5/25/24
Brainteaser: What is something you can see in the darkest times, can lift you up without touching you, and can be shared without being spoken?
Answer: Hope.
5/18/24
Brainteaser: You have twelve coins, and one of them is counterfeit. The counterfeit coin is either heavier or lighter than the rest. You have a balance scale and can use it three times. How can you find the counterfeit coin and determine whether it is heavier or lighter?
Answer:
Divide the 12 coins into three groups of four. Weigh two of the groups against each other:
- If they balance, the counterfeit coin is in the group not weighed.
- If they don’t balance, the counterfeit coin is in the heavier or lighter group.
Take the group with the counterfeit coin and divide it into three groups of two and one single coin:
- Weigh two of the groups of two against each other.
- If they balance, the counterfeit coin is the single coin.
- If they don’t balance, the counterfeit coin is in the heavier or lighter group.
Use the final weigh to compare two of the coins:
- If they balance, the counterfeit coin is the remaining one.
- If they don’t balance, you’ll know if it’s heavier or lighter based on the previous results.
5/11/24
Brainteaser: In a town, every inhabitant either always tells the truth or always lies. You come to a fork in the road and need to find the way to the village. There are two individuals at the fork. You can ask one question to one of them. What single question can you ask to ensure you find the way?
Answer: Ask either individual “If I asked the other person which way leads to the village, what would they say?” and then take the opposite path. This works because whether you ask a liar or a truth-teller, they will both point to the wrong road, so you can safely choose the opposite.
5/04/24
Brainteaser: The more of this there is, the less you see. What is it?
Answer: Darkness.
