Use only one mathematical symbol and all numbers (0-9) to get a sum of 99

John went to a parrot shop in Mexico, and the parrot owner told him that his parrot is so unique that he repeats everything he hears. John got excited and immediately bought the parrot. John went home and spoke many words, but the parrot does not repeat anything.
He went again to the parrot shop and complaint to the shopkeeper, but the shopkeeper never lied. Explain?

Count the squares in the matchstick puzzle below?

If in a code language, DISTANCE is written as IDTUBECN and DOCUMENT is written as ODDVNTNE, the how will THURSDAY be coded as in the same language?

A number can be multiplied by multiple of nine
i.e 9 18 27 36 45 ...

and the resulting number consist of only one digit.

Can you identify the number ?

A four-digit number (not beginning with 0) can be represented by ABCD. There is one number such that ABCD=A^B*C^D, where A^B means A raised to the B power. Can you find it?

A wooden log balances equally on the scales when weighed with three-quarters of a pound and three-quarters of a wooden log.

Can you calculate the weight of the entire wooden log?

A car is crossing a 20 km-long bridge. The bridge can support at most 1500kg of weight over it. If somehow, the weight on the bridge becomes more than that, it will break.

Now, the weight of the car is exactly 1500kg. At the midway, a bird comes and sits on the roof of the car. This bird weighs exactly 200 grams.
Can you tell if the bridge breaks at this point or not?

You walk into a room that contains a match, a kerosene lamp, a candle and a fireplace. What would you light first?

Find the next number in the series

12, 20, 40, 72, 116, 172 ?