Questions tagged [time]

Puzzles which include the concept of time, as for instance: clocks, dates, calendars, conversions from one time zone to another, time-intervals.

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-1 votes
2 answers
61 views

At what time did John arrive home?

John has quite a curious clock at home. Every hour it rings a bell as many times as the number of hours (At 2 o´clock it rings twice, at 3 o´clock thrice and so on), and it rings only once at a ...
2 votes
1 answer
197 views

Eating my toasts before work

I work remotely as a software engineer, and because I like sleeping as much as possible I always leave my alarm clock set to the last possible minute. Problem is, today I did not hear my alarm go off, ...
-6 votes
0 answers
40 views

How late will he be? [duplicate]

I'm struggling with a puzzlein Swedish. I'll provide a translation for you. Here's the puzzle: A person had arranged to meet a friend at 0945. The person's wristwatch was ten minutes behind the ...
18 votes
1 answer
3k views

Are there seven consecutive annual dates which result in Monday-Sunday?

Choose a date that's a Monday, e.g. 1st Jan 2024. Then keep adding 1 year until you have seven dates in a row that are the days of the week in order (Monday to Sunday). Does such a date combination ...
  • 4,665
17 votes
1 answer
851 views

Time (and a place) for an odd-one-out puzzle

This puzzle is part of the Monthly Topic Challenge #6: Is it really that [time] again?. It is a tough task to create an 'odd-one-out' type puzzle whose solution lacks any ambiguity at all - it is all ...
  • 117k
13 votes
1 answer
863 views

Horological Horrors

This puzzle is part of the Monthly Topic Challenge #6: Is it really that [time] again?. I was visiting my grandfathers workshop one day, when he received a call and had to run out for a bit. He told ...
  • 6,000
2 votes
1 answer
369 views

Another predictable sequence: 1, 1, 2, 2, 1, 17, etc

This puzzle is part of the Monthly Topic Challenge #6: Is it really that [time] again?. Can you find the pattern? Note: The next number hasn't been worked out yet. ...
21 votes
1 answer
3k views

Time to get a watch

This puzzle is part of the Monthly Topic Challenge #6: Is it really that [time] again?. Last weekend I caught up with a friend I hadn't seen in a while. I went round his house on the Friday night ...
  • 117k
18 votes
2 answers
745 views

Only time will tell

This puzzle is part of the Monthly Topic Challenge #6: Is it really that [time] again?. Please help. I'm an intelligence officer, and I've got a crisis on my hands - my boss has gone missing! I came ...
  • 117k
3 votes
1 answer
314 views

Blind Date and Times

This puzzle is part of the Monthly Topic Challenge #6: Is it really that [time] again?. I was going on a blind date with a fellow puzzler and they sent me this: I didn't end up going on the date, ...
0 votes
0 answers
118 views

Thyme and thyme again (Shakespearean, pronounced “ah-GAI-n”

“A missing right parenthesis gives a sense of suspense.” - A paraphrase of Randall Munroe You awaken to a series of images flashing faster than your eyes can comprehend, and yet they can, lending the ...
  • 1,235
30 votes
3 answers
1k views

A Ticking Time Bomb

This puzzle is part of the Monthly Topic Challenge #6: Is it really that [time] again?. You wake up, finding yourself sitting in a room you've never seen before. Around the room there are loads of ...
  • 3,075
0 votes
1 answer
149 views

Measure time with 2 ropes [duplicate]

You are given two ropes that when lit burn in one hour. Which one of the following time periods CANNOT be measured with your ropes? a) 50 min b) 30 min c) 25 min d) 35 min. I know 30 minutes is ...
4 votes
2 answers
367 views

Dark time in prison

You wake up. It is pitch dark. You don't know where you are. You feel groggy. The last thing you remember is being in a bar, a sexy young woman appeared out of nowhere, walked straight at you, ...
  • 24.9k
1 vote
0 answers
120 views

I wonder what that would be

This is my own puzzle. Consider the following Alice begins march for peace in East Bengal along with Gandhi Bentley celebrated the first Bahia Independence Day Catherine saw the starting of the Great ...
3 votes
1 answer
330 views

A strange corporate

The employees of corporate "Clocks" have a fixed rule for working hours. All the employees start working at 16:00 and finish their work by 21:00. They take exactly one break during that time....
  • 1,270
3 votes
2 answers
315 views

What time is it? (High School Logic Question)

You need to find out what time it is. The logic question allegedly asked of middle school children in Russia. I think the question has more than one answer. So to clear my confusion, I will ask you to ...
4 votes
1 answer
290 views

A prime time traveler

It is the year 2140 and you have just turned 40. After years of research, you have finally invented the time machine! It is a small device that fits in your pocket and allows you to travel in time. ...
1 vote
1 answer
151 views

Zettler's Encyclopedia

On epiphany 1735, Sir Zettler, who was a great publisher from the old continent, promised to issue a "Great Universal Encyclopedia of Collectible Wisdom". It was meant to be affordable for ...
-3 votes
3 answers
188 views

Twisted Timekeeping [closed]

Two office workers need to arrive at work at the exact same time. However that's not likely to happen because the only thing they use for telling the time is their watches and their timekeeping is a ...
4 votes
3 answers
267 views

Doing Time In Prison

A prisoner was awoken by an earthquake that caused his wall clock to fall to the floor and rolled in the corner of his cell. When the ground stops shaking, he learns that the clock is still working ...
  • 6,616
1 vote
1 answer
206 views

Puzzle storm to infinity

I have been playing Puzzle Storm on Lichess lately. Essentially it involves solving chess puzzles within a given time limit. Additionally, the player gets a time bonus for a certain number of moves. ...
  • 21
3 votes
2 answers
207 views

On which date was Marina born?

The puzzle is as follows: In 2012, which began on a Sunday, Marina was happy because her birthday was on a Saturday and she celebrated it with her friends. We know, Marina was born in a year where ...
0 votes
0 answers
97 views

Nine touching clocks [duplicate]

There are nine 12-hour clocks arranged in a 3x3 grid, as shown in the diagram. The long minute handles of the left two clocks are touching, while the others are not. Two minute handles touch if they ...
9 votes
1 answer
1k views

Four touching clocks

There are four 12-hour clocks arranged in a 2x2 grid, as shown in the diagram. The long minute handles of the left two clocks are touching, while the others are not. Two minute handles touch if they ...
2 votes
1 answer
350 views

What is the date displayed for the question mark?

Someone sent me these images. It's about the Moon for some reason. Anyways, here are the images: And also that someone gave me a bonus:
3 votes
1 answer
139 views

An altered Alan Parrish question

I was wondering around on Puzzling when I saw this question posted three days ago. It is a great puzzle and it reminded me me about another puzzle a saw a long ...
  • 2,253
6 votes
1 answer
249 views

When is the full moon?

During each lunar cycle, the full moon is technically full for one instant, but to the human observer, the moon appears full for 2-3 days and nights in a row, making it hard to tell on which date and ...
  • 5,714
10 votes
1 answer
367 views

The Alan Parrish question

Two stereotypical british gentlemen that don't know each other engage in this unusual conversation (it's almost as if they were a setup for a puzzle): Gentleman A - Hello sir, I'll have you know that ...
  • 12.6k
15 votes
1 answer
612 views

Explain this holiday calendar oddity

Happy Boxing Day! Yesterday was Christmas Day, and in a few days, it will be New Year's Day. Each holiday season, those two holidays are always on the same day of the week (in this case, Friday). But ...
  • 5,714
3 votes
3 answers
268 views

After how many minutes will both hour hand and minute hand lie on one another

The following question was part of my mock test and I was unable to solve it. Assuming that: A: The hour hand and minute hand of the clock move without jerking B: The clock shows a time between 8 o'...
14 votes
0 answers
596 views

Qubes: Oh, For the Love Of

TL;DR: This is a mixture between a tribute/spin-off puzzle and an attempt at a new puzzle type, greatly inspired by the notorious arcade game, Q*bert, published originally by Gottlieb Amusement Games. ...
5 votes
3 answers
2k views

But wait! We skipped a day!

Today is October 4th and tomorrow will be October 6th. Explain! Note: I just thought of this one day and decided to post it here. Please don't leave too many downvotes. :(
13 votes
3 answers
2k views

A stopped watch shows correct time ---

You know the old saying A slow or fast running watch is worse than a stopped (broken) watch. At least the stopped watch shows correct time twice a day! Here is a challenge: A person was wearing a ...
  • 39k
3 votes
1 answer
200 views

Lazy Box Sorting

In front of Louis there are 10 boxes containing different foods: tomatoes, (red) herrings, and bananas. The boxes are arranged side by side in a line. Right next to the last box are three bigger ...
  • 311
6 votes
5 answers
1k views

Probability of three identical digits on a four-digit digital clock?

On a digital clock showing 00:00 to 23:59, what is the probability of having exactly three identical digits?
  • 11.8k
16 votes
1 answer
580 views

The Odd Street Clocks

The clockmaker took a walk after a lunch from a restaurant and across the block corner he found the old clock box with four similar looking clocks on every wall. It is in the middle of the street ...
  • 6,616
1 vote
2 answers
184 views

Measure nine minutes with two hourglasses [duplicate]

How can you measure 9 minutes with a 7-minute hourglass and a 4-minute hourglass? Note: In this question it states where it's possible or not but not the actual procedure for this exact situation.
7 votes
2 answers
473 views

Puzzle - Counting Lights, Not Sheep

Some nights it is difficult to get to sleep. On one such night, John counted the number of LEDs (Light-Emitting Diodes) on his clock radio that was on to make each individual time from 10:00 PM to 12:...
-1 votes
1 answer
178 views

A sensitive lent

The number of days from the first day of Lent to the last day, inclusive, may be best described by: a) XL b) Xl + VI
  • 69.3k
26 votes
1 answer
1k views

Using burning ropes as timer - how to measure 1 hour and 8 minutes with 3 ropes?

This is a variation of a well known puzzle, you can find the other versions on PSE. You have three ropes and a box with ten matches. As usual each rope takes one hour to burn completely when lighted ...
  • 5,052
-4 votes
3 answers
165 views

Previous palindrome date

2nd of February this year will be a palindrome date, because 02/02/2020 reads the same forwards and backwards. But when was the previous palindrome date?
5 votes
1 answer
254 views

Why do I celebrate later? (still 13,37 years)

A very little time ago, just a bit ago one may say, people started partying. Some even went out of their houses to do so… crazy thing, IMHO. Anyway, I don't, I'll start partying in 4886 days.¹ Why do ...
  • 215
4 votes
1 answer
375 views

Using burning ropes as timers

This puzzle is an harder version of a very famous one. It has been asked many times on PSE, but this time the question is slightly different (1) (2). So please read this question twice before marking ...
  • 5,052
1 vote
1 answer
127 views

Date from 2 wooden cube puzzle [duplicate]

In an interview the interviewer asked me a question based on date. Suppose in a office, at the manager's desk there are 2 wooden cubes to show the date of month, every day the manager sets the cubes ...
6 votes
7 answers
4k views

If the second hand goes backwards, starting from 12:00, how long does it take to meet with the minute hand?

If the second hand of a clock goes backwards, starting from 12:00, how long does it take until it meets with the minute hand (which is going forwards)?
0 votes
2 answers
1k views

Witches' Coffee [closed]

Two witches make a nightly visit to an all-night coffee shop. Each arrives at a random time between 0:00 and 1:00. Each one of them stays for exactly 30 minutes. On any one given night, what is the ...
3 votes
1 answer
269 views

Infinite dials to reset ever?

I have an infinite number of dials with red needles that rotate $n\in\mathbb{Z^+}$ times every second. They all start pointing North. Will they simultaneously all point North ever again?
  • 35.4k
6 votes
2 answers
1k views

What's Bob's age again?

I created this problem myself, but I did have inspiration. Today is a special day, I'm moving out of my parent's house. My father comes to me and says "Wow, you're half my age. On the day we moved ...
  • 2,943
-1 votes
1 answer
160 views

When was Sia born? [closed]

John was born on 15 August 2007. If Sia is 17 year older than John. On which day Sia was born? Tuesday, Wednesday, Monday, Friday
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