Ping Pong Ball

Your last ping pong ball falls down into a narrow pipe embedded in concrete one foot deep. How can you get it out undamaged if all you have is your tennis paddle, your shoelaces, keys, wallet, and a plastic water bottle, which does not fit into the pipe?

Using the plastic bottle, pour water into the pipe so that the ball will rise up.

Escaping the Kingdom

A long time ago there was a kingdom, isolated from the world. There was only one way to and from the kingdom, namely through a long bridge. The king ordered the execution of anyone caught fleeing the kingdom on the bridge and the banishment of anyone caught sneaking into the kingdom.

The bridge was guarded by one person, who was taking a 10-minute break inside his cabin every round hour. Fifteen minutes were needed for a person to cross the bridge and yet, one woman managed to escape the kingdom. How did she do it?

Once the guard entered the cabin, the woman started crossing the bridge for 9 minutes, and then turned around and pretended to be going in the opposite direction for one more minute. When the guard caught her, she said she was trying to enter the kingdom, so he banished her away.