In Greek mythology, the Sphinx sat outside of Thebes and asked this riddle of all travellers who passed by. If the traveller failed to solve the riddle, then the Sphinx killed him/her. And if the traveller answered the riddle correctly, then the Sphinx would destroy herself. The riddle:
What goes on four legs in the morning, on two legs at noon, and on three legs in the evening?
Oedipus solved the riddle, and the Sphinx destroyed herself.
Two friends Smith and Andrew were talking about the bravery of their families. Smith told great stories about his courageous grandfather who fought for Britain in "World War I". Andrew told that his grandfather was so brave that in 1919 just after the war he was honoured with a bravery medal with the words "For our Courageous Soldiers In World War I" embedded into it. Smith knows that his friend is lying. How?
You have three orange, two pink and five purple balls in the drawer beside your bed. There is no electricity and the room is entirely dark. How many balls must you take out to ensure at least one ball of each colour at least?
A rubber ball keeps on bouncing back to 2/3 of the height from which it is dropped. Can you calculate the fraction of its original height that the ball will bounce after it is dropped and it has bounced four times without any hindrance ?
To tease, King Akbar told his most clever advisor Birbal to give his daughter one thing that she can eat when hungry, drink if she feels thirsty and can burn if she feels cold. King Akbar was shocked when Birbal gave Akbar's daughter one such thing that satisfies all of the above.
I can sizzle like bacon,
I am made with an egg,
I have plenty of backbone, but lack a good leg,
I peel layers like onions, but still remain whole,
I can be long, like a flagpole, yet fit in a hole.
Trying to tease Birbal, Akbar gave him one gold coin and ask him to buy
* something for him to eat
* something for him to drink.
* something to feed the cows
* something to plant in the garden
and most important you need to buy only one thing.
A man is trapped in a room. The room has only two possible exits doors. Through the first door there is a room constructed from magnifying glass. The blazing hot sun instantly fries anything or anyone that enters. Through the second door there is a fire-breathing dragon. How does the man escape?
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.
