Problem of the Week

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 is a list of the past problem of the week riddles in descending chronological order.

How Do Eight Eights Add Up To One Thousand

POW: 02-17-2025

How can you write down eight eights so that they add up to one thousand?

Answer: 888 + 88 + 8 + 8 + 8 = 1000.

Odd Brick Out

POW: 02-10-2025

Jack has 8 bricks, 7 of them weigh the same but one is slightly heavier. Using a balance scale, how can Jack find the heavier brick in two weighings?

Answer: First, he splits them into piles of 3, 3, and 2 bricks. Then, he weighs both groups of 3 with each other. If they balance he knows the brick is one of the 2 unweighed bricks and he can weigh them to find the heavier one. If the stacks of 3 bricks do not balance, he will weigh 2 of the 3 bricks. If they balance he will know the brick left unweighed is heavier, or if they do not balance, he will find the heavier one.

Doubling

POW: 02-03-2025

A tree doubled in height each year until it reached its maximum height over the course of ten years. How many years did it take for the tree to reach half its maximum height?

Answer: Nine Years.

When Asked How Old She Was Suzie Replied In Two Years

POW: 01-27-2025

When asked how old she was, Suzie replied, "In two years I will be twice as old as I was five years ago." How old is she?

Answer: She's 12!

Math Equation Riddle

POW: 01-13-2025

81 x 9 = 801. What must you do to make the this equation true?

Answer: Turn it upside down. 108 = 6 x 18.

Make The Equation True

POW: 01-06-2025

How can you make the following equation true by drawing only one straight line: 5+5+5=550? Can you figure it out?

Answer: Draw a line on the first plus sign that turns it into a 4! The equation then becomes true: 545+5=550. You could also change the equal symbol to a crossed out equal symbol which means "not equal to".

What Is The Next Number In The Series 7,645

POW: 12-23-2024

What is the next number in the series? 7,645 5,764 4,576...

Answer: 6,457. The last digit is moved to the front to make the next number.

Strange Subtraction

POW: 12-16-2024

How can you take 2 from 5 and leave 4?

Answer: F I V E Remove the 2 letters F and E from five and you have IV which is the Roman numeral for four.

Handshaking

POW: 12-09-2024

If seven people meet each other and each shakes hands only once with each of the others, how many handshakes will there have been?

Answer: Twenty one. Most people would think there were 42 handshakes. The first person shakes the hand of 6 others, the second person shakes the hand of 5 remaining people, the third person shakes the hand of 4 remaining people, the fourth person shakes the hand of 3 remaining people, the 5th person shakes the hand of 2 remaining people and the sixth person shakes the hand of 1 remaining person. 6+5+4+3+2+1=21

In A Certain City, Five Percent Of All The People In Town Have Unlisted Phone Numbers

POW: 12-02-2024

In a certain city, 5% of all the people in town have unlisted phone numbers. If you select 100 names at random from that city's phone directory, how many people selected will have unlisted phone numbers?

Answer: None. If their names are in the phone directory, they do not have unlisted phone numbers!

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