I ran across this one, and really liked it. Each one is the capital of a country. Don’t Google it. Good luck.

1. This capital is a recently opened store for cooked meats.
2. This capital is plant-covered bovine.
3. This capital is a tool used for fighting.
4. This capital is a royal weight.
5. This capital is a cheer for a body of water.
6. This capital is the legendary vehicle graveyard.
7. This capital is something that annoys a religious figure.
8. This capital is a basic digit.
9. This capital is something you get from the sun.
10. This capital is a score for a ringer.

I ran across a good trivia question today, and it’s been quite some time since I asked the last one, so first off, check out the answer to that question here: http://ronveenstra.com/blog/584/#8417. I thought that solution was rather brilliant.

The next question is somewhat similar, in that it requires thinking. (We’re just going to have to use our brains…. dammit).

In a small room stands 3 people. One person always tells the truth. The next person sometimes tells the truth, and sometimes lies. The third person always lies. These 3 people know the habits of the others (Thus the truth-teller knows who the liar is, and who the random guy is, etc). You are allowed to ask a total of 3 questions total, and can direct each of your questions to any one person. You can ask the same question twice (it then counts as 2 questions), and you may ask the same person the same question if you so choose (again, counting as 2 questions). After the 3 questions, you must be able to positively identify the truth-telling habits of all 3 people. Go!

So here’s a puzzle I read a short time ago. I came up with a solution that kinda worked, but then read a far better answer for it. Let’s see what you come up with.

There are 20 prisoners on death row, all set to be killed tomorrow. The executioner sets up this challenge:

“Tomorrow, all 20 prisoners will stand in a row. Each prisoner will be able to see only the prisoners standing in front of him/her. So the last prisoner will see all 19 in front, while the front prisoner will see no one. Each prisoner will then be given a hat, either WHITE or BLACK, placed on their head. You will not be able to see the color of your own hat, only those of the people in front of you. You will not be allowed to communicate in any way with anyone while standing in line, nor will you be able to turn or look at anyone but those in front of you. Violation of any of these rules will result in instant death for everyone.”

“Once this is all set, starting with the last prisoner in line, I will ask ‘What color is your hat?’ You can answer only ‘BLACK’ or ‘WHITE’, anything else means instant death for everyone. If you guess right, you live. If you guess wrong, you die. We move to the next person in line (the 19th) and ask the same question. This continues through all the prisoners.”

The prisoners are free to communicate through the night. Can you come up with a way to guarantee the life of some prisoners? How many?

My sister, Amy, got me a logic puzzles book or Christmas. I found a couple clever little questions related to time and clocks, and I thought I could use them here… and one more I thought was good.

1. On a conventional [analog] clock, how many times does the minute hand pass the hour hand between noon and midnight?
2. If it takes a clock 2 seconds to chime twice, how long would it take to chime four times?
3. Mary dropped an earring in her coffee, but the earring didn’t get wet. Why?

It’s been a little while.

A Bus has three stops on its route. A ticket costs 12 cents if you’re going to the first stop, 21 cents if you’re going to the second stop, and 25 cents if you are headed to the third stop. A man gets on the bus at the starting station, and hands the driver 25 cents. Without communicating with the passenger at all, the Bus Driver hands the passenger a ticket to the 3rd stop. How did he know?