Shopkeeper's Weights

If a shopkeeper can only place the weights on one side of the common balance. For example, if he has weights 1 and 3 then he can measure 1, 3 and 4 only. Now the question is how many minimum weights and names of the weights you will need to measure all weights from 1 to 1000? This is a fairly simple problem and very easy to prove also.




Similar Riddles

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


There was once a college that offered a class on probability applied to the real world. The class was relatively easy, but there was a catch. There were no homework assignments or tests, but there was a final exam that would have only one question on it. When everyone received the test paper it was a blank sheet of paper with a solitary question on it: 'What is the risk?'.Most students were able to pass, but only one student received 100% for the class! Even stranger was that he only wrote down one word!
What did he write?

Asked by Neha on 03 Sep 2023

A mathematician couple was having a Frappuccino in Starbucks sitting opposite to each other. Suddenly the guy noticed the text written on the paper in front of them and exclaimed that it was wrong. The girl denied it and said it is appropriate. Both are correct. What is written on the paper?

Asked by Neha on 11 Jul 2023


If you’ve got me, you want to share me; if you share me, you haven’t kept me. What am I?

Asked by Neha on 18 Feb 2022

Two guards were guarding the camp.Guard-1 was looking towards the south to make sure no threat is coming from the road.Guard-2 was looking at the north to make sure no threat is coming from the top. Suddenly Guard-1 ask the Guard-2 why he is smiling?How Guard-1 knows that Guard-2 is smiling?

Asked by Neha on 30 May 2023

There is a box. The area of its top is 240 square units, the area of the front is 300 square units and the area of the end is 180 square units.

Can you calculate the dimensions of this box with the given data?

Asked by Neha on 19 Apr 2025


How many bananas can you eat if your stomach is empty?

Asked by Neha on 13 Mar 2022

There is so small cabin inside a deep forest.
All the forest burned out to worst possible but the inside of the cabin is still the same.
However all the person inside the cabin die.

How come ?

Asked by Neha on 15 Sep 2024

John, Jack and Jill are in a desert. John doesn't like Jill and hence decides to murder him. He poisons the water supply of Jill. Since it is a desert area, Jill must drink or he will die of thirst.

Jack does not know of the actions of John and also decides to murder Jill. To succeed in his ill motives, he removes the water supply of Jill so he dies of thirst.

Jill dies due to thirst. Who murdered Jill?

Asked by Neha on 08 Aug 2023


There is a straight highway. Four different villages lie on that highway. The distance between them is different. The third village is 60km away from the first village; the fourth is 40 km away from the second; the third is 10 km near to the fourth that it is to the second.

Can you calculate the distance between the fourth and the first village ?

Asked by Neha on 23 Mar 2023

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Amazing Facts

Out of the Box

The phrase “thinking outside the box” was popularised from the solution to a topographical puzzle involving 9 dots in a box shape.