• The Three Travelers

    Three travelers register at a hotel and are told that their rooms will cost 10 rupees each so they pay 30 rupees. Later the clerk realizes that he made a mistake and should have only charged them 25 rupees. He gives a bellboy 5 rupees to return to them but the bellboy is dishonest and gives them each only 1 rupee, keeping 2 rupees for himself. So the men actually spent 27 rupees and the bellboy kept 2 rupees. What happened to the other dollar of the original $30 rupees?

    Spoiler

    There is no missing dollar from the original 30 rupees because after getting 1 rupees back, the three travelers had paid a total of 27 rupees for their room (9 each), not 30 rupees. Out of that 27 rupees, the hotel has 25 rupees and the clerk kept the remaining 2 rupees. If you still want to work from the original 30 rupees, the travelers have 3 rupees, the hotel has 25 rupees and the bellboy has 2 rupees. The misleading part is adding the bellboy\’s 2 rupees to the 27 rupees, when in fact it should be subtracted.

  • The Strange Pattern

    What is the pattern about the following sequence of numbers?
    8 5 4 9 1 7 6 10 3 2 0

    Spoiler

    The numbers are arranged in alphabetical order.

    (eight, five, four, nine, one, seven, six, ten, three, two, zero)

  • The Socks

    You have 12 black socks and 12 white socks mixed up in a drawer. You\’re up very early and it\’s too dark to tell them apart. What\’s the smallest number of socks you need to take out (blindly) to be sure of having a matching pair?

    Spoiler

    3 socks. If the first sock is black, the second one could be black, in which case you have a matching pair. If the second sock is white, the third sock will be either black and match the first sock, or white and match the second sock.

  • The Fox, The Chicken and The Sack

    You have a fox, a chicken and a sack of grain. You must cross a river with only one of them at a time. If you leave the fox with the chicken he will eat it; if you leave the chicken with the grain he will eat it. How can you get all three across safely?

    Spoiler

    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. Leave the chicken on the first side and take the fox with you. Leave it on the other side with the grain. Finally, go back over and get the chicken and bring it over.

  • The Number 1 From 62 – 63

    By moving one of the following digits, make the equation correct. 62 – 63 = 1

    Spoiler

    26 – 63 = 1
    (26 = 2x2x2x2x2x2 = 64, ∴ 64 – 63 = 1)