Had fun with the puzzles, thought I’d contriblute my own… ones you probably never heard… ones that actually make sense (reference stupid james bond spelling thing…). So, answer: “what is it?”
Whoever makes it, tells it not. Whoever takes it, knows it not. And whoever knows it wants it not.
Half-way up the hill, I see thee at last, Lying beneath me with thy sounds and sights --A city in the twilight, dim and vast, With smoking roofs, soft bells, and gleaming lights.
3)If you break me I do not stop working, If you touch me I may be snared, If you lose me Nothing will matter.
A hundred and one by fifty divide, And if a cipher is rightly applied, The answer is one from nine. [wow hard one…very hard]
What does man love more than life, Fear more than death or mortal strife, What the poor have, the rich require, and what contented men desire, What the miser spends and the spendthrift saves And all men carry to their graves?
Five hundred begins it, five hundred ends it, Five in the middle is seen;
First of all figures, the first of all letters, Take up their stations between.
Join all together, and then you will bring Before you the name of an eminent king. [I’d be really impressed if anyone actually got this one… similar to #4]
Knowledge is power - power corrupts - study hard - BE EVIL
Or not for a month or so, at the moment when it’s least expected. Oh yes, that would be productive.
Impressive guys…
Counterfeit money
The past
Heart
Nothing
6)King David (i’m in awe, although i’m sure it helps to have knowledge of roman numerals greater than 10… )
Here’s a few more for those of you who missed out:
What goes through the door without pinching itself? What sits on the stove without burning itself? What sits on the table and is not ashamed?
8 ) I give you a group of three. One is sitting down, and will never get up.
The second eats as much as is given to him, yet is always hungry. The third goes away and never returns.
Two words, my answer is only two words.
To keep me, you must give me.
10)Sir, I bear a rhyme excelling In mystic force and magic spelling Celestial sprites elucidate All my own striving can’t relate
My love, when I gaze on thy beautiful face, Careering along, yet always in place – The thought has often come into my mind If I ever shall see thy glorious behind.
A hundred and one by fifty divide, And if a cipher is rightly applied, The answer is one from nine. [wow hard one…very hard]
101 / 50 = 2.02
9 - 1 = 8
stops there, scratches head, leaves it to the mathematicians… something about bases… perhaps - not binary obviously, and not base three. So not about bases at all then - bugger.
A handle…? Door handle - pan handle - er… Teacup handle…?
8 ) wood*/fire/smoke…?
*maybe a ‘guy’ on a bonfire or an old chair on fire…?
a promise.
Er…?
Er… a picture of your girlfrind painted on horse-drawn carriage - no…? Oh well - a bit of a long shot I’ll admit.
Arse.
Now - where’s the “na-na, na-na-na-na” smiley when you want one…?
One from me: Another “what is it” and no awful puns this time.
Those that have it have never had ‘it’,
Those that take it have lost it too.
A hint for number 4 : think greek(“the answer is one from nine”)… and the earlier clue: similar to #6! - ok, you better get it now…
Tab:
7) WRONG
8 ) stove, fire, smoke… close enough
9) your word… once again close enough (2 words, not 1… a is not considered a word in this context)
10) think math…
11) NO… pitiful, that one’s easy
My thunder comes before the lightning;
My lightning comes before the clouds;
My rain dries all the land it touches.
What am I?
Ah a difficult one for Ben and Cdubs06:
You are a prisoner sentenced to death. However, you might be able to escape through an unorthodox determination of fate. The night before your planned execution, you are brought to two large boxes. One contains fifty white balls, the other contains fifty black balls. The next day, the executioner is to reach blindfold into either box, and draw a ball. A black ball represents death for you, a white ball lets you go free. Beforehand, you are allowed to mix up each box, placing some white balls in the black box or vice versa. Each box must contain at least one ball, and you are not allowed to take any balls away - all one hundred balls must remain.
Now, placing white balls on top of a box is impossible, since the executioner is blindfold and could reach to the bottom of the box. Is there any way to maximize your chances of living?
Not really a riddle more of a probability question.
At present the probability of not being executed is 1/2. The probability of not being executed is never going to be 1 so we have to find the optimum scenario which yields the highest probabilty of not being executed. If we move one white ball over to the black balls, it raises the non-execution probability of the black box (because there is a small chance, 1/51 that you will be saved) but does not decrease the non-execution of the probabilty of the white box (which will always be 1 however many white balls are in). Consequently, you should move all the white balls except 1 over to the black ball box.
If the executioner chooses the white box, probability 1/2, the prisoner will be saved because there is only one white ball to choose from. If he chooses the black box the probability of being saved is 49/99. So the combined probability of being saved is 1/2 (probability of choosing the white box) plus the probability of choosing a white ball in the black box which is 1/2 * 49/99, which is roughly 75%.
Tried the obvious trial and error ways of getting to the number. Figured it had to be something to do with addition and subtraction because of the 0. First two sets produced a positive number while the last one didn’t so the first two has something that the last one doesn’t. First two both have 3 and/or 5 in it while the last set of numbers doesn’t.
If you add the 5’s and 3’s together in each set you get:
5+3+5 = 13
3+3 = 6
0 = 0
Next bit is a fiddle but if you then subtract the number of numbers on the left hand side of the equation you get the right answer.
5+3+5-3 = 10
3+3-2 = 4
0 = 0 (as before because the line contains no 5’s and 3’s)
Is that right DS?
ben
P.S. - not a professor but I do study mathematics at university
Good, good… closer than I anticipated.
the answer is you use only the numbers with a dot in the center (1, 3 and 5). Then you count the petals around the dot… thus 5 becomse 4, 3 becomes 2. Therefore, 1 would be 0.
Time for school, but I’ll give you a new one upon my return… I will beat you.
My thunder comes before the lightning; My lightning comes before the clouds; My rain dries all the land it touches.
(ah, my lucky number… an easy one for all of you) I am more than microscopic, so small humanity doubts my very existence, but I am the world.
I am a nobleman identified by the number 86 in a family of 18.
Comedic relief:
ARTHUR: Be quiet! I order you to be quiet!
WOMAN: Order, eh – who does he think he is?
ARTHUR: I am your king!
WOMAN: Well, I didn’t vote for you.
ARTHUR: You don’t vote for kings.
DENNIS: I mean, if I went around sayin’ I was an empereror just because some moistened bint had lobbed a scimitar at me they’d
put me away!
ARTHUR: Shut up! Will you shut up!
DENNIS: Ah, now we see the violence inherent in the system.
ARTHUR: Shut up!
DENNIS: Oh! Come and see the violence inherent in the system! HELP! HELP! I’m being repressed!
ARTHUR: Bloody peasant!
DENNIS: Oh, what a give away. Did you here that, did you here that, eh? That’s what I’m on about – did you see him repressing me, you saw it didn’t you?
VILLAGER #1: If… she… weighs the same as a duck, she’s made of wood.
BEDEMIR: And therefore–?
VILLAGER #1: A witch!
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