bowls. You are instructed to divide the 100 marbles into the 2 bowls. You may divide them however you wish to, as long as all the marbles are in the bowls. You will then be blindfolded, and the marbles in the bowls thoroughly mixed. You must then choose a single marble from one of the bowls. If the marble is white, you live. If the marble is black, you will be put to death. How can you divide up the marbles so that you have the greatest probability of choosing a white marble, and surviving? Answer: Place 1 white marble in 1 bowl, and the rest of the 49 white marbles with the 50 black marbles in the other bowl. Reason: This way, you begin with a 50% chance of choosing the bowl with the 1 white marble and surviving. Even if you choose the other bowl, you still have an almost 50% chance of choosing one of the 49 white marbles.

8. Unusual Paragraph: This is an unusual paragraph. I'm curious as to just how quickly you can find out what is so unusual about it. It looks so ordinary and plain that you would think nothing was wrong with it. In fact, nothing is wrong with it! It is highly unusual though. Study it and think about it, but you still may not find anything odd. But if you work at it a bit, you might find out. Try to do so without any coaching. Answer: There is no letter e / E. Reason: The letter e is the most common letter in the English language, yet it never appears in the entire paragraph.

9. Special Number Sequence: What is special about the following number sequence? 8, 5, 4, 9, 1, 7, 6, 10, 3, 2, 0. Answer: Its the numbers 0 to 10 in alphabetical order.

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Reason: Write or read it out: Eight, Five, Four, Nine, One, Seven, Six, Ten, Three, Two, Zero.

10. Train Tunnel: A mile-long train is travelling at sixty miles an hour when it reaches a mile-long tunnel. How long does it take the entire train to pass through the tunnel? Answer: 2 minutes. Reason: The back of the train would be at the beginning of the tunnel after 1 minute, and would leave the end of the tunnel after 2 minutes.

11. Similar Digits: On a regular 12-hour digital clock, how many times would the same three digits in a row be displayed (e.g. 1:11, 11:12, 12:22) in one day? Answer: 34 times. Reason: These 17 instances will be visible twice in a 24 hour period. 1:11, 2:22, 3:33, 4:44, 5:55, 10:00, 11:10, 11:11, 11:12, 11:13, 11:14, 11:15, 11:16, 11:17, 11:18, 11:19, 12:22.

12. My Wife And Daughter: Two men are standing on a bridge and two women are approaching them. One of the men says, "Here comes my wife and daughter", to which the second man replies, "Here comes my wife and daughter". They are both telling the truth, they have not married the same woman, and the women aren't pregnant. How is this possible? Answer: The men are widowers and married each others' daughter. Reason: This is an unusual family relationship.

13. Coded Message: What is the message in this code? 44 33 555 555 666 9 666 777 555 3. Answer: Hello World.

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Reason: Pressing these digits in sequence will produce HELLO WORLD on a telephone or old mobile phone.

14. Gallons Of Water: You have a three gallon container and a five gallon container. Neither has any markings on it. You wish to measure out exactly four gallons of water. How can you accomplish this? Answer: Fill the five gallon container. Pour all but two gallons into the three gallon container. Empty the three gallon container. Put the two remaining gallons from the five gallon container into the three gallon container. Fill the five gallon container one more time. Pour one gallon from the five gallon container by filling the three gallon container. Now the five gallon container contains four gallons. Reason: This gives you exactly four gallons of water.

15. Fuse Burning: You have two slow-burning fuses, each of which will burn up in exactly one hour. They are not necessarily of the same length and width as each other, nor even necessarily of uniform width, so you can't measure a half hour by noting when one fuse is half burned. Using these two fuses, how can you measure 45 minutes? Answer: Light one fuse at both ends and, at the same time, light the second fuse at one end. When the first fuse has completely burned, you know that a half hour has elapsed, and, more relevantly, that the second fuse has a half hour left to go. At this time, light the second fuse from the other end. This will cause it to burn out in 15 more minutes. At that point, exactly 45 minutes will have elapsed. Reason: This gives you exactly 45 minutes.

16. Buying Livestock: A farmer went to his banker to borrow money to buy livestock. The banker made a deal with the farmer. He told the farmer that he would give him $100.00, and that the farmer would not have to pay back the money if he could buy exactly 100 heads of livestock for exactly $100.00. The only rule was that at least one of each kind of livestock - cows, pigs, and sheep - had to be purchased. Each cow cost $10. Each pig cost $3. And each sheep cost $0.50. How many of each kind of livestock did the farmer buy?

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Answer: The farmer purchased five cows ($50), one pig ($3), and 94 sheep ($47). Reason: Let c be the number of cows purchased, p be the number of pigs purchased, and s be the number of sheep purchased. We know that the total number of animals purchased is 100. Moreover, we know that the total cost of each one adds up to $100. This gives us two equations: c + p + s = 100 10c + 3p + 0.5s = 100 If we multiply the second equation by two, that gives us: 20c + 6p + s = 200 If we take this equation and subtract the first equation, we eliminate s entirely and wind up with: 19c + 5p = 100 We can rewrite this equation like so: 100 - 19c = 5p Since c and p are constrained to positive integers, we can narrow down the possible solutions pretty quickly. We know that c cannot be 6 or higher, because then p would have to be negative for the equation to hold. So we only need to consider 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 as possible values for c. Substituting 1, 2, 3, or 4 for c, however, results in the left-hand side of the equation being unevenly divisible by 5, which means p would have to be a non-integer for the equation to hold. So c must be 5. Substituting c allows us to solve for p: 100 - 19c = 5p 100 - 95 = 5p 5 = 5p p=1 Now we can substitute the values for c and p in one of the two original equations (the first is easiest) and solve for s: c + p + s = 100 5 + 1 + s = 100 6 + s = 100 s = 100 - 6 s = 94.

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17. Alternate Glasses: There are six glasses in a row. The first three are full of water, and the next three are empty. By moving only one glass how can you make them alternate between full and empty? Answer: Pour the water from the 2nd glass into the 5th glass. Reason: This give you glasses of water which alternate between full and empty.

18. Same Word: What word can be written forward, backward or upside down while still remaining the same word? Answer: NOON. Reason: This only works if NOON is written in capital letters.

19. Unique Sentences: What is unique about these sentences? PhD Mr Jock TV quiz few lynx bags J.Q. Vandz struck my big fox whelp Jocks find quartz glyph, vex BMW G.B. fjords vex quick waltz nymph Answer: They are all perfect pangrams. Reason: A perfect pangram uses all 26 letters of the English alphabet once.

20. Switches And Light Bulbs: You are standing outside a closed door. On the other side of the door is a room that has three light bulbs in it. The room is completely sealed off from the outside. It has no windows, and nothing can get in or out except through the door. On the outside of the room there are three light switches that control each of the respective light bulbs on the other side of the door. Your assignment is to determine which light switch controls which light bulb. You are allowed to enter the room only once, and once you come out, you must be able to state with 100% certainty which light switch controls which light bulb. How can you accomplish this? Answer: Turn one light switch on, wait a few minutes, then turn it off, and turn another light switch on. Go into the room and feel the light bulbs.

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Reason: The one that's still warm is connected to the switch that you first turned on, the one that is on was the second switch you turned on, and the last bulb is controlled by the switch that you didn't touch.

21. Remove The Coin: If you put a coin in an empty bottle and insert a cork into the neck of the bottle, how could you remove the coin without taking the cork out or breaking the bottle? Answer: Push the cork into the bottle and shake the coin out. Reason: Pushing the cork into the bottle requires some effort, but it can be done.

22. Secure Documents: You are a spy and need to send several documents to a contact in another country without letting anyone else have access to it. You have a box which can be fitted with multiple locks, and their corresponding keys. However, your contact does not have any keys to your locks, and if you send a key in an unlocked box, the key could be copied en route. All unlocked items will be opened and inspected in transit. How can you send the documents securely? Answer: Put the documents into the box, secure it with one of your locks, and send the box to your contact. Your contact should then attach one of their own locks and return it. When you receive it again, remove your lock and send it back. Now your contact can unlock their own lock and retrieve the object. Reason: This method ensures that the box can only be opened by the recipient.

23. Avoid Certain Death: You've been sentenced to death in an obscure foreign country which has a strange law. Before the sentence is carried out, two papers - one with "LIFE" written on it and one with "DEATH" written on it - are folded up and placed in a closed bag. You are permitted to pick out one of the papers without looking, and if you choose the one with "LIFE" written on it, you are set free. Otherwise, the death sentence is carried out. On this occasion, an enemy of yours, bent on your demise, has substituted the paper with "LIFE" written on it with another one with "DEATH" written on it. This person gleefully informs you of what she has done and that you are doomed to die. You are not permitted to speak to anyone about this misdeed, nor will

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you have a chance to switch the papers or the closed bag yourself in time. When you are brought before the jailer, how will you avoid certain death? Answer: After you draw one of the papers, swallow it. Reason: The jailer will be forced to check the remaining paper to determine what the one you drew said. The jailer will of course see a paper with "DEATH" written on it, assume you drew the one with "LIFE" written on it, and set you free.

24. Age Gap: Two days ago, Suzy was 8 years old. Next year, she'll be 11 years old. Explain how this might be possible? Answer: Suzy's birthday must be on 31 December. Reason: Let's say she was born on 31 December 2000. That means Suzy's ninth birthday is 31 December 2009. And let's say "today" is 1 January 2010. If we suppose these things, then two days earlier would be 30 December 2009, the day before Suzy's ninth birthday. She was 8. Now let's get back to today's date, 1 January 2010. "Next year" is 2011. On 1 January 2011, she'll only be 10, but on December 31 that same year, she'll be 11.

25. Driving: You are driving down the road in your sports car on a wet, windy, stormy night, when you pass by a bus stop and you see 3 people waiting for the bus. The first is an old lady who looks as if she needs medical attention. The second is your best friend who once saved your life. The third is the ideal life partner youve been searching for. Knowing there is space for only 1 passenger in your car, who will you choose? Answer: By choosing the old lady to be the passenger, you can make everyone happy. Reason: With the old lady as the passenger, pass your car keys to your best friend. Then wait with your ideal life partner for the bus.

26. Fox, Chicken, Grain: You are a farmer, travelling home with a fox, a chicken, and a sack of grain. You come upon a river that has no bridge, but with a boat that is strong enough to support you, and 1 animal or item that you choose to bring with you. If you leave the fox alone with the chicken, it will be eaten, and

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if you leave the chicken alone with the grain, it will eat it. How can you get all three across safely? Answer: Take the chicken over first. Go back and bring the grain next, but instead of leaving the chicken with the grain, come back with the chicken. Then leave the chicken there and take the fox with you. Leave it on the other side with the grain. Finally, go back to get the chicken and bring it over. Reason: This method allows you to fulfill the condition of only carrying 1 item at a time, without putting any of the items at risk of being eaten.

27. Truck And Bridge: An 18-wheeler transporting heavy construction equipment is about to cross a 4 kilometer bridge that can only support 10,000 kilograms. That's exactly how much the truck weighs. The bridge is closed off to other traffic, and the truck starts across. Halfway across the bridge a 30 gram sparrow lands on the truck, but the bridge doesn't collapse. Why not? Answer: Because the truck is now lighter, having used up some fuel while crossing the bridge. Reason: Since the bridge is 4 kilometers long, the halfway point would be 2 kilometers. The 18-wheeler truck would have used much more than 30 grams of fuel to drive 2 kilometers.

28. Rising Tide: A boat has an upright ladder that has 9 rungs. Each rung is 3 inches apart. The bottom rung is 3 inches from the water. The tide rises at 6 inches every 15 minutes. High tide peaks in one hour. When the tide is at its highest, how many rungs are under water? Answer: None. Reason: Since boats float on the water, when the tide rises, so does the boat and the ladder.

29. Firing Squad: There are four men (call them A, B, C, and D) standing in front of a firing squad in a line. They are all facing the same direction such that A is at the back of the line, and D is at the front. A and C are wearing black hats, and B and D are wearing white hats. Between C and D is a brick wall. So A, at the back of the line, can see B and C. B can see C. Both C and D cannot see anybody. The men know that two of them are wearing black hats and two

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of them are wearing white hats. The commander of the firing squad offers a challenge. The challenge is that he will let all of them go if only one of them correctly names the color of his own hat. The men are not allowed to talk amongst themselves, look behind, or look around the brick wall. Which of the men know for sure the color of his hat? Answer: Only B will be able to correctly name the colour of his hat (White). Reason: A sees B and C. If A saw two black hats or two white hats, then he would be able to immediately guess the color of his hat. But in this case, he doesn't - he sees a white hat and a black hat. Some time passes, and B realises that A is not sure what color hat he's wearing. The only way A wouldn't be sure is if B and C are wearing differently colored hats. B, who is able to see what color hat C is wearing (Black), correctly names the opposite color (White) as the color of his own hat.

30. Princess Challenge: A very beautiful princess had 4 eligible princes who wanted to marry her. Her father, a wise king, devised a contest for the 4 suitors to see who would receive his daughters hand in marriage. The princess was placed in the middle of a 50 metre by 50 metre square room. The entire room was carpeted. Each prince was placed in a corner of the room, standing on a small wooden box, 50 cm by 50 cm, at equal distance from the princess. The rules were: Each of the princes could not walk over the carpet, cross the plane of the carpet, or hang from anything. No tools such as pulleys or ladders were allowed, and there is no magic or telepathy. They could only use their bodies, and their wits. The first prince to touch the hand of the princess would win. Eventually, one of the suitors figured out a way, married the Princess, and became the new King. What did this Prince do? Answer: He asked the Princess to touch his hand. Reason: Since the Prince was not allowed to move over the carpet, asking the Princess to come to him was the solution.

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