Larian Studios Forums General Chat Chat (Anything) Puzzles

After seeing Kyra_Ny's Riddle thread, I wonder if anybody would like to try puzzles as well?

Here's one of the best I've seen. Like K_N's riddle it has supposedly stumped and frustrated a heaps of learned men and women, and yet one of their 12 year old children apparently spotted the answer in a few minutes. Or so the story goes <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />


1
1 1
2 1
1 2 1 1
1 1 1 2 2 1
3 1 2 2 1 1
1 3 1 1 2 2 2 1
? what's the next line here?

If you have a guess or question, please post it using the hidden 'spoiler' function below. If you already know the answer please don't blurt it out. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

And another old one:

Three people went to a restaurant, and the bill came to $25.

Each person gave the waiter a $10 note and they told the waiter to keep $2 out of the change as a tip.

The waiter took the $30 to the till, returned with $3 in coins, and gave $1 to each diner.

So each person spent $9. The meal had therefore cost $27 plus $2 for the waiter's tip. Where had the other $1 gone???

I know the answer to these two so I won't spoil them at all. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

<img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/ROFL.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/ROFL.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/ROFL.gif" alt="" />

<span class='standouttext'>Spoiler : </span><span class='spoiler'> The tip was only $2 not $6, like a lot of people are cleverly manipulated to believe, due to sentence construction. </span>

Kyra_Ny <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/delight.gif" alt="" />

Holy-Moly!!! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/eek.gif" alt="" />

Since I don't like math at all period, I bow to the children.
I would have never spotted this.
<span class='standouttext'>Spoiler : </span><span class='spoiler'> (one 3's, one 1's, two 2's and then two 1's in row F) </span>

Kyra_Ny <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/memad.gif" alt="" /> (huff...huff...huff) <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/ROFL.gif" alt="" />

What was hard with the second one? <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif" alt="" />. I got that immediately, but I didn't get Kyras explenation on what was hard about it.

Let's try one...

There are this Jar standing on a table in a lab. In this jar there is a (what's the english word?) bacterium, whitch multiplies. In fact, it doubles itself every minute.

So, the doctors leaves the jar unguarded (at 1 pm, just in order to get a certain time), and the bacteriums starts to multiply. After half an hour, the jar's half full. When is it full?

Übereil

Hey!!!!! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/memad.gif" alt="" />

<img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/ROFL.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/ROFL.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/ROFL.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/ROFL.gif" alt="" />

Kyra_Ny <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/delight.gif" alt="" />

<span class='standouttext'>Spoiler : </span><span class='spoiler'> At 31 minutes. </span>

How does that work? Where did $6 come from?

<span class='standouttext'>Spoiler : </span><span class='spoiler'>The riddle adds in the wrong direction. The bill was $25, not $27, then you add the $2 tip making $27.</span>

Ubereil nice puzzle and i'm like Womble i make it 31minutes ..but that seemed just a bit to easy. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/think.gif" alt="" />

Kris, could you give a hint for the first one? It drives me crazy! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/silly.gif" alt="" />

It's harder if you hear it. Ie If I had told it to you, it would have been harder.

Übereil (let's hope I'm in the right thread...)

@Sveltje <span class='standouttext'>Spoiler : </span><span class='spoiler'>Try reading the numbers one by one. </span>

1
1 1
2 1
1 2 1 1
1 1 1 2 2 1
3 1 2 2 1 1
1 3 1 1 2 2 2 1
? what's the next line here?


Hint 1:
<span class='standouttext'>Spoiler : </span><span class='spoiler'>Each line relates to the line above it </span>

Hint 2:

<span class='standouttext'>Spoiler : </span><span class='spoiler'> The numbers should be looked at as pairs </span>

Answer:

<span class='standouttext'>Spoiler : </span><span class='spoiler'>Apart from the first 1, each line then describes the line above.
1
One one
Two Ones
One two, and One one,
One one, one two, and two ones,
etc
</span>

Aaaaahh.......1113213211 Taa-daa. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/biggrin.gif" alt="" />

I mentioned the $6 because another common error is people thinking that each person gives a $2 bill tip. 2x3=6 which is not the case.

Kyra_Ny <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

<img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/party.gif" alt="" /> I found it out! Now I can sleep again. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/winkwink.gif" alt="" />

I get you now! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

A family is fleeing their oppressive country late one night. They come to the country's border, a gaping chasm, the only crossing being a rickety bridge. The bridge is only strong enough to support two people at a time (as stated by the conveniently placed sign). As it is dark, a torch is needed to cross the bridge to make sure no one steps on rotten planks. The family only have one torch between them, hence only up to two of them can cross at a time.

The fit and healthy father can cross the bridge in 1 minute.
The aged but healthy grandmother can cross the bridge in 2 minutes.
The pregnant mother can cross the bridge in 5 minutes.
The hobbling, arthritic grandfather can cross the bridge in 10 minutes.

The secret police are only 17 minutes behind them. How can they cross the bridge safely and flee their country before the secret police arrive?

Another one:

After the above incident, the oppressive government tore down the rickety bridge. A new bridge was built at a wider point of the chasm. This bridge has a guard house halfway across. The armed guard comes out every three minutes and make sure no one is crossing the bridge in either direction. This bridge takes four minutes to cross. The bridge was built with smooth edges so there are no handholds and the hut is positioned so one cannot hide behind it. How do you flee the country now?

EDIT: This puzzle is just you (or some other anonymous person), not the family in the above puzzle. They're already gone. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />