Questions tagged [lateral-thinking]
A puzzle solved through an indirect and creative approach, using reasoning that is not immediately obvious and involving ideas that may not be obtainable only using logic.
935
questions
5
votes
1answer
118 views
Relationship Advice
I have big news! I finally have a girlfriend! She's really nice and is studying to be a cartographer. As you know, I don't have much experience with the ladies, so I need some advice.
I have been ...
9
votes
1answer
212 views
Improbable Inequalities
I'm making a work decision, and in my as I weigh the digits {0-9} as they pertain to this particular situation, I find:
In one case, this is true:
...
8
votes
12answers
563 views
Write a Schrödinger's sentence [closed]
Write an indicative sentence whose truthfulness cannot be objectively determined before you try to find it out, but is immediately decided as soon as you begin to find it. The truthfulness must not ...
1
vote
0answers
95 views
What is the next number in this sequence [closed]
3, 8, 24, 72, 213, 668, 2064, 6312, ...
What's the next number?
This sequence mod 3 is 0, 2, 0, 0, 0, 2, 0, 0;
mod 2 is 1, 0, 0, 0, 1, 0, 0, 0;
mod 5 is 3, 3, 4, 2, 3, 3, 4, 2.
And there seems to ...
-9
votes
3answers
300 views
Who is the Killer from the following suspect in this image? [closed]
I did a lot of image search on google and found out the original source of the image is http://www.ghadahaleidi.com/
because there is a lot of debate I posted the answer myself and here are the ...
13
votes
1answer
283 views
A scar in the fabric of space and time - a true story
A few days ago, Leonard was invited to attend a ceremony held in the principality of Monaco, to celebrate the birth of a new member of the sovereign family. Now standing in the middle of a busy ...
9
votes
12answers
3k views
Time to call the bluff [closed]
You are located outside of two rooms which have a door between them. Each room has one or more computers whose total power is unknown, so they cannot be reliably used as proof-of-work to compare times,...
8
votes
16answers
3k views
Ask one verbal question to figure out who is blind and who is mute among three persons
This is another "You can ask only one question" puzzle. This is an edited very restricted version
There may be multiple answers but I could come up with only one.
There are three persons in three ...
4
votes
1answer
170 views
Aye - Bye - Gye -?
I've got a new puzzle for everyone; as always I hope you enjoy, and best of luck!
I'm not sure where the best place to start this story is, so I suppose I'll start with tomorrow.
You see, ...
3
votes
1answer
223 views
A balloon and a vacuum
You have a metal water bottle entirely filled with a vacuum and you have a rubber party balloon (lets make it red). How can you use only the bottle to inflate the balloon with the air surrounding you. ...
8
votes
3answers
372 views
So, what's to do?
It's White to move and draw the game. What must White do?
You must provide proof for your claim of what's to be done by any reasonable means.
This puzzle was created by Nikita M. Plaksin, and ...
1
vote
2answers
427 views
'The Imperial triangles' trigonometry question
There is a very well-known family of right triangles in Mathematics called "The Imperial triangles". Let me explain you how they are defined:
We say $T_n$ is the $n$-th Imperial triangle if these two ...
8
votes
1answer
297 views
TechSupport Issue ID#812
User ID: 3Aq47h-20dpc8l
Language: English (UK)
Today I noticed a strange text file on my Windows 10 PC's Desktop called "README.txt". Curious, I opened it and it read
START → 2↑ → P 3→ ↑ P 4→ P →...
8
votes
2answers
226 views
Knights and Knaves on a (Not So) Deserted Island
One day, while flying your single-engine seaplane out over the Pacific, the electrical system shorts out, all of your electrical systems (including the radio) fail, and the engine dies. You are in a ...
10
votes
2answers
356 views
They are all tied together
There are four different things shown below
One Vertical
One Horizontal
Two diagonal
All have one common thing (the ? box) which ties them together
What is it?
18
votes
2answers
9k views
A Non Math Puzzle. What is the middle number?
There are three patterns below.
Two diagonal and one vertical. The middle number is common to them all
What is it?
It is not mathematical per se.
NO partial ...
10
votes
1answer
371 views
A story puzzle for you
My brother loves numbers. He likes to pick a number, reflect, and enjoy its presence.
He picked a number and asked me to guess it. I guessed random numbers for twenty minutes.
I never got it ...
8
votes
2answers
385 views
Grandpa's Crazy Math II: Another Grandpa Mystery
Grandpa says: "This is really a stretch but
Prove to me
S = 0.5 or 1/2
Grandpa and his very lateral thinking!
-6
votes
3answers
217 views
the camel and the eye of the needle [closed]
A farmer told me, without lying:
"you see this camel over there" showing me a camel eating, "it passed whole through the eye of a normal needle"
How is it possible, knowing that I too do not lie ...
20
votes
5answers
2k views
What is the corner house number?
The Singh family lives in a housing development full of Scientists and engineers (god forbid!). The Home Owners have come up with weird ways of numbering their houses.
K Street is all engineers ...
17
votes
11answers
4k views
No Shirt, No Shoes, Service [closed]
I was walking outside on a hot summer day, when I suddenly got hungry and walked to a restaurant to eat. I tried to go in, but I was rebuffed at the door. The server pointed to a sign outside that ...
4
votes
1answer
170 views
Rubio, please help Clark!
Clark who is consecutive in nature, lives in California near the 100th street. Today he decided to take his palindromic boat and visit France. He booked a room which has a number of thrice a prime. ...
2
votes
6answers
203 views
Two untrusted traders [closed]
I'm sure this has been asked before, but I tried searching and couldn't find it. I don't know the solution, and it is possible there isn't one.
There is unsavoury pirate and an unscrupulous merchant....
11
votes
1answer
381 views
Mirror Mirror on the wall, who's the richest of them all? (I make billions #7)
Mirror Mirror on the wall, who's the richest of them all? (I make billions #7)
Clue group 1:
This spa provides a great relaxation rub. Earbuds are included too.
I compared virtual machines, and ...
-6
votes
2answers
154 views
Who doesn’t belong in the group? [closed]
Identify the ones that are oddballs
B
C
Ba
W
H
Fe
Si
Br
Rn
I
N
O
P
13
votes
8answers
4k views
Four ships at the ocean with the same distance
Four ships are located at the ocean, such that the distance between all four ships is the same.
How are the ships positioned?
3
votes
1answer
190 views
Holy Alphabet Arithmetic
$Given$:
$A$+$B$+$C$=3
$B$+$C$+$D$=3
$C$+$D$+$E$=1
$D$+$E$+$F$=1
What is
$E$+$F$+$G$=?
12
votes
5answers
704 views
I make billions (#5)
I make bullions balloons billions (#5)
Main clues:
These statues are wonderful! I'm going to invest in the sculptor.
Move faster! I need to finish the 18th hole and return this golf ...
-3
votes
1answer
81 views
Strange? Primes and Palindromes have no business being in this Place?
$1$
$1$,$2$ Good easy start
$1$,$2$,$4$ As expected
$1$,$2$,$4$,$8$ I know it is going to be easy
$1$,$2$,$4$,$8$,$16$ why is he giving this? I got it!
$1$,$2$,$4$,$8$,$16$,Prime ...oops!.....
5
votes
2answers
235 views
I make billions (#4)
I make billions (#4)
For years did a sharp little verse,
Grow fast in our ears like a curse,
A tune on TV,
Did subconsciously,
Cause all to spend much from their purse,
Who / what am ...
6
votes
0answers
267 views
What causes these signs to follow this relation?
Can you find why does the below relation hold true?
Hint 1
Hint 2
4
votes
1answer
116 views
Deduce the Missing Terms in the Sequence
$NINE$ + $5$
$EIGHT$ + $3$
$SEVEN$ + $2$
$???$ + $?$
$FIVE$ + $1$
$????$ + $?$
$?????$ -$?$
$???$ - $?$
10
votes
1answer
229 views
Welcome to my kitchen
Today I mixed some food products and saw interesting outcomes.
Silverbeet + Gelatin $\equiv$ Snickers
Lime + Nacho $\equiv$ Kiwi
Sesame + Tea $\equiv$ Popcorn
Can you find how these ...
6
votes
5answers
768 views
The Starks, Parks, Clarks and their kids
Inspired by Martin Gardner's puzzle from his book
John,a new student at the Math Department of the College, was invited to a get-together at one of the Professor's house.
Professor Stark welcomed ...
11
votes
1answer
511 views
Professor Roman gives unusual math quiz ahead of
His usual Monday Morning 8am class.
This is for extra AAA credits.
$A$, $B$, $C$ are distinct digits.
$AA$, $BA$, $BBAAA$, $CBBBAB$ are distinct numbers.
Please deduce these with concise reasoning ...
-4
votes
2answers
267 views
On Fri morning I was racing to work and took usual NYC train from Princeton and
I found a piece of paper with these scribbled on it
Dark Thunder. X P X ...with P circled
Silver Lightning. X X X...
What could those X s possibly represent?
Hint 1: Given yesterday
Hint 2: ...
3
votes
1answer
217 views
Tom travels extensively all over. He was trying to figure out
The missing members in the following sequence.
$A$, $A$, $A$, $A$, $?$, $?$, $?$
Please help him out.
6
votes
2answers
316 views
Unorthodox Prof. Roman’s Chemistry Class Quiz
Prof. Roman of Chemistry department as you all know is quite unorthodox..here is his Quiz. It is Monday Morning and it is time for Prof. Roman’s unusual quizzes to his chemistry class.
What is the ...
1
vote
1answer
204 views
A sentence with all numbers [closed]
Crazy thought.
Can you make an (grammatically correct) english sentence using english words which are all
numbers? Each word in that sentence must represent a number. I am
expecting a minimum 6 ...
4
votes
3answers
243 views
What are the missing members in this sequence based on the digits 0 to 9?
Find the missing members?
0, 0, 2, 0, 2, 3, 0, ?, ?, ?
Hint 1
14
votes
1answer
318 views
A simple association between letters and numbers
$X$ is 5.
$U$ is 9.
$O$ is 0 or 7.
$I$ is 4 or 5 or 7.
What is $V$? And what is $K$ (two options)?
15
votes
2answers
3k views
Grandpa has another non math question
Grandpa says, " This is not algebra or may be it is!
IF
X = 2
R + C = 6
B + P = 5 or 6
Then
What is
I + T ?
There are, with my logic, three different answers!"
14
votes
1answer
341 views
What's up with my calculator?
As I am wont to do, I got a new calculator the other day. Obviously it needed a few test calculations:
5 + 6 = 11
22 - 17 = 5
10 + 3 = 13
4 * 6 = 24
OK, so ...
3
votes
1answer
609 views
Find my name from this list of symbols
From the symbols below, find my name?
# ! # @ * @ & \$ ^ # * # \$ #
19
votes
1answer
946 views
Kara's bitmap picture
Kara recently received a puzzling bitmap image by email in the shape of a trapezoid. She didn't recognize the email address, and she doesn't know why she would be receiving such a picture. She ...
19
votes
3answers
2k views
Bookshelves: the intruder
Somebody has messed up my bookshelf by shoving a book into completely the wrong place.
Which is the intruder?
4
votes
1answer
165 views
Can you solve this numerical puzzle
Puzzle goes like:
3, 2, 12
10, 4, 9
8, 6, 3
9, 6, 2
7, 4, (?)
Can you answer what can be the (?) mark, with explanation
14
votes
2answers
815 views
Roman Numerals Equation 2
This is a follow up for
Roman Numerals equation 1
With your creativity and lateral thinking and any ways you can think of (except the restrictions below), make the following equation correct moving ...
4
votes
1answer
196 views
Help Aunt Nora solve this puzzle
Aunt Nora has the following images which contain hints to objects used in the production of a specific substance. What is the substance?
4
votes
1answer
276 views
Crazy for revenge
@Brandon_J recently asked us in Can't Even Sit Down to identify a movie based on the words
tart con arc host
I've also been to see a fun movie from a few years ago, just a short one
buck ...
