Help Mrs Vampire
Help
SOLUTION
The solution is shown below.
Difficulty: Medium
Johann Sturcz is a Hungarian prolific artist, who creates a large variety of work, ranging from traditional paintings through modern art to children mazes.
Eminent King
Five hundred begins it,
five hundred ends it,
five in the middle is seen.
The first of all letters,
the first of all numbers
take up their stations between.
Put them all together
and bring before you
the name of an eminent king.
SOLUTION
The answer is DAVID. In Roman numerals D=500, V=5, I=1.
Six Glasses
Six identical glasses are placed in a row on the table – first three filled with water, and then three empty ones. Can you move just one glass, so that empty and full glasses alternate?
SOLUTION
Take the second full glass, pour all the water into the second empty glass, and then put it back in its place.
Buried Up to Neck
Three friends, Adam, Bob, and Charlie are buried in the sand up to their necks, all facing West. Charlie can see both Adam and Bom, Bom can see only Adam, and Adam cannot see anyone. Black and white hats are placed on their heads. The three friends are told that there is at least one hat from each color, and then they are asked whether anyone can guess the color of their own hat.
After a few minutes, one of them answers. Who is that?
SOLUTION
If Adam and Bob had hats with identical colors, then Charlie would immediately be able to deduce that his hat has the opposite color. Charlie doesn’t do that, so Adam and Bob are able to figure out that their hats have opposite colors. Since Bob is the one who can see the color of Adam’s hat, he is the one that answers the question.
Least Likely
Sarah lives in the UK. Which of these statements is least likely:
- Sarah speaks English.
- Sarah eats baby pandas.
- Sarah speaks English and eats baby pandas.
SOLUTION
The answer is 3. This is because statements 1. and 2. are more general than statement 3. and therefore more likely to be true.
Ancient Coins
Suppose I show you two ancient coins. The first one is dated 51 B.C., the second one is marked George I. Which one is counterfeit?
SOLUTION
Both of them. People who lived 51 years before Christ didn’t know about Jesus yet. When King George I was ruling, he was the first king with this name, and so he was just called George.
Third Business Day
What is the chance that the third business day of a month is Wednesday?
SOLUTION
Assuming there is an equal chance that the given month begins with any of the seven days of the week, the answer is 3/7. That’s because Saturday and Sunday are non-working days, and therefore if the month starts with any of them, the third business day will still be Wednesday.
We note that 3/7 is actually an approximation of the actual answer, since the frequencies with which the days of the week appear as first in a given month, are close to but not equal to 1/7 each.
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?
SOLUTION
Using the plastic bottle, pour water into the pipe so that the ball will rise up.
Chase on a Horse’s Back
You are chasing a thief on the back of a horse on a (ruined) chessboard. You must traverse the maze by using only knight’s movements, but be careful – pieces can destroy each other.
SOLUTION
The solution is shown below.
Fathers, Sons, and Fish
Two fathers and two sons went out fishing. Each of them catches two fish. However, they brought home only six fish. How so?
SOLUTION
They were a son, his father, and his grandfather – 3 people in total.