Logic Riddles

 

Question: Five pirates are parting ways after finding a treasure of 100 pieces of gold. The pirates decide to split it based on a vote. Each pirate, from oldest to youngest, gets to propose a plan on how to split the gold.

If at least 50 percent of the other remaining pirates agree on the plan, that is how they will split the gold. If less than 50 percent of the pirates agree, the pirate who came up with the plan will be thrown overboard. Each pirate is smart, greedy, and wants to throw as many others overboard as possible without reducing the amount of gold they get.

What plan can the first (oldest) pirate propose to live and get as much gold as possible?


Question: Christmas and New Year's Day occur exactly one week apart. So a New Year's that occurs right after Christmas should be on the same day of the week. But in the year 2020 Christmas will occur on a Friday and New Year's on a Wednesday.

Why is this?

Question: A man goes into a barbershop and gets a $15 haircut. He pays the barber with a $20 bill, but the barber doesn't have change because it is an especially slow day. The barber goes to the flower shop next to his own and trades the $20 bill for a $10 dollar bill and two $5 bills. Then he gives the man his $5 in change.

Later the lady from the flower shop confronts the barber and tells him that the $20 bill he gave her was counterfeit. The barber agrees and he gives the lady a different $20 bill.

Later that day he tries to figure out how much money he lost. What did he lose?

Question: Jack is taking a tour through a museum's American Presidents exhibit. The person leading the tour tells him "We have a picture of each presidency. Currently Barack Obama is the 43rd person to hold the office." But Jack quickly realizes that there are 44 pictures on the wall. But while walking through the exhibit he realizes why this is.

Why is there one too many photos?

Question: A knight comes to a castle where his love is trapped. The castle is surrounded by a square moat that is 10 feet wide (it forms a square around the castle). The knight is able to fashion two 9 foot long planks to cross the moat.

How can he do this?