If attempted in the United States, it is punishable. If committed in England, it is not punishable. What is it?
Answer:
"Suicide".
42. PROPER SHARING.
There are three persons A, B, and C meet on a cold night, and lit fire to keep themselves warm. 'A' brings 3 wooden blocks, 'B' brings 5 and 'C' does not contribute any. They sit by the fire whole night and in the morning, 'C' pays them $8. Now 'A' and 'B' have to share the money between themselves. How will these eight dollars be distributed in a fair and just way?
Answer:
The right answer is A must have $1 and B $7. Explanation: Total wooden blocks consumed = 8 Numbers. each share = 8/3= 2.66. Contribution by A = 3-2.66 = 0.34. Contribution by B = 5-2.66 = 2.34. Because out of their contribution, they have also used 2.66 units. Since 2.34 is approximately 7 times 0.34, the amount given by C should be divided in the ratio 1:7 as A:B. Q.E.D.
43. LEAST CUTTING.
How will you cut a plane wooden log into ten equal pieces, with the condition attached that only minimum number of cuttings are allowed? What is the minimum number of cuttings?
Answer:
5 is the correct answer. Because first 4 cuts could be done vertically and the last and final one could be effected horizontally in all pieces put together.
44. COOKING ECONOMICALLY.
There is a frying pan that's big enough to hold 2 pieces of bread. It takes one minute to fry the piece of bread on one side. You have 3 pieces of the bread and you have to cook them in 3 minutes. Is it possible? How to do it?
Answer:
Since the 3 pieces of bread have 6 sides all together, call them A1, A2, B1, B2, C1, and C2. Now cook A1 and B1 for the first minute. Then keep B1 aside and cook A2 and C1 for the second minute. Now for the last third minute, cook B2 and C2. All the six sides of the bread are cooked in just 3 minutes.
45. MOTION OF A BALL.
How can you throw a ball so that it goes a short distance, comes to a total stop, reverses its motion, and then goes the opposite way. You are not allowed to bounce it against anything, hit it with anything, or tie it to anything.
Answer:
Throw it in the air (upwards!)
46. COLOUR ALIGNMENT.
50 applicants were placed into a darkened room, each with a coloured baseball cap upon their head. These baseball caps came in two colours, red and green, however no applicant knew the colour of their own cap. The applicants were not allowed to communicate in anyway. Their task was to assemble outside, in a line, with those wearing red caps on one side and those wearing green on the other. How to achieve this?
Answer:
The first two stood out anywhere they liked. The next applicant looked at the line, if all of the caps were the same colour, they stood at either end of the line. Otherwise they stood at the position where the colours of the caps changed from red to green. The procedure was repeated until every body took his turn.
47. BRING 5 USING TWO 2's.
Using only two 2's and any combination of mathematical signs, symbols and functions can you make 5?
Answer:
Sqrt[.2**(-2)] i.e. square root of .2 raised to -2.
48. CANNIBALS AND MISSIONERIES.
Three cannibals and three missionaries want to cross a river in a canoe which only holds two people. One person has to bring the boat back (it can't be pushed, etc.). The trouble is, if there are ever more cannibals than missionaries in either side of the river or on the boat, the cannibals will eat the missionaries. How can the six get safely across?
Answer:
Trip 1 = 2 cannibals. Trip 2 = 1 cannibal comes back. Trip 3 = 2 cannibals (leaving 3 missionaries on this bank) Trip 4 = 1 cannibal comes back Trip 5 = 2 missionaries leaves one of each on this side and 2 of each on the other side. Trip 6 = 1 cannibal and 1 missionary come back (there are now 2 ofeach on this side and 1 of each across). Trip 7 = the last 2 missionaries cross, leaving 2 cannibals on this side and three missionaries and one cannibal across. The missionaries can now walk along while the cannibal goes back to get his mates.
49. WHO IS WHO AND WHAT DAY IT IS?
John and Peter look alike, but John lies on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, whereas Peter lies on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. They both tell the truth on Sunday. You come upon the two of them, and they make the following statements. Determine who is who, and what day it is. A: I will lie tomorrow. B: I lied yesterday, and I will lie tomorrow.
Answer:
B is obviously lying, since neither person lies, tells the truth, and lies on three consecutive days. Therefore A is telling the truth when he says that he lies tomorrow. The only days on which someone tells the truth one day and lies the following day are Sunday and Wednesday. Since it is not Sunday (since B is lying), it can only be Wednesday. This means A is Peter and B is John.
50. WINNING PLACE.
You die and the devil says he'll let you go to heaven if you beat him in a game. The devil sits you down at a perfectly round table. He gives himself and you an infinite pile of quarters. He says "OK, we'll take turns putting one quarter down, no overlapping allowed, and the quarters must rest flat on the table surface. The first guy who can't put a quarter down loses." You guys are about to start playing, and the devil says that he'll go first. However, at this point you immediately interject, and ask if you can go first instead. You make this interjection because you are very smart and can place quarters perfectly, and you know that if you go first, you can guarantee victory. Explain how you can guarantee victory.
Answer:
You place a quarter right in the center of the table. After that, whenever the devil places a quarter on the table, mimic his placement on the opposite side of the table. i.e. Whatever position it fixes, you find it's reflection with respect to the centre of the circle and place it. If he has a place to place a quarter, so will you. The devil will run out of places to put a quarter before you do.