EASY QUESTIONS THAT ARE HARD IF YOU THINK ABOUT THEM

I found these questions at curiousity.com.  Don't overthink them!!

1. The Bat & Ball Question

A bat and a ball together cost $1.10. The bat costs $1 more than the ball. How much does the ball cost?

2. The Widget-Making Machine Problem

If it takes 5 machines 5 minutes to make 5 widgets, how long would it take 100 machines to make 100 widgets?

3. The Size-Double Lily Pad Patch Problem

There is a patch of lily pads in a lake. Every day, the patch doubles in size. If it takes 48 days for the patch to cover the entire lake, how long would it take for the patch to cover half the lake?

Scroll down to read the answers.

Here Are the Answers:

1. The ball costs 5 cents. You probably guessed 10 cents, didn't you? No judgment. A ball that costs 5 cents plus a bat that costs $1.05 will set you back $1.10. And $1.05 is exactly $1 more expensive than 5 cents. A Princeton study found that people who answered 10 cents were significantly less patient than those who got it correct.

2. It would take 100 machines 5 minutes to make 100 widgets. Your gut might tell you the answer is 100 minutes. From the question, we know that it takes 5 minutes for 1 machine to make 1 widget. Thus, it would take 5 minutes for 100 machines to make 100 widgets.

3. The lily pads would cover half the lake in 47 days. You might have guessed 24 days. It seems intuitive to halve the number of days because you're halving the size of the lily pad patch. But if the area of the lake covered in lily pads doubles every day, it would only take one day for it to go from being half covered to fully covered. Take one day away from 48 days and you're left with 47. 


Here are some really easy ones from doriddles.com.  The answers are below:

1. There was a plane crash & every single person died. Who survived?

2. What has cities, but no houses; forests, but no trees; & water, but no fish?

3. In a one-story pink house, there was a pink person, a pink cat, a pink fish, a pink computer, a pink chair, a pink table, a pink telephone, a pink shower– everything was pink! What color were the stairs?

4. You are awakened at 7 A.M. by a knock on your door. Your parents tell you they are there for breakfast. You are confused but quickly think of what food you have. You have bread, jam, butter, and eggs. What do you open first?

5. What is it that no man ever saw, which never was, but always is to be?

1. Married couples.

2. A map.

3. There are no stairs; it is a one story house.

4. The door for your parents.

5. Tomorrow.

How did you do?  I got them all right because I try not to think under any circumstances!!----fishducky