Riddle: Twelve flags stand equidistant along the track at the stadium. The runners start at the first flag. A runner reaches the eighth flag 8 seconds after he starts. If he runs at an even speed, how many seconds does he need altogether to reach the twelfth flag?
Answer: Not 12 seconds. There are 7 segments from the first flag tot the eighth, and 11 from the first to the twelfth. He runs each segment in 8/7 seconds; therefore, 11 segments take 88/7= 12 4/7 seconds.
Riddle: Given two 2s, "plus" can be changed to "times" without changing the results: 2 + 2= 2 x 2.
The solution with three numbers is easy too: 1 + 2 + 3= 1 x 2 x 3.
What is the answer for 4 numbers and for 5 numbers?
Answer: Solution for 4 numbers:
1 + 1 + 2 + 4= 1 x 1 x 2 x 4.
Solution for 5 numbers:
1 + 1 + 1 + 2 + 5= 1 x 1 x 1 x 2 x 4
1 + 1 + 1 + 3 + 3= 1 x 1 x 1 x 2 x 4
1 + 1 +2 + 2 + 2= 1 x 1 x 2 x 2 x 2
Riddle: My only timepiece is a wall clock. One day I forgot to wind it and it stopped. I went to visit a friend whos watch is always correct, stayed awhile, and then went home. There I made a simple calculation and set the clock right.
How did I do this even though I had no watch on me to tell how long it took me to return from my friend's house?
Answer: Before I left, I wound the wall clock. When I returned, the change in time equaled how long it took to go to my friends house and return, plus the time I spent there. But I knew the latter because I looked at my friends watch when I arrived and left.
Subtracting the time of the visit from the time I was absent from my house, and dividing by 2, I obtained the time it took me to return home. I added this time to what my friend watch showed when I left, and set the sum on my wall clock.