New riddle

[outback]

How the hell do we get to four to get to 4. :confused:

I can't not see no logic there at all!

[Tristan Croll]

Simon C has it. In order to satisfy the question, the answer must describe itself - i.e. it must contain the same number of letters as the number it states. This answer insn't unique, though. Another possible answer is:

"This correct answer to the question contains fifty-four letters."

[Bob Willson]

In order to satisfy the question, the answer must describe itself - i.e. it must contain the same number of letters as the number it states. Sorry Tristan, but I still do not see why the answer MUST describe itself. Nor why it must have the same number of letters as the number states. I am sure that I must be missing something. Could you please put it into VERY simple logic form for me.

The question is:
How many letters does the WRONG answer to this question contain?
Is the answer still four or any number BUT four?

[Tristan Croll]

Ok, the question is asking "how many letters" so the answer has to be a number, right? Now, if I was to answer "three" then I would in essence be saying that the word "three" contains three letters, which is obviously wrong. The only number that does fit is "four".
I'll admit it is a bit ambiguous as written. Another possible answer, for example, is 0 (the number zero obviously contains zero letters).
How about an improvement:
The answer to this question is the name of a number. How many letters does it contain?


How many letters does the WRONG answer to this question contain?
There is no answer to this question. In order to be a correct answer, it would have to simultaneously be incorrect.

Maybe we should move on. My head hurts. :(

[outback]

I'll admit it is a bit ambiguous as written. Another possible answer, for example, is 0 (the number zero obviously contains zero letters).

OK, call me stupid if ya wanna. BUT when I went to school I'm pretty sure the number four, "4" contained zero letters, which kinda doesn't fit with your explaination.

[simon c]

This is the way I worked it out.

The answer must be a number as the question is "How many letters...?". So, let's suppose that we thought the answer was "six". The full question states: "How many letters does the correct answer to this question contain?" If "six" was the right answer then we would ask how many letters "six" contained and we would get 3. So six can't be the right answer because the answer can't be six and 3 at the same time. If we go through all the options, we get the same conflict with "one" (which has 3 letters) and we would get to the possible answer of "four". When we ask how many letters does "four" contain, then the answer is 4. In this case we don't get a conflict so the answer must be "four".

Outback, it's imortant that the answer is "four" and not "4" as "four" has 4 letters whereas "4" doesn't have any as you said. However, you could at a stretch say that the answer is "0", because "0" has no letters - but I think that is stretching the point.

Don't forget this is a riddle and not a quiz.

[outback]

However, you could at a stretch say that the answer is "0", because "0" has no letters - but I think that is stretching the point.
I am yet to see anything this stretchy.Using the same logic, anyone who answered using didgits, 42, 36,10 etc. has answered correctly because no matter how you look at it NONE of these answers have letters.
I don't think it's a very funny riddle, riddles are meant to be funny, I know funny, this isn't it. It's a scheme from the aliens to so they can read our minds. I'm gonna go put my alfoil undies on. Everyone reckons my brains are in my arrrs!

[simon c]

Outback

The same logic doesn't apply to the digits 42 because while you're right that in saying that 42 has no letters, in that case the answer is wrong because it would need to have 42 letters. The fact that 0 has no letters makes it sort of correct because the answer is 0. But I still think "four" is the only really correct answer.

Simon

[AlexS]

In our next philosophical discussion, we will consider the number of angels that can dance on the head of a pin, while those of us of a practical bent will ask 'why the #### would they want to?'.

[gemi_babe]

0 has 4 letters ZERO! or if you go by naught it has 6 letters.

Yeah I agree outback. It isn't a riddle, its not fun, its more like a mind game and a nasty one at that!



This rat stinks :mad:

[Tristan Croll]

Hey, lighten up, guys! It's just a game, right?

The number 0 contains zero letters, the word four contains four letters - it matters how the answer is written.

Oh, and by the way, nobody ever said a riddle is supposed to be funny. Riddles are word games that require lateral thinking to answer - not jokes.

[hexbaz]

Hey, lighten up, guys! It's just a game, right?

The number 0 contains zero letters, the word four contains four letters - it matters how the answer is written.

Oh, and by the way, nobody ever said a riddle is supposed to be funny. Riddles are word games that require lateral thinking to answer - not jokes.What he said! ... I had no idea what the answer was, but I thought simon c's explanation(s) a few posts back made perfect sense. Maybe the riddle was strangely worded, but the fact that there are two explanable answers is all that really matters - 0 or four clearly fit and that's that. No debate required!

[gemi_babe]

LOL I wsa referring to the dead rat in my house that stinks, not the riddle.

Here is anew one for yas...

What row of numbers comes next?
This is a tough one!
1
11
21
1211
111221
312211
13112221

[outback]

I got the stinky rat bit Gemi.

To answer AlexS' question regarding angels and pins, we would of course need to know the brand of pin before any calculations can forwarded to the angel calculation department.

As to Gemi's riddle, it's been in here before.
If I've put enough thought into it, which is unlikely answer will go something along the lines of

1113213211

[hexbaz]

Yes - I was going to refer Gemi to this post (http://www.woodworkforums.ubeaut.com.au/showthread.php?p=74485#post74485) (the answer I gave earlier in this thread)!

[gemi_babe]

As to Gemi's riddle, it's been in here before.


Oh Rats.... ha ha ha ha ha :p

[ozwinner]

Hey, lighten up, guys! It's just a game, right?

The number 0 contains zero letters, the word four contains four letters - it matters how the answer is written.

Oh, and by the way, nobody ever said a riddle is supposed to be funny. Riddles are word games that require lateral thinking to answer - not jokes.
I dont get it, or is that the riddle?
0 or zero has 4 letters?
If Captn Crabtree were here.
1 would be woon, which has 4 letters.
2 would be twoo, which has 4 letters.
3 would be trhe, which has 4 letters.
4 would be foore, which has 5 letters.
6 would be seix, which has 4 letters.
7 would be sevn, which has 4 letters.
8 would be eigt, which has 4 letters.
9 would be neen, which has 4 letters.
10 would be tein, which has 4 letters.

So I realy just dont get it. :confused: :D

Al

[gemi_babe]

OK I went thru the thread and did not see this riddle so here you go...


There is a common English word that is nine letters long. Each time you remove a letter from it, it still remains an English word - from nine letters right down to a single letter. What is the original word, and what are the words that it becomes after removing one letter at a time?

[MarkV]

Startling : Starting Staring String Sting Sing Sin In I :D

[gemi_babe]

hmmm seems you have done this before :p

[MarkV]

Here's one for you: You are standing by a flowing river with two containers a 3 litre and a 5 litre. How do you measure out 4 litres using these two containers ??

[gemi_babe]

put 1 ltr into the five ltr container, fill the 3 ltr up full and ther u have 4 ltrs?

[MarkV]

Hmmm How have you measured the 1 litre? :p Sorry but you will have yo do better than that:D

[Sturdee]

Fill up the 5 litre container, use that to fill the 3 Ltr container and then empty the 3 Ltr container. Then pour the remainder of the 5 Ltr container into the 3Ltr container.

Again fill up the 5 Ltr container and use that to top up the 3 Ltr container. The remainder in the 5 Ltr container is 4 Litres.

Peter.

[gemi_babe]

well noone said it didn't have measurements on the side LMAO :o :p

[MarkV]

Very Good Sturdee:D

Here's another one ( that doesn't involve maths:p )
What do you use to "Hoe a row, Slay a Foe and wring with woe?"

[simon c]

What do you use to "Hoe a row, Slay a Foe and wring with woe?"

I think it must be "hands" as you wring your hands when you are in woe, but I'm not sure - you could use a mechanised cultivator to hoe a row and I'm sure you can kick somebody to death (but is that slaying?).

I'll go with hands

Simon

[MarkV]

Correctamundo:D

[simon c]

Ok, I sort of made this up, so I'm not sure if it will work or not.

What has 2 legs but only uses them when resting?

Simon

[gemi_babe]

some sort of ladder?

[silentC]

wheelbarrow

[ozwinner]

Realy cheap hooker?


Al

[Iain]

Roast chook, geez just a wild epicurean chance! :o

[simon c]

wheelbarrow

Is the correct answer.

(Well, it's a correct answer - there may be others)

Over to you silent c

[silentC]

1
11
21
1211
111221
312211
13112221
What comes next?

[bitingmidge]

Your computer is about to crash,

Cheers,

P

[gemi_babe]

Now thats the 3rd time that riddle has been here :p

[silentC]

Is it? Oh well, try this one:

Study this paragraph and all things in it. What is vitally wrong with it? Actually, nothing in it is wrong, but you must admit that it is most unusual. Don't just zip through it quickly, but study it scrupulously. With luck you should spot what is so particular about it and all words found in it. Can you say what it is? Tax your brains and try again. Don't miss a word or a symbol. It isn't all that difficult?

[gemi_babe]

Got this one in an email... I will leave it for those that haven't seen it before ;)

[Honest Gaza]

no letter "e" ?

[silentC]

You guys are too brainy over here. I'm going back to the "So what's all this about" thread :(

[Honest Gaza]

A man lives on the 23rd floor of a high rise apartment.
Every day he takes the lift to the Ground Flr and off to work he goes.
When he comes home from work, he takes the lift to the 10th Flr and walks the rest of the way up via the stairs.

Except on rainy days when he catches the lift all the way to the 23rd Floor.

WHY ?

[Jack E]

The guy is a midget who can only reach the button on the tenth floor. On rainy days with the aid of his umbrella he can reach the button for the 23rd floor.

My turn,

What gets wetter and wetter the more it dries?

[Honest Gaza]

a towel....my turn....when I think of one

[Honest Gaza]

After a bushfire had burnt out in the Blue Mountains, the Police investigators were going through the area.

During their investigations, they came across a "diver" in full scuba gear.

What happened ?

[hexbaz]

After a bushfire had burnt out in the Blue Mountains, the Police investigators were going through the area.

During their investigations, they came across a "diver" in full scuba gear.

What happened ?Fell from an helicopter, which crashed, causing the fire?

[simon c]

After a bushfire had burnt out in the Blue Mountains, the Police investigators were going through the area.

During their investigations, they came across a "diver" in full scuba gear.

What happened ?

Hi Gaza

The diver was picked up by a helicopter loading water in containers and then dropping the water onto the fire to put it out.

Interestingly, this riddle has turned into a urban legend, where people actaully believe that it happened. There is a write up on one of my favourite websites: http://www.snopes.com/horrors/freakish/scuba.htm

Simon

[Honest Gaza]

Simon C is correct

[gemi_babe]

I know its not my turn but try this...

[simon c]

Simon C is correct

Ah, it has come to my notice that it is still my turn:

Rather easy one this, suggested to me by a current advert.

"Due to a lack of interest, this product has become very popular"

What is it?

[LineLefty]

a loan

[simon c]

a loan

Close enough - the actual advert I saw was for a HSBC low interest credit card.

Over to you :-

[LineLefty]

Only one of these 10 satements is true, which one?

1. Only one sentence is a lie.
2. Only two sentences are incorrect.
3. Only three sentences are not true.
4. Only four sentences are false.
5. Only five sentences are dishonest.
6. Only six sentences are not true.
7. Only seven sentences will mislead you.
8. Only eight sentences are deceptive.
9. Only nine sentences are false
10. Ten sentences are mistaken.

This is similar to the infinetely circular statement: "49.7 percent of stats are made up on the spot"

[hexbaz]

OK, I could be wrong, but the answer is in the question, I think...
Only one of these 10 satements is true...Hard to get my brain round this, but as you say only one statement is true, 9 of them must be false. There is one statement that states that - number 9

[LineLefty]

brutal, and correct

[hexbaz]

Oooh - Lucky! :rolleyes: OK, not really a riddle, but try this little conundrum:

Five ladies from a sewing club were on an evening out to the theatre. They had booked five consecutively numbered seats in one row, but had forgotten their agreed seating order.

Connie and Ethel, who never sat next to each other, were arguing about the arrangements. "I think it's Agatha, Bertha, you, me and Denise", said Connie. However, she only had two of them correctly positioned.

"Well," said Ethel "I think it is Agatha, Denise, you, Bertha and me". This time only one was correctly positioned.

Failing to agree, they eventually sat in the order - Agatha, Denise, Ethel, Bertha and Connie. Only two were placed as initially agreed.

What was their original agreed seating order?

[simon c]

Connie, Agatha, Ethel, Bertha, Denise

[hexbaz]

Well there's no pulling of wool over simon c's eyes. :cool: Over to you sir.

[simon c]

A King comes up with a plan to determine which one of his son's should inherit the Kingdom. He decides to hold a horse race between the two Princes. They have to cross the kingdom and the Prince whose horse finishes LAST will inherit.

After two days of riding around aimlessly, they come across an old man sitting by the road (as wise old men are known to do in these puzzles). They tell him their problem and he gives them some advice. After taking his advice, they immediately rush to finish the race.

What did he tell them?

[Bob Willson]

Is it possible that he advised a bit of sharing of prersently owned assetts?

[bitingmidge]

Spot on Sir Robert!

Pipped me at the post, must have been riding MY horse!

Anyway, what rock have you been hiding under these past few election fever weeks?

Cheers,

P :D

[simon c]

Is it possible that he advised a bit of sharing of prersently owned assetts?

According to bitingmidge you got it right, but I'm going to be a pedant and ask you to be a bit more clear with what you mean.

[Bob Willson]

He suggested that they swap horses.

Students at Brisbane High with a class size of under 30 took a math test. One third of the class got a "B", one quarter a "B-", one sixth a "C", and one eighth failed. The remainder of the students got an "A" How many students got an "A"?

[simon c]

He suggested that they swap horses.


No worries Bob, I was just being a little careful over the word "sharing" in your original answer. :rolleyes:

[AlexS]

3 students out of the class of 24 got an A.

[AlexS]

Ok, had to think about a newie.

Reputed to be the largest selling single design item ever, what piece of furniture was the first to be exported in flatpacks?

(and it doesn't come from Sweden)

[Bob Willson]

Bookcase?

[AlexS]

Nup. Type of chair. Keep going.

[Bob Willson]

Commode?

[AlexS]

Nup.
A clue - first made in 1859, still going. I reckon Ozwinner would probably have one in his shop.

[Christopha]

Deck chair?

[gemi_babe]

A Rocking Chair ?

[Bob Willson]

Church pews? :)

[AlexS]

No, no, no. Designed & made in Austria, exported everywhere (especially America).

[simon c]

Bar stool

[AlexS]

Bar stool
No, it's a chair. Looking for designer & description or model number (that's a clue in itself)

[himzol]

barber's chair :confused:

[AlexS]

A clue

[jackiew]

well its not an electric chair then. I understand they are quite popular in the states.

.... types of chair ....I'll show my total ignorance of chair design... windsor .....

[Bob Willson]

That looks like a bit of bentwood.

[AlexS]

Correct Bob. Any more details? If not, I'll post full details Sunday night.

[Bob Willson]

An Ikea bentwood kitchen chair? I dunno, a complete guess really.

[AlexS]

OK, I think it's run its course.

The item is the Thonet bentwood chair.

Quoting from the book "100 Chairs" by Charlotte & Peter Fiell (Taschen):-
"The result of extensive experimentation in the 1850s into the bending of solid wood, the No. 14 chair remains one of the most successful industrial designed products af all time. The simplified form of the chair was developed by Thonet as a means of achieving his goal of mass-production: by 1930, 50 million examples had been sold worldwide."

Anyone interested in the evolution of chair design should have a look at this book - some you'll like, some you'll hate, but they all made a contribution.

Looking at The evolution of Thonet's designs is edifying too. They started out more complex that the No. 14, which is one of his simplest (& the most successful), and after the No. 14 became more complex again.

Over to you Bob.