A riddle problem is a question or statement intentionally phrased so as to require ingenuity in ascertaining its answer or meaning, typically presented as a game. Below are a list of the past problem of the week riddles in descending chronological order.
There is a barrel with no lid and some wine in it. "This barrel of wine is more than half full," said the Madam. "No it's not," says the man. "It's less than half full." Without any measuring implements and without removing any wine from the barrel, how can they easily determine who is correct?
Answer:
Tilt the barrel until the wine barely touches the lip of the barrel. If the bottom of the barrel is visible then it is less than half full. If the barrel bottom is still completly coverd by the wine, then it is more than half full.
A girl is twice as old as her brother and half as old as her father. In 50 years, her brother will be half as old as his father. How old is the daughter now?
There is a clothing store in Bartlesville. The owner has devised his own method of pricing items. A vest costs $20, socks cost $25, a tie costs $15 and a blouse costs $30. Using the method, how much would a pair of underwear cost?
Answer:
$45. The pricing method consists of charging $5 for each letter required to spell the item.
A man told his son that he would give him $1000 if he could accomplish the following task. The father gave his son ten envelopes and a thousand dollars, all in one dollar bills. He told his son, "Place the money in the envelopes in such a manner that no matter what number of dollars I ask for, you can give me one or more of the envelopes, containing the exact amount I asked for without having to open any of the envelopes. If you can do this, you will keep the $1000." When the father asked for a sum of money, the son was able to give him envelopes containing the exact amount of money asked for. How did the son distribute the money among the ten envelopes?
Answer:
The contents or the ten envelopes (in dollar bills) should be as follows: $1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64, 128, 256, 489. The first nine numbers are in geometrical progression, and their sum, deducted from 1,000, gives the contents of the tenth envelope.
Two travellers spend from 12 o'clock to 6 o'clock walking along a level road, up a hill and back again. Their pace is 4 mph on the level, 3 mph uphill, and 6 mph downhill.
How far do they walk and at what time do they reach the top of the hill?
