Make the Line Smaller

Sherlock Holmes was challenged to make a pre-drawn line smaller without erasing it. He did it in fractions of seconds. How?




Similar Riddles

Four people need to cross a rickety bridge at night. Unfortunately, they have only one torch and the bridge is too dangerous to cross without one. The bridge is only strong enough to support two people at a time. Not all people take the same time to cross the bridge. Times for each person: 1 min, 2 mins, 7 mins and 10 mins. What is the shortest time needed for all four of them to cross the bridge?

Asked by Neha on 24 Aug 2023


Arrange the numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9 above and below the division line in a manner that the thus formed fractions equal to 1/3.

(You can use one number only once)

Asked by Neha on 13 Feb 2025

In a secret society, a buried chamber can be accessed only via a secret password. The password is seven characters long and comprises of just letters and numbers.

You find a code that can help you in cracking the password. The code says "You force heaven to be empty".

Can you deduce the password from that?

Asked by Neha on 14 May 2021


I have feet, but no legs. Which animal Am I?

Asked by Neha on 18 Apr 2023

James ordered a fishing rod, priced at $3.56. Unfortunately, James is an Eskimo who lives in a very remote part of Greenland and the import rules forbid any package longer than 4 feet to be imported. The fishing rod was 4 feet and 1 inch, just a little too long, so how can the fishing rod be mailed to James without breaking the rules? Ideally James would like the fishing rod to arrive in one piece!

Asked by Neha on 11 Apr 2022

You walk into a creepy house by yourself. There is no electricity, plumbing, or ventilation. Inside you notice 3 doors with numbers on them. Once you open the doors you will die a particular way. Door No.1 You’ll be eaten by a lion who is hungry. Door No.2 You’ll be stabbed to death. Door No.3 There is an electric chair waiting for you. Which door do you pick?

Asked by Neha on 02 Sep 2025


Two old friends, Jack and Jill, meet after a long time, and discussing as:

Jack: Hey, how are you, man?

Bill: Not bad, got married and I have three kids now.

Jack: That's awesome. How old are they?

Bill: The product of their ages is 72 and the sum of their ages is the same as your birth date.

Jack: Cool..But I still don't know.

Bill: My eldest kid just started taking piano lessons.

Jack: Oh, now I get it.

How old are Bill's kids?

Asked by Neha on 23 Dec 2020

You are a prisoner sentenced to death. The Emperor offers you a chance to live by playing a simple game. He gives you 50 black marbles, 50 white marbles, and 2 empty bowls. He then says, 'Divide these 100 marbles into these 2 bowls. You can divide them any way you like as long as you use all the marbles. Then I will blindfold you and mix the bowls around. You then can choose one bowl and remove ONE marble. If the marble is WHITE you will live, but if the marble is BLACK... you will die.'

How do you divide the marbles up so that you have the greatest probability of choosing a WHITE marble?

Asked by Neha on 14 Jun 2023

When 99 is considered higher than 100?

Asked by Neha on 26 Feb 2021


My first is in chocolate but not in ham. My second is in cake and also in jam. My third at tea time is easily found. Altogether, this is a friend who is often around. What is it?

Asked by Neha on 26 May 2025

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Amazing Facts

Gamers

In 2011, people playing Foldit, an online puzzle game about protein folding, resolved the structure of an enzyme that causes an Aids-like disease in monkeys. Researchers had been working on the problem for 13 years. The gamers solved it in three weeks.