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.
1,122
questions
6
votes
3answers
394 views
Generalization of the two-surgeons-two-patients-and-two-gloves puzzle
This is the original puzzle with $n=2$. I recommend solving it before this one to get acquainted with the mechanisms.
There are $n$ patients in an hospital (let's call them $p_1 \dots p_n$), each of ...
3
votes
1answer
112 views
A rhyming riddle: “Line them up in order…”
Line them up in order,
And into teams as well.
Each of them’s a character,
Under someone’s spell.
Some have foreign accents
And put on different things:
A cute hat, something grave,
Tails and dots and ...
20
votes
1answer
3k views
Grandpa's Crazy Math. Yes? No?
"This is really straightforward if you are from the other side of the pond", said Grandpa.
"Put your lateral thinking hat on and prove this to me:
Yes x No = VIIX
Being from US, this ...
3
votes
1answer
287 views
How to Balance?
You are given a scale which has 4kg and 2kg stones on the left side and an 8kg stone on the right side of the scale. You have an additional 1kg. How will you balance the scale?
-4
votes
6answers
678 views
Variation of 100 coins puzzle (no flipping) [closed]
You have 100 coins laying flat on a table, each with a head side and a tail side. 10 of them are heads up, 90 are tails up. You can't feel, see or in any other way find out which side is up. You ...
1
vote
4answers
404 views
Who has betrayed me?
Imagine my horror to discover that I'd been betrayed. I knew it was one among five of my most trusted inner circle, so I sent them this message:
Dear Anna, Bess, Chrissy, Diana, and Eva,
I know one ...
5
votes
1answer
227 views
How did the king pay the worker? [duplicate]
A humorous king pays his worker with one inch gold bar everyday. He had a $31$ inches gold bar and he paid the worker $31$ days of a month cutting it in just $4$ places. How is this possible?
Taken ...
21
votes
7answers
2k views
What is the minimum number of helpers that an explorer need to cross the desert?
There is a desert which can be crossed only by walking and this takes six days. The explorers of the desert can carry at most four days' water and food. If they want, they can take helpers with them. ...
7
votes
1answer
165 views
Scientific Discovery Rebus Puzzle
What scientific discovery is represented by the following image?
NOTE: Some tags have been deliberately omitted since I don't wanna reveal too much 😊
7
votes
1answer
554 views
A variant of the doctor's dilemma
This puzzle is a variant of the Doctor's Dilemma.
There are two patients in a hospital (let's call them A and B), both of them need an operation by two different doctors (let's call them X and Y) ...
-3
votes
6answers
259 views
Make 93 using 2, 0, 2, 2 and a least powerful set of operations [closed]
Use some mathematical operations to make an expression equal 93.
You must use each one of the digits 2, 0, 2, 2 exactly once, and no other digits.
To score the solutions, your set of operations used ...
8
votes
0answers
425 views
Connect The Wall-Words:-
Edit:- We have a group of words here:- (Go check Hint 1)
ACIDITY
TIME
MICROSCOPE
MARKS
LIGHT
SCALE
CHEMISTRY
CLAW
REAL
LEAD
INTEREST
BIOLOGY
DUCK
RADICAL
ACADEMY
LEAF
Goal:- Group these $16$ ...
9
votes
1answer
498 views
2
votes
1answer
93 views
“Physical” height of an infinitely distant joint point
When driving along long straight roads, this is what you would typically see:
Photo by Luke Stackpoole on Unsplash
As you're probably aware, the solid lines on the sides of the road are parallel, in ...
0
votes
1answer
173 views
Totally not spam; don't delete me
Thanks for registering for our super-not-spam mailing list! We'll let you unsubscribe if you can find a super-special password!
Here are the criteria for the password:
Matches the following regex ...
5
votes
2answers
189 views
Odd numbers to Even numbers
Remember the old puzzle?
"Can you take just one letter out of an odd number and make it even?"
Note the clever wording. It just says make it even; not "make it an even number"...
...
3
votes
1answer
178 views
Knights of the Square Table
I am of the order of the valiant Knights of the Square Table, an elite fraternity—far more so than those so-called Knights of the Round Table. There are so many of them, but only two of us! I serve my ...
3
votes
1answer
168 views
Strange addition
Professor Devonshire was losing his marbles, Dr. Wallaby thought, staring at the equations filling the board in Dr. Devonshire’s office. What kind of addition was this?
1+1 = 6
2+1 = 6
1+6 = 6
2+6 = 6
...
4
votes
1answer
171 views
Larry and Laura Literal
Larry Literal loved Laura Literal, his lovely long-suffering wife. They'd lived together as husband and wife 50 long years. Longing to live near long-lost loved ones, they'd recently re-located to a ...
10
votes
1answer
304 views
Don't Pair Program a Puzzle
My friend William and I wanted to make a word search (number search?) of five digit numbers in a 5x5 grid, filling all spaces to form 12 clues.
To simplify things, we decided we would add a single ...
-1
votes
1answer
101 views
Blindly choosing a ball from a bag [closed]
You are blindfolded. You are handed a bag and told that there are three balls and two cubes, all of which are the same size and are equally likely to be chosen. You blindly choose one of the items ...
1
vote
2answers
297 views
Who is the only pre-teen that has traveled to outer space?
Who is the only pre-teen that has traveled to outer space? Sort of a trick question. But also not quite a trick question. This is a person, not a dog or chimpanzee or other animal.
15
votes
6answers
2k views
Does this equation make sense?
"The two sides of this equation appear to be different, don't they?" asked Grandpa
I looked at the numbers he had written on a piece of paper and nodded in agreement.
2011 = 1012
"Can ...
1
vote
6answers
698 views
Bizarre number sequence
My friend sent me this tricky puzzle...
Please explain the reason for the mistake in the number sequence - what is it trying to communicate?
8139, 8140, 8141, 5493, 8143, 8144
Hints:
1.
-5
votes
1answer
100 views
Fun with Letters, Words and Sentences? [closed]
I have a game, but first, I need to explain how it works.
Take a sentence, completely meaningful. Suppose the sentence is, "Yes, yesterday we ate the meal sometime at night".
In this ...
16
votes
9answers
3k views
A fun lateral-thinking Chess puzzle [closed]
Which famous movie is suggested by the following chess position (by Trevor Tao)?
7
votes
7answers
873 views
Ma turned 34 in 2002. Really?
My friend said to me:
“In February of the year 1970 at 1:12 AM Ma turned 18. Ma turned 34 in
February of the year 2002 at 2:16 AM. How is this possible?”
“And yes. Same Ma!” he ended with that.
Hint
...
4
votes
1answer
272 views
A talk with Four Brothers
Once upon a time, on going to the small park nearby to take some fresh air, I met four quite peculiar brothers and had a talk with them. Each had a different story to tell.
The first two brothers ...
6
votes
1answer
464 views
Stop the robot by changing value of variable Z
You're a computer security expert (i.e a hacker who doesn't break law). Your neighbour is infamous professor MacGoofy himself. He specializes in designing programming languages and programming ...
8
votes
3answers
387 views
With a little effort, one can prevail
What is common between the following words and names?
(Inspired by this except that I actually know the answer to this one)
Defeat
Kleenex?
Guanaco
Nerdiest
Sardar
Ian McKellen
Dingo
Gun
Diablo
...
9
votes
1answer
360 views
An X-Mensa dq question
Which of the numbers should fill in the ?.
4, 3, 4, 7, 0, 45, 7, 15, 64, 0, 1111, 55, 5, 5, 0, 20, 32, 1, ?
a) 2
b) 0
c) 20
d) 1
Hints:
1.
1
vote
1answer
161 views
Ohh, NSA Again? #2
This puzzle is the second part of story Ohh, NSA again?. Hope like this story. Here it is:
John got the target, it was Stack. Problem is, it can be Stack Overflow or Stack Exchange.
Another problem ...
1
vote
3answers
323 views
He's a real mama's baby
Monday morning baby Alex awoke in his mother's loving embrace. His mother changed him, fed him, and snuggled him, which he of course loved. But when she went to get her coat and suitcase baby Alex ...
4
votes
2answers
227 views
People have many things to say about me
You could say I'm straight, or you could say I'm gay.
You could say I'm a virgin, or you could say I've had sex.
You could say I've always been the youngest of my family, or you could say I had a ...
0
votes
2answers
180 views
The Strange Conversation
One morning, I was riding along my bicycle around town and I stopped outside the shopping center as there were 2 old-persons, one man and one woman (let's call them A and B) standing outside and ...
-5
votes
1answer
136 views
One more heart that never beats
It is from the Internet, I changed it a bit, I will put the link after it is answered.
I have a heart that never beats,
I have a home but I never sleep.
I can take a mans house and build anothers,
...
-2
votes
1answer
110 views
Can you find what I am?
Here's a simple affix-riddle .
My prefix is the sound of an animal.
My infix, the missing of the cast.
My suffix, what children like to hear.
My whole, deals with the past.
Can you guess the ...
11
votes
1answer
495 views
A No - Sensa IQ Question?
“This is a Non-sensa IQ Test Question,” said Grandpa giggling.
“It is not math but there may be some science behind it.
If
X is 527 and
I is 810 Then,
IX is?
A: 2810
B: 75310
C: 110
D: A or B
3
votes
1answer
134 views
A function. Really?
If you give me a 5, I give you a 21.
If you give me a 6, I give you a 2.
If you give me a 7, I give you a 12.
If you give me a 10, I give you a 101.
What am I processing to get the result?
Hint 1
...
0
votes
1answer
546 views
Oh no, not again
I wanted to say something, but I forget what it was. Can you help me?
10 - [A-z] (-2)
255 - #beginningfirst00
15 - Period.
0 - You forgot one. You forgot one. Since every beginning has an end,
let's ...
8
votes
1answer
283 views
A rather odd number sequence!
Can you find the next number in this baffling sequence?
925, 955, 1040, 1140, 1255, 225, 410, ?
-6
votes
2answers
99 views
A perfect split of rope [closed]
What is the correct way to split a rope into two parts?
A) Cut it using a blade or any sharp object.
B) Pull on end of the rope until it breaks.
*Note, only one of the ways mentioned above 'can' break ...
2
votes
1answer
165 views
It's been a while hasn't it?
Why can't I say hello? Anyways, it's Emma!
I know it's been a while, but I've been busy with work, and life, and I haven't had much free time lately.
With that in mind though, I've got a new puzzle!
...
-4
votes
1answer
170 views
Who is a zombie amongst the 3 and why?
Here is a picture of $3$ people eating food.
Can you spot who is a zombie amongst them? and why?
Taken From :- 7-Second Riddles
1
vote
1answer
103 views
The unknown wheat-and-chessboard problem
You can read the original story of the Wheat and Chessboard problem on Wikipedia. (But you won't get anything useful from it :))
An eternity after the original ...
9
votes
1answer
327 views
It's your turn now!
What is the simple rule behind these three relations below?
$F$ $\rightarrow$ $C$ :: $R$ $\rightarrow$ $I$ $\rightarrow$ $\sqrt{F}$ ::
$IA$ $\rightarrow$ $D$
1
vote
2answers
128 views
What should the captive say? [duplicate]
You are lost in a jungle and suddenly get caught by a tribal group who are cannibals. They keep you captive and however think of offering you a second chance to save your life.
Their leader says- &...
5
votes
1answer
291 views
Sudoku Logic From Another Planet
This is the brutally hard Tatooine Sunset Sudoku puzzle by Philip Newman ... except the Noble Happy Star has goofed! Two of the digits have been swapped and there are multiple solutions. Fortunately, ...
5
votes
5answers
814 views
Matchsticks: Fix the Equation
Here's a simple puzzle I just created:
Move just one matchstick to fix the next equation:
8
votes
2answers
359 views
Fit the board into the hole
How can you divide the board into exactly $2$ equally-shaped and sized pieces such that it fits the hole?
Bonus: Can you do the same problem in $3$ pieces, such that one of the pieces of the board ...
