Instead of highly mathematical puzzles, let’s take down a notch and have some fun solving these 7 brain teasers instead.
I will present each question, followed by an image before you can read the answer.
Hopefully you will enjoy solving them as much as I enjoy writing them.
Now are you ready? Let’s dive in.
Question 1: Spare Part
At a DIY evening class, the instructor passes around a box in which there are ten screwdrivers, one for each person present, including himself. Everybody takes a screwdriver, yet there is still one left in the box. Explain.
Answer: The instructor is the last person to pick a screwdriver and he leaves it in the box and picks up the box.
Question 2: Beach Boys
Two seven-year-olds, Keith and Alan, were building sandcastles on the beach. Once they had had enough, they lay down on their backs for an hour on the sand. After a sleep in the sun, they got up to play a game of football. Keith’s back was covered in sand, but Alan’s back was perfectly clean. Why then did Alan go and wash himself in the sea, while Keith was content to stay on the beach?
Answer: Alan saw Keith’s back covered with sand and assumed his was also, whereas Keith didn’t see any need to wash.
This reminds me of the Barber’s paradox. I guess we can never escape from maths, can we?
Question 3: Getting Wet
What gets wetter as it dries?
Answer: A towel! It gets wetter as it dries you.
Question 4: Money Matters
What is the difference between a crisp new $10 bill and a dirty old torn one?
Answer: $9. The difference between a $10 dollar and a $1 bill.
Question 5: Making Tea
A teapot and strainer cost $31. If the teapot costs $30 more than the strainer, what is the price of each?
Answer: $30.5 and 50c.
Did you think it was $30 and $1?
Question 6: Lost Cause
Two men get lost while walking in the woods. One starts walking northwards, whilst the other heads south. They bump into each other a quarter of an hour later. Explain.
Answer: The two men had not gone for a walk together, but had got lost separately and were within half an hour’s walk from each other.
Question 7: Maximum Distance
If a man walks due south for 4 miles and then due north for 3 miles, what is the maximum distance he can be from where he started?
Answer: 7 miles. It all depends on where on the globe his walk is taken. If he starts four miles from the South Pole and walks in a straight line towards it, and then continues past it in a straight line, he is now walking north and could continue a further three miles.
Don’t leave just yet, here’s a bonus question. I won’t reveal the answer because I want you to tell me what it is in the comments.
Bonus Question: Mathematical Symbol
What mathematical symbol can you put between 2 and 3 to make a number greater than 2, but less than 3?
