Tag Archives: puzzle

The Truel

Three men insult each other’s honour. They decide to settle the matter like gentleman: pistols. The pistols are single shot; and each man gets one shot. The problem is that there are three of them, not two, so this is a truel not a duel. Their respective skills with a pistol are not equal; Mr… Read More »

Child Gender Ratios

There’s a country where everybody wants to have a son. Therefore each couple keeps having children until they have a boy; then they stop. What fraction of the population is female? (You may assume the question is asked as an expectation of course, since any particular country can be anything in principle — 100% girls… Read More »

Weights and Measures

You have a set of balance scales and some weights. You need to be able to measure every whole number weight from 1 to 40 kilograms of (say) flour. What is the smallest number of weights you need and what are their values? The first trick is of course that you can put weights on… Read More »

The Paradox of the Wallets

Bob and Charlie have heard of a game, and must decide whether they will play. They each have a wallet in their pockets, with a random amount of money in it (for our purposes: literally any amount, but more than zero). The game is that they each count the money in their wallets, and whomever… Read More »

Three Gods Puzzle

You are the most eligible bachelor in the kingdom, and as such the King has invited you to his castle so that you may choose one of his three daughters to marry. The eldest princess is honest and always tells the truth. The youngest princess is dishonest and always lies. The middle princess is mischievous… Read More »