(scroll down for
Brain Teasers and Puzzle Pictures)
Aoccdrnig to rscheearch at
Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a
wrod are, the olny iprmoetnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be at
the rghit pclae. The rset can be a toatl mses and you can sitll raed it
wouthit a porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey
lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe.
Poetry
may have accidentally been invented by a schizophrenic king with an obsessive
compulsive need to rhyme.
Only
in America... do drugstores make the sick walk all the way to the back
of the store to get their prescriptions while healthy people can buy
cigarettes at the front.
Only
in America... do people order double cheeseburgers, large fries, and
a diet coke.
Only
in America... do banks leave both doors open and then chain the pens
to the counters.
Only
in America... do we leave cars worth thousands of dollars in the driveway
and put our useless junk in the garage.
Only
in America... do we buy hot dogs in packages of ten and buns in
packages of eight.
Only
in America... do we use the word 'politics' to describe the process so
well: 'Poli' in Latin meaning 'many' and 'tics' meaning 'bloodsucking creatures'.
Only
in America... do they have drive-up ATM machines with Braille lettering
"I
don't want to do drugs. Drugs are bad. I get the same effect from standing
up fast."
Ever
wonder:
Why is "abbreviated" such a long word?
Why is it that doctors
call what they do "practice"?
Why is the time of day with the
slowest traffic called rush hour?
Why are they called apartments
when they are all stuck together?
If con is the opposite of pro, is
Congress the opposite of progress?
If flying is so safe, why do they call
the airport the terminal?
Why is the man who invests all your money called
a broker? Why don't you ever see the headline "Psychic Wins
Lottery"?
If a short person
could be any crayon color, they should be Puke Green... because then
they'd be the tallest!
How
Many Christians
Does It Take to Change a Light Bulb? CHARISMATIC:
Only 1: Hands are already in the air. PENTECOSTAL:
10: One to change the bulb,
and nine to pray against the Spirit of Darkness. PRESBYTERIANS:
None: Lights will go on and off
at predestined times. ROMAN
CATHOLIC:
None: Candles only.
(Of guaranteed origin and blessed, of course.) BAPTISTS:
At least 15: One to change the light bulb,
and three committees to approve the change and decide
who brings the potato salad and lots of fried chicken. EPISCOPALIANS:
3: One to call the electrician,
one to mix the drinks, and one to talk about how much
better the old one was. MORMONS:
5: One man to change the bulb,
and four wives to tell him how to do it. UNITARIANS:
We choose not to make a statement
either in favor of or against the need for a light bulb.
However, if in your own journey you have found
that light bulbs work for you, you are invited to write
a poem or compose a modern dance about your light bulb
for the next Sunday service, in which we will explore a
number of light bulb traditions, including incandescent,
fluorescent, 3-way, long-life and tinted, all of which are
equally valid paths to luminescence. METHODISTS:
Undetermined: Whether your light
is bright, dull, or completely out, you are loved. You can be
a light bulb, turnip bulb, or tulip bulb. Bring a bulb of your
choice to the Sunday lighting service and a covered dish
to pass. NAZARENE:
6: One woman to replace the bulb
while five men review church lighting policy. LUTHERANS:
None: Lutherans don't believe in change. AMISH: What's a
light bulb?
If
a tree falls in the forest and no one is around to see it, do the other
trees make fun of it?
How
math is taught in the United States (from 1950-Now)
1.
Teaching Math In 1950
A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100.
His cost of production is 4/5 of the price. What is his profit?
2. Teaching Math In 1960
A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100.
His cost of production is 4/5 of the price, or $80. What is his profit?
3. Teaching Math In 1970
A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100.
His cost of production is 80. Did he make a profit?
4. Teaching Math In 1980
A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100.
His cost of production is $80 and his profit is $20. Your
assignment is: Underline the number 20.
5. Teaching Math In 1990
A logger cuts down a beautiful forest because
he is selfish and inconsiderate and cares nothing for the habitat of animals or the
preservation of our woodlands. He does this so he can make a profit of
$20. What do you think of this way of making a living?
Topic for class participation after answering
the question: How did the birds and squirrels feel as the logger cut down their homes?
(There are no wrong answers.)
6. Teaching Math In 2006
Un hachero vende una carretada de maderapara
$100. El costo de la producciones es $80.
The
only thing more important than a good education is a good parking spot
at the mall.
Totally
useless facts:
On
Average, 13 people die every year from vending machines falling on
them.
The
Sanskrit word for "war" means, "desire for more
cows".
The
names of all continents end with the same letter that they start with.
The
longest word is pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis.
A
watermelon is actually a berry.
It
takes more energy to eat celery than the calories it contains.
Alaska
is the northernmost, westernmost, and easternmost state in the U.S.
The
number of possible ways of playing the first moves per side in a game
of chess is 318,979,564,000.
Mel
Blanc, the original voice of Bugs Bunny, was allergic to carrots.
Stewardesses
is the longest word that is typed with only the left hand.
I
AM, is the shortest complete sentence.
The
glue on Israeli postage stamps is certified kosher.
Nutmeg
is extremely poisonous if injected intravenously.
BRAIN TEASERS
Instructions: Read the riddle,
make a guess, and connect the A to the Z. Like this...
Asee?
simple... right?Z
A Good
luck! Z
Some of the riddles don't
have answers. If you figure one out, send
me an email and I'll put your answer and name on here!
For even MORE unsolved
riddles (and a chance to solve them and get your FABULOUS name put here),
check out my blog, Penguins And
Pretzels. New riddle posted every FRIDAY.
It's not easy having a
mathematics professor as a new friend. When she invites you to her house
she says, "All the houses on my side of the street are numbered
consecutively in even numbers. There are six houses on my side of my block
and the sum of their numbers is 9870. You don't know which block I live
on, and it's a long, long street, but I will tell you that I live in the
lowest number on my side of the block. What's the number? Or are you just
going to ring the first even-numbered doorbell for twenty blocks?
A A
simple equation: n+(n+2)+(n+4)+(n+6)+(n+8)+(n+10)=9870
Next, you add the n's and the
numbers on the left side together: 6n+30=9870
Now you isolate the variable:
6n=9840
And finally,
divide by 6 on both sides to find n:n=1640Z Answer found by Lisa
George, Helen, and Steve are
drinking coffee.
Bert, Karen, and Dave are drinking soda.
Using logic, is Elizabeth drinking coffee or soda?
A coffee
Z
If two earthquakes are a point
apart on the Richter scale, then the one with the higher reading is ten
times as powerful as the other. Suppose that two earthquakes differ by
half a point. How much more powerful is the one with the higher reading?
A the
square root of 10, or 3.2 Z
There are 2 ducks in front of 2
other ducks.
There are 2 ducks behind 2 other ducks.
There are 2 ducks beside 2 other ducks.
How many ducks are there?
A 4
duckies Z
Amy, Cayler, Joe, Kiddissa, and
Amber entered a contest to guess how many jelly beans are in a jar. Amy guessed 30,
Cayler guessed 28, Joe guessed 29, Kiddissa guessed 25, and Amber guessed 26. Two were off the mark by 1, one was wrong by 4, and one
by 3. But one was correct. How many jelly beans are in the jar at the
store?
A 29
jelly beans Z
Answer found by Brianna
You are in a room with 3 light
switches (note: these are not dimmer switches; these are normal On/Off
light switches just like you have in your office). In a nearby room (which
you cannot see into) are 3 light bulbs that correspond to the 3 switches.
Turning on one of the light switches will turn on one of the light bulbs,
etc.
Your task is to determine which light switch controls which light bulb.
You are allowed to turn the switches on and off all you want, but once you
leave the light switch room, you cannot return. Also, you cannot use
anyone else to help you - you must do it yourself.
How can you determine, with 100% certainty, which light switch controls
which light bulb?
A turn
on 2 switches, wait for 10 minutes, then turn ONE of them off. feel which
bulb is COLD (the switch you never touched), which bulb is HOT (the bulb
you left on then turned off) and which bulb is ON
Z
On one island, you have Wile E.
Coyote, Road Runner, and some bird seed. Wile E.s wants to eat Road Runner,
and Road Runner wants to eat the bird seed. With out letting anyone be
eaten transfer all three over to the paradise. But here's the catch. You
can only carry one other 'passenger' over at a time. If R.R. and the seed
are left alone, the seed will be eaten. If Wile and R.R. are left alone
R.R. will be eaten. How do you ensure everyone's safety in paradise?
A First
bring over Road Runner, because Wile E. Coyote won't eat the bird seed.
Come back and get Wile E. Coyote. and bring him over
to paradise, leave Wile E. Coyote in paradise and Pick up Road Runner
and bring her back again. Drop off Road Runner and pick up the bird seed,
bring it across to paradise, and drop it off with Wile E. Coyote, come
back and get Road Runner and bring her over again to paradise and now you
have all 3 three across safe and sound Z
Answer found by Terry
A group of men are on one side
of a desert that takes 8 days to cross. Each man can carry 5
days worth of water. NOT EVERYONE HAS TO MAKE IT ACROSS but no one can
die (you'll have to send them back to where you started, but make sure
they have enough water to get there) At least one person MUST make it
across. What is the least amount of men in the group?
A Only
2.
Bob & Pete start with 5
days-worth of water and travel 1 day.
They each now have a 4 day supply.
Pete gives Bob 3 days of water, keeping 1 day's worth, so Bob now has 7
days' worth of water (his 4 + Pete's 3).
Pete travels 1 day back to safety with his 1 day of water.
Bob finishes the remaining 7 days of the journey with his 7 days worth of
water. Z Answer found by John W.
You are caring 50 coins that
equal $1.00. You drop one. What is the chance that the one you dropped was
a quarter?
A You
have: 45 pennies, 2 dimes, 2 nickels, 1 quarter.
Making it only 1/50 of a chance to drop a quarter (2%) Z
Answer found by
Ashley P. and Emily
Why did the rock get pulled over?
A
'Cause he was STONED!!! LOL! I made this one up.
Hee hee hee... I thought it was funny. Never mind. (LOL!!!) Z
An explorer was captured by a
tribe whose chief decided that the man should die. The chief was a very
logical man and gave the explorer a choice. The explorer was to make a
single statement. If it was true, he would be thrown over a high cliff. If
it was false, he would be eaten by lions.
What statement did the clever explorer make that
forced the chief to let him go?
AThe
explorer's statement was "I will be eaten by lions." If his statement
was false he would be eaten by lions making it true. If it was true he would be
thrown off the cliff making the statement false. Z
Answer found by
Erica (Marshmallow)
If Susan is 10, Arabella is 20, and
Jim and Dave are both 5, but Richard is 10, how much is Jennifer by the same
system?
A ANSWER
UNKNOWN! MAIL ME IF YOU GET IT! Z
Elijah had some cards that he dealt out to his 3
brothers.
To his big brother he dealt half the cards and half a
card.
To the middle brother he dealt half the remaining
cards and half a card.
To his baby brother he again dealt half the remaining
cards and half a card.
After all of this he didn't have any cards left over.
Here is the tough part. He didn't rip or cut any of
the cards.
How many cards did Elijah start with and how many went
to each brother?
A ANSWER
UNKNOWN! MAIL ME IF YOU GET IT! Z
What can be driven, but has no wheels.
And can be sliced, and still remain whole?
A ANSWER
UNKNOWN! MAIL ME IF YOU GET IT! Z
As I was going to St. Ives,
I met a man with seven wives,
Each wife had seven sacks,
Each sack had seven cats,
Each cat had seven kits.
Kits, cats, sacks, and wives,
How many were going to St. Ives?
Historical note: This brainteaser happens to be the
oldest known number puzzle in the world. An almost identical version appears
on an ancient Egyptian scroll containing several arithmetic problems and
number tables. Historians discovered the scroll was written in 1650 BC!
A The
answer is ONE: as I was going to St. Ives...
Z
Erin didn't like to tell her age, so when she was
asked, her mother answered for her. Her mother said, "I'm just seven
times as old as she is now. In twenty years, she'll be just half the age
that I will be then." How old is clever little Erin?
A Erin
is 4; which makes her mother 28. And in 20
years, Erin will be 24 her mother will be 48 (which divided in half
is, in fact, 24) Z
Answer found by Kiwi
Wht s th lwst whl nmbr whch wld nt b dscrbd nql
gvn th cndtn ndrlng ths qstn?
(Hint: nql = uniquely)
A ANSWER
UNKNOWN! MAIL ME IF YOU GET IT! Z
What do you call a maniac who wants to kill Raisin
Bran and cheerios?
A A
cereal killer! Mwhahahahahaha! Yeah, I totally made this one up too =) Pretty
good, right? Z
What’s
unusual about this paragraph? It looks so ordinary that you'd think nothing was
wrong with it at all, and in fact nothing is. But it is unusual, why? If you
study it and think about it, you may find out, but you must do it without
coaching. If you work at it long, its curiosity in it will dawn on you.
A There's
no "E"! Z
Dee
Septor, the famous magician, was standing in an empty room in which two very
thin ropes were hanging from the ceiling. These two ropes were just far enough
apart from each other that if Dee held one of them by its end and reached for
the other it would still be a half meter beyond his reach. Using only a knife,
Dee Septor was able to tie the ends of the two ropes together and still leave
them attached to the ceiling. How?
A Tie
the knife to one string and swing it toward the other. Grab the other string and
catch the swinging knife. Z
Answer found by Jason Braddock
PUZZLE PICTURES
Can you find 11 differences between these
two pictures?
