Find the next number in the series

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

A maths symbol is hidden in the below Bar Graph. Can you decipher it?

Two trains start at the same time, one from Bangalore to Mysore and the other from Mysore to Bangalore. if they arrive at their destinations one hour and four hours respectively after passing one another, how much faster is one train running than the other?

What does the following represent?

N N N N N N N

A A A A A A A

C C C C C C C

John was piloting a plane behind a car but was never able to overtake it. Why?

I came first on earth but second on the heaven.
I also came twice in a week but found just once in a year.
I stay away from months but you can find me in February.

What am I?

When I asked a girl's name she told me her name is the date '07/09/2001'.

I thought for a few seconds and then I got her name. Do you?

John was driving a bus and got stuck when passing through an underpass. Then came Jacob with a needle and got the bus out of the underpass.

What did the boy do?

In an interview, a boy was asked an unusual question 'How two persons sitting with a table in between them can't see each other?' He was unable to reply. Can you?

What is full of holes but still holds water?