Enter a keyword into the search box.  The riddle search will check to see if the word is in the Title, Riddle, or Answer and return results if they exist.


"Ses" Riddles - Next 10 of 389.

Riddle: You have 52 playing cards, 26 red, and 26 black. You draw cards one by one. A red card pays you a dollar. A black one fines you a dollar. You can stop any time you want. Cards are not returned to the deck after being drawn. What is the optimal stopping rule in terms of maximizing your expected payoff? Also, what is the expected payoff following this optimal rule?
Answer: The solution to this problem is, in my opinion the most difficult to understand of all the puzzles. Indeed I was unable to solve it and didn't receive a complete solution until two years after originally posting it. The final solution, in the form of the spreadsheet was sent to me by Han Zheng. For this reason I have left on the page the thoughts i had before I had the final solution as they represent an easier to understand and more simplistic approach. Also the reasoning may help you arrive at the final solution by yourself or help you understand it. I would recommend reading that answer before you dive into the full answer. But an important thing to note are that as the player we can't lose this game as we can gamble till all the cards are drawn and our net position is zero. From our earlier analysis it is clear we need a dynamic quit rule. A singal value is not sufficent. We must, at each stage consider what cards are remaining, and therefor the probability of a positive or negative outcome from drawing again. For the explanation i will ask you first to consider a deck containing only 6 cards, 3 +ve & 3 -ve (note i'm no longer calling the cards black and red, it confuses me.)
Riddle: One day, a famous king and a famous queen each moved to the same small, rural town, and each built their own house there. The king and the queen were not married, but they were related. The report was they were not very fond of one another, despite being related, and in fact, were both well-known for having highly competitive natures. Both the king and the queen sent out invitations to the townspeople to visit their new houses, each secretly hoping the people would come only to see them, and not the other. On the given day, residents of the town lined up outside both the king's and the queen's new houses; but the people showed no outward signs of respect by bowing or curtsying to either of them. In return, the king presented a stone-faced appearance to his visitors, while the queen offered a cold and frosty reception to everyone who entered her place. To top things off, both the king and the queen both provided food and drink to all the people who came to visit them, but the townspeople were all made to pay for everything they ate and drank that day. However, the people all left both houses that day --- satisfied and happy!!! Why did the people show no outward signs of respect to the famous king and queen, and why weren't the townspeople upset and angry about being invited, and then having to pay for their meals?
Answer: The famous king and the famous queen were: The Burger King and The Dairy Queen. Both had just built new franchises in the small town, and each was hoping to gather the most new customers from the townspeople who lived there. Neither franchise was about to give free food away to everyone, so all the people bought their burgers, fries, and ice cream treats at one or the other, and all were happy to have both of these fast-food options available to them in their community.
Riddle: Three American military veterans: Ron(Army), Terry(Army), and Ron(Marines) retired from their military careers and decided to go into business together. Using all of their engineering knowledge and expertise, the three veterans have revamped an idea for an old device, made many improvements to it, and are now trying to patent it under the name: The Ron - Terry - Ron device, or (R.T.R). They advertise it by saying, "The R.T.R is designed only for those who want to move forward in life, but never backward. It is guaranteed to get your heart pumping, your blood pressure rising, and your armpits sweating"(classy advertising by these veterans). The advertising continues: "The R.T.R. is for the person who tries to move ahead, but always ends up exactly where they started." The only problem with the R.T.R device is, to use one, you will have to ignore the Gadsden flag(i.e., the one with the coiled rattlesnake pictured on it) and its famous motto. Forrest Gump would be very proud of these veterans. Just exactly what is the Ron - Terry - Ron (R.T.R.) device, and why must the Gadsden flag motto be ignored by its users?
Answer: The three veterans have made some innovative improvements to a basic Treadmill design, and are trying to patent these improvements in the hope of selling their newly created device. Of course, these veterans realize that anyone who uses their new product will be violating the early Continental Marine message and motto of the famous Gadsden flag which states, "Don't Tread on Me". Just as Forrest Gump was encouraged to "Run - Forrest - Run", we wish success to these three veterans with the words, "Ron - Terry - Ron".
Riddle: You are in a house where all four walls are facing south and a bear passes by, what color is the bear?
Answer: White, because you're on the north pole and it's a polar bear.
Riddle: How do you fit nine dogs in eight dog houses?
Answer: In eight dog houses you fit in: N, I, N, E, D, O, G, S
Riddle: I heard of an invading, vanquishing army sweeping across the land, liquid-quick; conquering everything, quelling resistance. With it came darkness, dimming the light. Humans hid in their houses, while outside spears pierced, shattering stone walls. Uncountable soldiers smashed into the ground, but each elicited life as he died; when the army had vanished, advancing northward, the land was green and growing, refreshed. What is it?
Answer: A rainstorm.
Riddle: What do you call a person who crosses the road twice without taking a shower?
Answer: A dirty double crosser.
Riddle: A man is sitting in a room along with a group of mostly women. The man suddenly begins shouting out a list of letters and numbers, alternating between the two, (e.g., letter - number - letter - number - letter - number, etc.). This goes on for some time, with the man shouting, and those in attendance remaining silent. Eventually however, one of the women in the room shouts a one word response to the man, which causes some in the room to feel disappointment, while the woman who shouts out, feels happiness. What is happening here?
Answer: The man is calling a Bingo Game for a group of mostly women. The woman who shouts out says, "Bingo!", and feels happy, while the rest of the people feel disappointment.
Riddle: A young woman owns two horses, a plane, a gun, a tape with many markings, and a machine with sharp teeth which she uses almost every day. She does not use any of these for transportation or for self-defense (although the gun is loaded), but she does rely on all of these items to meet her financial needs. What does this young woman do for a living, and why does she need this strange assortment of objects?
Answer: The young woman is a carpenter. She uses her two sawhorses, her carpenter’s plane, her nail gun, her tape measure, and her circular saw almost every day as she works to earn a living.
Riddle: I am dress you can not wear. What am I?
Answer: An address!