#03 Course Material (Mar. 26th)

Puzzle 1
A ship is docked in the harbour. Over the side hangs a rope ladder with rungs a foot apart. The tide rises at a rate of 9 inches per hour. At the end of six hours, how much of the rope ladder will still remain above water, assuming that 9 feet were above the water when the tide began to rise?
Ans: Still 9 feet because the ladder will rise with the ship!

Puzzle 2
I went on a trip last week. The traffic was moderate and the journey took two and a half hours. On the return journey, the traffic was similar, but I made it back in 150 minutes. How come?
ANS: The times are the same!

Puzzle 3
Three people check into a hotel. They pay £30 to the manager and go to their room. The manager suddenly remembers that the room rate is £25 and gives £5 to the bellboy to return to the people. On the way to the room the bellboy reasons that £5 would be difficult to share among three people so he pockets £2 and gives £1 to each person. Now each person paid £10 and got back £1. So they paid £9 each, totalling £27. The bellboy has £2, totalling £29. Where is the missing £1? (£: pound)
ANS: We have to be careful what we are adding together. Originally, they paid £30, they each received back £1, thus they now have only paid £27. Of this £27, £25 went to the manager for the room and £2 went to the bellboy.

Puzzle 4
Polly Perkins was after a talking parrot, so she went to the local pet shop in the hope of securing such a find. She was in luck. The shop assistant assured her that the parrot would learn and repeat any word or phrase it heard. Polly was delighted. However, a week later, the parrot still hadn't spoken a word. Polly returned to the shop to complain, however, it appeared that the assistant was accurate in what he had said, and refused a refund. Why didn't the parrot talk?
ANS: The parrot was deaf and as such couldn't repeat a single word it had heard!

Puzzle 5
Change the position of just one of the words below so that all the words are in an alphabetical sequence:
llama phoenix hyena alligator beaver elephant tortoise antelope
Antelope: move it from the end to the beginning, the initial letters will then spell ALPHABET.

Puzzle 6
Can you name four days which start with the letter "T"?
ANS: Tuesday, Thursday, today, and tomorrow!

Puzzle 7
Assume that penguins live with a density of 1,000 penguins per square mile and can run at an average speed of 7 miles per hour on land and swim at 20 miles per hour. Also assume that a polar bear has a territory of 10 square miles, can run at 25 miles per hour and swim at 10 miles per hour, how many penguins will an average polar bear eat in any given month, remembering that a polar bear could, as a maximum, only eat one penguin per hour and 7% of the land is next to the sea.
ANS: None: polar bears live at the north pole and penguins live at the south pole!

Puzzle 8
A prisoner is enclosed in a room. This room has no doors, no windows and no other hole large enough for the prisoner to escape via. He has no tools, he has no assistance. He does have a table and a chair in the centre of the room. The room is quite large, walls are two foot thick. How can the prisoner escape?
ANS: First he rubs his finger on the table until it is sore, cuts the table in half with the saw. Puts the two halves of the table together to make it whole. Climbs in the hole and shouts until he is hoarse. Climbs on the horse and rides away.


Puzzle 9
Which of these is correct:
Six and six IS eleven or six and six ARE eleven?
ANS: Neither: the answer is twelve!

Puzzle 10
According to the American Constitution, in order to became President of the United States there are only five pre-requisites. The candidate must:
1. be at least 35 years old.2. be a citizen of the United States.3. have resided in the United States for at least 14 years.4. have been born in the United States.
What is the fifth requirement?
ANS: The person must be elected!

Puzzle 11
How should GHOTI be pronounced?
FISH: the GH as in ENOUGH, the O as in WOMEN, the TI as in MOTION.