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Shiver me timbers, it’s math! Isn’t it horrible!? There there, calm down; these math riddles are, in fact, much more fun than solving some horrendous algebra problem or trying to figure out train times and the length of your voyage. This is the fun kind of math, where you have to base your answers on logic and critical thinking - if only it were the same at school, right? Anyway, ready to get started on solving these entertaining math riddles? Well, ready or not, this is our compendium of algebra riddles that might just blow you away.

These fun riddles are all supplied with their answers, so you won’t have to google for it or call your dad for help if you get stuck. But, of course, looking at them straight away would spoil all that fun only math can give you! So, don’t do that to yourself and try solving these pretty easy numeric riddles first. You know what else might be fun? Sharing these cool riddles with your friends and trying to solve them simultaneously, timing who gets the correct answer first! Now, doesn’t that sound fun?

Okay, no need to contain the excitement any longer - just scroll on down below and check the smart riddles out! Once you are there, vote for the math riddles that have tickled your fancy, and as discussed before, share this article with your friends for optimum fun. 

#1

102 Math Riddles To Exercise Your Brain What number do you get when you multiply all of the numbers on a telephone’s number pad?

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Paul Jordan
Community Member
3 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Oooh nice!! I actually started multiplying in my head for a second, too

Žydrūnė Trukanavičiūtė
BoredPanda Staff
2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Answer: Zero, because any number multiplied by 0 will always equal 0.

Jess R
Community Member
3 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

It depends on what number you start. If the last number is a 0 then yes, the answer is 0, but if it is the first number then the answer isn't 0.

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    #3

    A duck was given $9, a spider was given $36, a bee was given $27. Based on this information, how much money would be given to a cat?

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    Stimpy
    Community Member
    3 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Were they allowed to keep the legs tho?

    Cartoon Fan Girl
    Community Member
    3 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    That answer really depends on how many legs the cat has.

    keasy
    Community Member
    3 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    with cats there is never a clear solution, is it

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    #4

    102 Math Riddles To Exercise Your Brain A bat and a ball cost $1.10. The bat costs one dollar more than the ball. How much does the ball cost?

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    Chelsea Grimmer
    Community Member
    3 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I don't get this one, I've tried to understand it but I cant

    Pterodactyl in Disguise
    Community Member
    3 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    The bar isn’t one dollar, it is one dollar and the balls price. So if the ball was 10 cents, the bat would be $1.10, and that doesn’t add to $1.10. If the ball was 5 cents however, and the bat one dallar more than that, so 1.05, not the bat and the ball together would be $1.10.

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    Žydrūnė Trukanavičiūtė
    BoredPanda Staff
    2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Answer: The ball costs 5 cents, not 10 cents. If one dollar more than 10 cents is $1.10, then $1.10 + 10 cents is $1.20. Therefore, the ball costs 5 cents.

    Kaylee Brock
    Community Member
    2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    i got lost so fast on the answer

    VERMILION
    Community Member
    3 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Assume ball is x and bat cost one dollar more than that hence assume bat 1 + x now 1 + x + x = 1.1dollars <- this was the total cost of ball and the bat. Solve it and hence the answer : )

    The Redhead
    Community Member
    3 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Can you please explain how you got your answer of $.05

    Ditto
    Community Member
    3 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    The bat is the ball price and $1.00 The ball is $0.05 The bat is $1.00 + $0.05 = $1.05 The ball plus the bat is then $1.10 The ball cannot be $0.10 because then the total would be $1.20 (1.10 + 0.10)

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    #5

    What weighs more, a pound of iron or a pound of feathers?

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    T.
    Community Member
    3 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    A pound of feathers since you have to carry the weight of what you'd done to those poor birds.

    Tracy
    Community Member
    3 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    This one isn't really a riddle

    RandomBeatlesFan
    Community Member
    3 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    It's more of a riddle than the other ones, which are math questions. This one is meant to trick - so it's a riddle, unlike the raw math of others.

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    Ryan Peter Pfantz
    Community Member
    3 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    The features. Because in addition to the pound of weight, you have to bear the guilt of what you did to that poor chicken

    Ruslan Melenchuk
    Community Member
    3 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Nope. If you consider weight bus not the mass, you have to count Archimedean force which will affect feathers mire due to lower density

    Rudra
    Community Member
    3 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Drop it on your head and then tell me which weighs more.

    Alexis Casto
    Community Member
    3 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Weighs the same, now if you dropped them, iron would hit the ground first due to its density while feathers slowly float down, now if you put them in a bag or container, might fall the same

    Timmy Pillinger
    Community Member
    3 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    How about you an oz of gold and an oz of feathers?

    JB
    Community Member
    3 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Yay! I was hoping for this. The ounce of gold weighs more because precious metals are weighed in Troy ounces (> 31.1 grams) vs. Imperial ounces (c. 28.35g).

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    #6

    Can you arrange four nines to make it equal to 100?

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    #7

    When John was six years old, he hammered a nail into his favorite tree to mark how tall he was. Ten years later at age sixteen, John returned to see how much higher the nail was. If the tree grew by five centimeters each year, how much higher would the nail be?

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    VERMILION
    Community Member
    3 years ago (edited) Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    This was no good 😑. Its needs biological knowledge and u said there are math riddles 😂

    JustCallMeAcorn
    Community Member
    3 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    This would be better for biology rather than math.

    C .Hunger
    Community Member
    1 year ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    You wouldn't be able to see it, since as trees grow in height AND thickness, therefore the tree would get thicker and cover up the nail.

    Žydrūnė Trukanavičiūtė
    BoredPanda Staff
    2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Answer: The nail would be at the same height since trees grow at their tops.

    Paul Jordan
    Community Member
    3 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Wait, what? So the part of the trunk at eye level with me now, will always be the same? Like, I carve my initials 4 feet up…..they’ll always be at that height?

    Emmie Reynolds
    Community Member
    3 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    yeah, they might go a little higher, but trees grow from the top, like it said. However, the initials will be spread out more, as the tree widens too.

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    #8

    102 Math Riddles To Exercise Your Brain When Josh was 8, his brother was half his age. Now that Josh is 14, how old is his brother?

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    Žydrūnė Trukanavičiūtė
    BoredPanda Staff
    2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Answer: His brother is 10. Half of 8 is 4, so Josh’s brother is 4 years younger. When Josh is 14, his brother is still 4 years younger, so he’s 10.

    #9

    How many bricks does it take to complete a building made of brick?

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    Kjohn The Coder
    Community Member
    3 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I got this right, only because it said brick instead of bricks

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    #10

    When my father was 31 and I was 8. Now he is twice as old as me. How old am I?

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    Žydrūnė Trukanavičiūtė
    BoredPanda Staff
    2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Answer: The difference in age is 23 years, so I must be 23 if my father is twice as old as me.

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    #11

    102 Math Riddles To Exercise Your Brain How many sides does a circle have?

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    Peter Korsten
    Community Member
    3 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    And that's why they use the phrase "vertices" in maths.

    #12

    What single digit appears most frequently between and including the numbers 1 and 1,000?

    Hint: look for a pattern!

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    Nila Tae
    Community Member
    3 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    What about the 0? There's 3 in the number 1000.

    Pterodactyl in Disguise
    Community Member
    3 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    1 appeared a lot more because it appears 100 in the one hundreds, but 0 doesn’t ever appear 100 times in a row I think

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    Žydrūnė Trukanavičiūtė
    BoredPanda Staff
    2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Answer: The most common digit is 1! Did you figure out why? Every number 1-9 appears exactly the same number of times in every ten numbers. But because we included the number 1,000, there’s an extra occurrence of the number 1. In total, the number 1 appears 301 times, and every other number appears 300 times.

    #13

    You are given 3 positive numbers. You can add these numbers and multiply them together. The result you get will be the same. Which are the numbers?

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    Robin White
    Community Member
    3 years ago

    This comment is hidden. Click here to view.

    I would say 2+2=4 ans 2×2=4...so 2,2,4

    Matt Poxson
    Community Member
    3 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    You haven't added all 3 together or multipled all three. 2+2+4=8 and 2*2*4=16, so you would be wrong.

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    Robin White
    Community Member
    3 years ago

    This comment is hidden. Click here to view.

    1 and 3 are not positive numbers

    Matt Poxson
    Community Member
    3 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    1 and 3 are indeed positive numbers. You might be thinking about even numbers.

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    #14

    What is the next number in the series? 7,645 5,764 4,576

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    Žydrūnė Trukanavičiūtė
    BoredPanda Staff
    2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Answer: 6,457 because the last number is moved to the front to make the next number in the series.

    #15

    102 Math Riddles To Exercise Your Brain Add me to myself and multiply by 4. Divide me by 8 and you will have me once more. What number am I?

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    #16

    If you multiply this number by any other number, the answer will always be the same. What number is this?

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    #17

    The day before yesterday I was 21, and the next year, I will be 24. What day is my birthday?

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    Pterodactyl in Disguise
    Community Member
    3 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I had to pull out a calandre to go through the answers steps

    Žydrūnė Trukanavičiūtė
    BoredPanda Staff
    2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Answer: 31st December, because it must be on the 1st of January, when I turned 22 and so 21 the day before. As it is now a new year, I will be 23 this year and so 24 next year.

    C4R5TEN
    Community Member
    3 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    To paraphrase the question: two days ago age 21, next year 24. What's the birthday Answer: December 31st. But what is that the answer to? The day of birth, yesterday, today? Assuming it's the answer to the birthday (which the question literally states) then: His birthday is December 31st and he turned 21 two days ago then today on January 2nd he still is 21 and at the end of this year he is 22 next year 23. Assuming he is 21 on December 31st and on January 1st is his birthday then today on January 2nd he is 22 but won't have his birthday until next new year, this still will be his 23rd birthday. The question asked 2days ago which can be a calendar year ago (minus one year) and next year which is plus one year. Meaning the time span is -1 to +1 = 3... 21, 22, 23. Not more. The answer jumps in perspective of "today" as you want to have your 22nd and 23rd birthday on the same calendar year, or it's really weirdly worded.

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    #18

    Nathan has 8 bricks. Seven of them weigh the same amount and one is slightly heavier. Using a balance scale, how can Nathan find the heavier brick in two weighings? 

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    VERMILION
    Community Member
    3 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    What's my name again 🤔. I forgot 🥺

    Žydrūnė Trukanavičiūtė
    BoredPanda Staff
    2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Answer: First, he splits them in to piles of 3, 3, and 2 bricks. Then he weighs both groups of 3 with each other. If they balance, he knows the brick is one of the 2 not-weighed bricks and he can weigh them to find the heaver one. If the stacks of 3 bricks do not balance, he will weigh 2 of the 3 bricks. If they balance, he will know the brick left not weighed is heavier, or if they do not balance, he will find the heavier one.

    #19

    102 Math Riddles To Exercise Your Brain How did the soccer fan know before the game that the score would be 0-0?

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    #20

    Old Granny Adams left half her money to her granddaughter and half that amount to her grandson. She left a sixth to her brother, and the remainder, $1,000, to the dogs’ home. How much did she leave altogether?

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    Žydrūnė Trukanavičiūtė
    BoredPanda Staff
    2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Answer: This one might have tripped you up! But the trick is not to focus on the hypothetical amounts, but on the fractions: Adding one half, one quarter, and one sixth tells us that the total is a fraction of twelfths (2+4+6=12). You can also think about it as 6/12, 3/12, 2/12, which equals 11/12. If the remainder is $1,000, that must be one-twelfth, so the total is $12,000.

    C4R5TEN
    Community Member
    3 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    1x -x/2 -x/4 -x/6 = 1000; x/12 = 1000; x = 12k tadaa

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    #21

    What can you put between a 7 and an 8 so that the result is greater than a seven, but less than an eight?

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    Paul Jordan
    Community Member
    3 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Some of these aren’t riddles so much as basic math problems

    Žydrūnė Trukanavičiūtė
    BoredPanda Staff
    2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Answer: A decimal because 7.8 is greater than 7, but less than 8.

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    #22

    If you’re 8 feet away from a door and with each move you advance half the distance to the door. How many moves will it take to reach the door?

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    VERMILION
    Community Member
    3 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I want to get out of this room 😭.

    Tino Kerkhof
    Community Member
    3 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Poor guy had no arms. It'll take anyone about one or two steps, after that, you can reach your arm to the door.

    Žydrūnė Trukanavičiūtė
    BoredPanda Staff
    2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Answer: You will never reach the door, because it will always be half the distance, no matter how small.

    keasy
    Community Member
    3 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    which gives the amazing turtle paradox: an arrow is flying towards a turtle. the turtle is moving in half the speed of the arrow. the arrow will never hit the turtle, as whenever the arrow reaches the turtle 's past position he already advanced half that distance away. poor turtle

    #23

    102 Math Riddles To Exercise Your Brain If there are 4 apples and you take away 3, how many do you have?

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    Marco Lara
    Community Member
    3 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Never laugh at someone until you’ve walked a mile in their shoes. After that you can laugh because you’ll be a mile away and you’ll have their shoes

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    #24

    When Mitch was 6 years old, his little sister, Lila, was half is age. If Mitch is 40 years old today, how old is Lila?

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    Emily
    Community Member
    3 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    This is a repeat of #6

    Tino Kerkhof
    Community Member
    3 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    To git gut at math, you need to repeat questions with different numbers.

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    #25

    Sally and Sarah were preparing to have a water balloon fight. “No Fair” cried Sally, “You have 3 times as many as I do!” Sarah said “Fine!” and gave Sally 10 more balloons. “Still not fair!” argued Sally, “You still have twice as many as I do.” How many more balloons must Sarah give Sally for them to have the same number?

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    Žydrūnė Trukanavičiūtė
    BoredPanda Staff
    2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Answer: Sarah must give Sally another 20 water balloons, giving them each 60. Sally started with 30 water balloons and Sarah with 90.

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    #26

    In a pond, there are some flowers with some bees hovering over them. How many flowers and bees are there if both the following statements are true: If each bee lands on a flower, one bee doesn’t get a flower. If two bees share each flower, there is one flower left out.

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    #27

    102 Math Riddles To Exercise Your Brain What did one math book say to the other math book?

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    Sam Juan
    Community Member
    3 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Oh, so we moved from math riddles to math puns now, huh?

    RandomBeatlesFan
    Community Member
    3 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    This is what I call a 'riddle-joke': a joke disguised as a riddle. How dare you, bp

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    #28

    If it were two hours later, it would be half as long until midnight as it would be if it were an hour later. What time is it now?

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    #29

    A man dies of old age on his 25th birthday. How is this possible?

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    #30

    If you go to the movies and you’re paying, is it cheaper to take one friend to the movies twice or two friends to the movies at the same time?

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    ethan macharper
    Community Member
    3 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Because you are only having to pay for yourself once. The first option you're buying 4 tickets, the second option you're buying 3

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    Žydrūnė Trukanavičiūtė
    BoredPanda Staff
    2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Answer: It’s cheaper to take two friends at the same time.

    #31

    102 Math Riddles To Exercise Your Brain Which month has 28 days?

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    #32

    What number goes up and doesn’t come back down?

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    #33

    If you buy a rooster for the purpose of laying eggs and you expect to get three eggs each day for breakfast, how many eggs will you have after three weeks?

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    Tino Kerkhof
    Community Member
    3 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    And even if it was a hen, you'd still have none, because you are them all at breakfast.

    Pterodactyl in Disguise
    Community Member
    3 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I saw are, and was a touch bewildered, but then I realized it was supposed to be ate and it was a bit more clear

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    Žydrūnė Trukanavičiūtė
    BoredPanda Staff
    2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Answer: None, because roosters do not lay eggs.

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    #34

    If two’s company and three’s a crowd, what are four and five?

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    #35

    102 Math Riddles To Exercise Your Brain What is the smallest number that increases by 12 when it is flipped and turned upside down?

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    Emmie Reynolds
    Community Member
    3 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    and it increases by 3 when just turned upside down

    Pterodactyl in Disguise
    Community Member
    3 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    But 6 is smaller with that logic, it becomes 3 more when upside down

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    Žydrūnė Trukanavičiūtė
    BoredPanda Staff
    2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Answer: The answer is 86. When it is turned upside down and flipped, it becomes 98, which is 12 more than 86.

    #36

    In an odd little town, was an odd little stream, with odd little fish in an odd little team. A stranger approached a local fisherman and asked him how much his odd little fish weighed. The odd little man replied, “All the fish in this stream weigh exactly 1/2 of a pound plus 1/2 of a fish. Isn’t that odd?” How many pounds does an odd little fish weigh?

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    #37

    A man is twice as old as his little sister. He is also half as old as their dad. Over a period of 50 years, the age of the sister will become half of their dad’s age. What is the age of the man now?

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    kuradakarthik sd
    Community Member
    3 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Nope his age is 100 now , was 50 His sister's age is 75 now , was 25 His father's age is 150 now , was 100

    Andi Simons
    Community Member
    3 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Umm... What? If it's been 50 years, and the man is 50, how could he have a little sister?

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    #38

    How can you make the following equation true by drawing only one straight line: 5+5+5=550 Can you figure it out?

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    Žydrūnė Trukanavičiūtė
    BoredPanda Staff
    2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Answer: There are two ways to do so: Draw a line on the first plus sign to turn it into a 4. Change the equal symbol to a crossed-out equal symbol which means “not equal to.”

    Rona is bad
    Community Member
    3 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    There is another! Draw a line on the second plus sign to turn it into a four

    #39

    A man is walking down a street night at a constant pace. As he passes the street light, he notices that his shadow becomes longer. Does the top of his shadow move faster, slower, or the same when the shadow is longer than when it is shorter?

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    Peter Korsten
    Community Member
    3 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    The top of the shadow moves faster than the bottom. But that isn't the question. Because the top moves in a straight line, and the man walks at a constant pace the top has a constant speed, too.

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    Žydrūnė Trukanavičiūtė
    BoredPanda Staff
    2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Answer: This point maintains a constant speed, independent of the length of the shadow.

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    #40

    102 Math Riddles To Exercise Your Brain I am four times as old as my daughter. In 20 years, I shall be twice as old as her. How old are we now?

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    #41

    If eggs are $0.12 a dozen, how many eggs can you get for a dollar?

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    #42

    A farmer has 17 sheep and all but 9 die. How many are left?

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    #43

    You know 2 + 2 comes to the same as 2 x 2. Now find a set of three different whole numbers whose sum is equal to their total when multiplied.

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    VERMILION
    Community Member
    3 years ago

    This comment has been deleted.

    Žydrūnė Trukanavičiūtė
    BoredPanda Staff
    2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Answer: The three different whole numbers whose sum is equal to their total when multiplied are 1, 2, and 3.

    #44

    102 Math Riddles To Exercise Your Brain A 300 ft. train is traveling 300 ft. per minute and must travel through a 300 ft. long tunnel. How long will it take the train to travel through the tunnel?

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    Žydrūnė Trukanavičiūtė
    BoredPanda Staff
    2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Answer: Two minutes because it takes the front of the train one minute and the rest of the train will take two minutes to clear the tunnel.

    Rona is bad
    Community Member
    3 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Pretty slow train, only 3.4 miles per hour

    Sam Juan
    Community Member
    3 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Probably not an express train.

    Peter Korsten
    Community Member
    3 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    This is something that works better in metric. 300ft is 90m, which is shorter than quite a few trams, let alone metros.

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    #45

    If you place three matches on a table then tell a friend to add two more matches to make eight, how can he do so?

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    Žydrūnė Trukanavičiūtė
    BoredPanda Staff
    2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Answer: Make a Roman numeral five out of two matches and add it to the three to make a Roman numeral eight.

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    #46

    If X is an odd number, when a letter is taken away from X and it becomes even. Which is that number?

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    #47

    If seven people meet each other and each shakes hands only once with each of the others, how many handshakes will there have been?

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    #48

    How can you take 2 from 5 and leave 4?

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    Žydrūnė Trukanavičiūtė
    BoredPanda Staff
    2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Answer: Remove the 2 letters F and E from the word FIVE and you have IV.

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    #49

    Once I’m 24. Twice I’m 20. Three times I’m inappropriate. What am I?

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    #50

    102 Math Riddles To Exercise Your Brain Anna wrote all the numbers from 300 to 400 on a piece of paper. How many times did she write the digit 3?

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    #51

    I am a number with a couple of friends, quarter a dozen, and you’ll find me again. What am I?

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    #52

    I am a three-digit number. My tens digit is five more than my one’s digit. My hundreds digit is eight less than my tens digit. What number am I?

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    #53

    102 Math Riddles To Exercise Your Brain There are several books on a bookshelf. If one book is the 4th from the left and 6th from the right, how many books are on the shelf?

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    #54

    There are two ducks in front of two other ducks. And, there are two ducks behind two other ducks. There are two ducks beside two other ducks. How many ducks are there?

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    #55

    Tom was asked to paint the apartment number on plates for 100 apartments which means he will have to paint numbers 1 through 100. How many times will he paint the number 8?

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    Žydrūnė Trukanavičiūtė
    BoredPanda Staff
    2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Answer: 20 times (8, 18, 28, 38, 48, 58, 68, 78, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, 98).

    #56

    My twin lives at the reverse of my house number. The difference between our house numbers ends in two. What are the lowest possible numbers of our house numbers?

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    Žydrūnė Trukanavičiūtė
    BoredPanda Staff
    2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Answer: These math riddles aren’t easy to solve! The lowest possible numbers for the houses are 19 and 91. The difference is 72.

    #57

    Three friends are on a road trip, and they rent a triple room for a night. When they get to the hotel, they pay the fee of $30 and go up to their room. The porter brings up their bags and refunds them $5 because the hotel is running a weeknight special. The three friends each keep one of the dollars and give the porter a $2 tip. Later, they sit down to work out their expenses for the weekend and find they have a problem. They each paid $10 for the room and got $1 back each, making their contributions $9. Then they gave the porter a $2 tip. However, 9 times three is 27, plus two is $29. Where did the extra dollar go?

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    Žydrūnė Trukanavičiūtė
    BoredPanda Staff
    2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Answer: This one is a bit twisty, but what it boils down to is that the three friends’ math is wrong. They didn’t spend $29, they spent $27: $25 on the room, and $2 for the porter’s tip. The three remaining dollars were returned to them!

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    #58

    102 Math Riddles To Exercise Your Brain I am a three-digit number. My second digit is 4 times bigger than the third digit. My first digit is 3 less than my second digit. What number am I?

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    #59

    If the zookeeper had 100 pairs of animals in her zoo and if two pairs of babies are born for each and every one of the original animals, and then sadly 23 animals don’t survive, how many animals do you have left in total?

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    Žydrūnė Trukanavičiūtė
    BoredPanda Staff
    2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Answer: 977 animals (100×2 = 200; 200+800 = 1000; 1000-23 = 977).

    #60

    How many times does the long hand of the clock pass the short hand between midnight one day and midnight the following day? As both hands are together at the starting time of midnight this does not count as a pass.

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    #61

    You go to the doctor because you are ill, and he prescribes you with three pills and tells you to take them every half hour. How long do the pills last you?

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    Žydrūnė Trukanavičiūtė
    BoredPanda Staff
    2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Answer: An hour because the first pill doesn’t take 30 minutes to take.

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    #62

    102 Math Riddles To Exercise Your Brain An apple is 40 cents, a banana is 60 cents. and a grapefruit is 80 cents. How much is a pear?

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    Žydrūnė Trukanavičiūtė
    BoredPanda Staff
    2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Answer: Forty cents, because the price of each fruit is calculated by multiplying the number of vowels by 20 cents.

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    #63

    Harry is 54 years old, and his mother, Anna, is 80. How many years ago was Anna three times the age of her son Harry?

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    #64

    John, Mark, and Henry are three brothers. Interestingly, their current age is prime. What’s more interesting is that difference between their ages is also prime. How old are they?

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    Žydrūnė Trukanavičiūtė
    BoredPanda Staff
    2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Answer: Mark is 2, John is 5, and Henry is 7. Age diff 7 – 2 = 5 is prime; 7 – 5 = 2 is prime; 5 – 2 = 3 is prime.

    #65

    102 Math Riddles To Exercise Your Brain Joe has ten coins totaling $1.19. From these coins, he cannot make exact change for a dollar, half-dollar, quarter, dime, or nickel. What coins does he have?

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    Žydrūnė Trukanavičiūtė
    BoredPanda Staff
    2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Answer: A half-dollar, a quarter, four dimes, and four pennies.

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    #66

    There are twelve kids in a classroom. Six kids are wearing socks and 4 are wearing shoes. Three kids are wearing both. How many have bare feet?

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    #67

    There are 25 red balls, 47 green balls. and 3 blue balls in a basket. There is a blind man. What is the minimum number of balls that the blind man has to pick to make sure that there are at least 2 balls of different colors?

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    Žydrūnė Trukanavičiūtė
    BoredPanda Staff
    2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Answer: 48 balls. There is a small chance he may pick up 47 green balls in a row.

    #68

    Two travelers spend from 12 o’clock to 6 o’clock walking along a level road, up a hill, and back again. Their pace is 4 mph on the level, 3 mph uphill, and 6 mph downhill. How far do they walk and at what time do they reach the top of the hill?

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    Tino Kerkhof
    Community Member
    3 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    With no indication of how long the stretches of road are to each other, the time is between 3 an 4 o'clock: with 3 being smallest hill and 4 being largest hill.

    Žydrūnė Trukanavičiūtė
    BoredPanda Staff
    2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Answer: They walk 4 miles and reach the top of the hill at half-past three.

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    #69

    102 Math Riddles To Exercise Your Brain Two people in front of two people, two people behind two people, and two people beside two people. How many people are there?

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    #70

    Janie’s friends were chipping in to buy her a wedding shower present. At first, 10 friends chipped in, but 2 of them dropped out. Each of the 8 had to chip in another dollar to bring the amount back up. How much money did they plan to collect?

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    #71

    What is the value of 1/2 of 2/3 of 3/4 of 4/5 of 5/6 of 6/7 of 7/8 of 8/9 of 9/10 of 1000?

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    #72

    You have two U.S. coins with a total value of 30 cents. One of them is not a nickel. What are the two coins?

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    Squirrelly Panda
    Community Member
    Premium
    3 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    One is a quarter, the OTHER is a nickel

    Žydrūnė Trukanavičiūtė
    BoredPanda Staff
    2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Answer: One is a quarter, and one is a nickel.

    #73

    102 Math Riddles To Exercise Your Brain How can you add eight fours together so the total adds up to 500?

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    #74

    If it took 6 people 9 hours to build a barn, how long would it take 12 people to build the same barn?

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    Žydrūnė Trukanavičiūtė
    BoredPanda Staff
    2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Answer: None, because the barn is already built.

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    #75

    What is the maximum possible number of times you can subtract number 5 from number 25?

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    Žydrūnė Trukanavičiūtė
    BoredPanda Staff
    2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Answer: Only once, is because when you subtract 5 from 25, it becomes number 20, then 15, etc.

    #76

    102 Math Riddles To Exercise Your Brain Using only addition, add eight 8s to get the number 1,000.

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    #77

    One brother says of his younger brother: “Two years ago, I was three times as old as my brother was. In three years’ time, I will be twice as old as my brother.” How old are they each now? 

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    Žydrūnė Trukanavičiūtė
    BoredPanda Staff
    2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Answer: One way to solve this math riddle is to use even numbers: The older brother will be twice as old as his younger brother in three years’ time. This immediately rules out the older brother currently being 8, 11, and 14, so he must be 17, and the younger brother 7. Two years ago, they were 15 and 5 respectively, and in three years’ time, they will be 20 and 10.

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    #78

    I add six to eleven, and get five. Why is this correct?

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    Žydrūnė Trukanavičiūtė
    BoredPanda Staff
    2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Answer: This numbers riddle is designed to trip you up! You have to think more broadly. When it is 11 a.m., adding six hours makes it 5 p.m.

    #79

    102 Math Riddles To Exercise Your Brain If a hen and a half lay an egg and a half in a day and a half, how many eggs will half a dozen hens lay in half a dozen days?

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    Sam Juan
    Community Member
    3 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I would love to see a half a hen lay a half an egg.

    Žydrūnė Trukanavičiūtė
    BoredPanda Staff
    2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Answer: Two dozen. If you increase both the number of hens and the amount of time available four-fold (i.e., 1.5 times 4 equals 6), the number of eggs increases 16 times. 16 x 1.5 = 24.

    #80

    A small number of cards has been lost from a complete pack. If I deal among four people, three cards remain. If I deal among three people, two remain and if I deal among five people, two cards remain. How many cards are there?

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    Žydrūnė Trukanavičiūtė
    BoredPanda Staff
    2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Answer: This one is pretty tricky, but the answer is: There are 47 cards. To get the answer, you need to know that there are 52 cards in a pack. Then, find the multiples of four, three, and five closest to that number, and see if any of them are the same. For example, you can deal 42, 44, and 48 cards amongst four people, which would mean 9, 5, or 1 cards is missing (with three remaining). However, the only one that works for multiples of three and five people is when five cards are missing, which gives us a total of 47 cards.

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    #81

    Mrs. Jones was very proud of her apple tree. One autumn, after harvesting her apples, she called her three sons together. “Here are 150 apples,” she said. “I want you to take them to the market tomorrow and sell them for me.” She gave Paul 15 apples, Nick 50, and Ben 85. “Your job,” added Mrs. Jones, “is to sell the apples in such a way that each of you brings home the same amount of money.” How do they do it?

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    Žydrūnė Trukanavičiūtė
    BoredPanda Staff
    2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Answer: The first buyer purchases 12 dozen apples at $1 per dozen. Paul sells him one dozen and has three apples left; Nick sells him four dozen and has two apples left; and Ben sells him seven dozen and has one apple left. Then a second buyer comes along and buys all their remaining apples for $3 apiece. The three brothers head home with $10 each.

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    #82

    102 Math Riddles To Exercise Your Brain What is the smallest whole number that is equal to seven times the sum of its digits?

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    Žydrūnė Trukanavičiūtė
    BoredPanda Staff
    2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Answer: The answer to this math riddle is 21. You probably just guessed to answer this math riddle, which is fine, but you can also work it out algebraically. The two-digit number ab stands for 10a + b since the first digit represents tens and the second represents units. If 10a + b = 7(a + b), then 10a + b = 7a + 7b, and so 3a = 6b, or, more simply, a = 2b. That is, the second digit must be twice the first. The smallest such number is 21.

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    #83

    John noticed that the amount he was paying for his lunch was a rearrangement of the digits of the amount of money he had in his pocket, and that the money he had left over was yet another rearrangement of the same three digits! How much money did John start with?

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    Žydrūnė Trukanavičiūtė
    BoredPanda Staff
    2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Answer: John started with $9.54. The money can be written with just three digits, so it must be between $1.01 and $9.99. Trial and error shows that there is only one set of numbers that fits this question: $9.54 = $4.59 + $4.95.

    #84

    A grandmother, two mothers, and two daughters went to a baseball game together and bought one ticket each. How many tickets did they buy in total?

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    Žydrūnė Trukanavičiūtė
    BoredPanda Staff
    2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Answer: Three tickets because the grandmother is the mother of the two daughters who are mothers.

    #85

    Tom is in charge of shipping and he can place 10 small boxes or 8 large boxes into a carton. A total of 96 boxes were sent in one shipment. The number of small boxes was less than large boxes. What is the total number of cartons he shipped?

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    Žydrūnė Trukanavičiūtė
    BoredPanda Staff
    2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Answer: 11 cartons If a total of 96 boxes are shipped, then the large boxes in the cartons must be a multiple of 8, which means either 16 or 56 large boxes. Since there are more large boxes in the cartons then the small ones, the number of large boxes must be 56. The number of small boxes is reduced to 96 – 56 = 40. Therefore, the total number of cartons shipped can be figured out this way: 56/8 + 40/10 = 7 + 4 = 11.

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    #86

    102 Math Riddles To Exercise Your Brain I add five to nine and get two. The answer is correct, but how?

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    Žydrūnė Trukanavičiūtė
    BoredPanda Staff
    2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Answer: When it is 9 p.m., add 5 hours to it and you will get 2 p.m.

    #87

    There is a clothing store in Smithville. The owner has devised his own method of pricing items. A vest costs $20, socks cost $25, a tie costs $15 and a blouse costs $30. Using the method, how much would a pair of underwear cost?

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    Žydrūnė Trukanavičiūtė
    BoredPanda Staff
    2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Answer: $45 because the pricing method consists of charging $5 for each letter required to spell the item.

    #88

    In a lake, there is a patch of lily pads. Every day, the patch doubles in size. If it takes 48 days for the patch to cover the entire lake, how long would it take for the patch to cover half the lake?

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    Žydrūnė Trukanavičiūtė
    BoredPanda Staff
    2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Answer: The patch doubles in size every day and so on the 47th day the patch will be half the size it is on the 48th day.

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    #89

    102 Math Riddles To Exercise Your Brain How many days are there in 4 years?

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    Žydrūnė Trukanavičiūtė
    BoredPanda Staff
    2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Answer: The answer is 1461, because (365 x 4) + 1. One of the years is a leap year.

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    #90

    You have accidently left out the plug and are attempting to fill the bath with both taps full on. The hot tap takes 6 minutes to fill the bath. The cold tap takes 2 minutes and the water empties through the plug hole in 4 minutes. In how many minutes will the bath be filled?

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    #91

    A nonstop train leaves Moscow for Leningrad at 60 mph. Another nonstop train leaves Leningrad for Moscow at 40 mph. How far apart are the trains 1 hour before they pass each other? 

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    #92

    I asked a girl how old she was. She said, “In 2 years I will be twice as old as I was 5 years ago.” How old is she?

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    #93

    102 Math Riddles To Exercise Your Brain A cellphone and a phone case cost $110 in total. The cell phone costs $100 more than the phone case. How much was the cellphone?

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    #94

    If 9999 = 4, 8888 = 8, 1816 = 6, 1212 = 0, then 1919 = ?

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    Tino Kerkhof
    Community Member
    3 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    The multiply by #of other digest would make 9999 and 8888 also 0, because there are no other digests...

    Žydrūnė Trukanavičiūtė
    BoredPanda Staff
    2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Answer: 4 Look at how many closed areas there are. 9999 has 4 closed areas (the top of the '9'). 8888 has 8 closed areas, the top and bottom parts of the 8 and there are no other digits. 1816 has 3 closed areas, (top and bottom of 8 and bottom of 6, and it has 2 other digits (3 * 2 = 6)). 1212 has 0 closed areas, (0 * 4 = 0).

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    #95

    If you can purchase 8 eggs for 26 cents, how many can you buy for a cent and a quarter?

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    #96

    What did the triangle say to the circle?

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    #97

    I have a calculator that can display ten digits. How many different ten-digit numbers can I type using just the 0-9 keys once each, and moving from one keypress to the next using the knight’s move in chess? (In chess, the knight moves in an L shape: one square up and two across, two squares down and one across, two squares up and one across, and other like combinations.)

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    Žydrūnė Trukanavičiūtė
    BoredPanda Staff
    2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Answer: You can form the numbers 5034927618 and 5038167294. You can also form their reverses: 8167294305 and 4927618305. Hence four different numbers can be made. The key point is to realize that the number must start or end on the “5” key, followed/preceded by the ‘0’ key, otherwise, there is no way of using all ten keys during the route.

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    #98

    102 Math Riddles To Exercise Your Brain I am a three-digit number. My tens digit is six more than my one’s digit. My hundreds digit is eight less than my tens digit. What number am I?

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    #99

    Divide 20 by half and add 30, what do you get?

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    J Rob
    Community Member
    3 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Answer: 20/.5 = 40, 40+30=70

    Žydrūnė Trukanavičiūtė
    BoredPanda Staff
    2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Answer: Seventy, because 20 divided by ½ = 10 + 30 = 70.

    #100

    In reply to an inquiry about the animals on his farm, the farmer says: “I only ever keep sheep, goats, and horses. In fact, at the moment they are all sheep bar three, all goats bar four, and all horses bar five.” How many does he have of each animal?

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    Žydrūnė Trukanavičiūtė
    BoredPanda Staff
    2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Answer: The farmer has 3 sheep, 2 goats, and 1 horse. You can solve this easy math riddle with a quick hypothetical. Take sheep: we know that there are three animals that are goats and horses, so we suppose there are two goats and one horse. Checking this hypothesis gives us three sheep, which works out because there are four non-goats: three sheep, and one horse!

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    #101

    Leon works at the aquarium. When he tries to put each turtle in its own tank, he has one turtle too many. But if he puts two turtles per tank, he has one tank too many. How many turtles and how many tanks does Leon have?

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    Charles Barrow
    Community Member
    3 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    This one is either badly worded, badly translate or just wrong. As my maths shows U=turtle and K=tank U-1=k and t/2=k-1 So rearrange the first for u=k+1 and the second for u=2*k-2 So k+1=2*k-2 rearrange to 1+2=2k-k or 3=k Put that in the first equation you get u=3+1=4 so you get 4 Turtles and 3 tanks

    Chicky nuggy
    Community Member
    3 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I saw this and was so confused thank you this comment is way underrated

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    #102

    A certain number has three digits. The sum of the three digits equals 36 times this number. Seven times the left digit plus 9 is equal to 5 times the sum of the two other digits. 8 times the second digit minus 9 is equal to the sum of the first and third. What is the number?

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    RandomBeatlesFan
    Community Member
    3 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    The sun of 2, 3, and 4 is actually not equal to 36 times 324. I understand what you're trying to say, but... No

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