Solution:

Even though the question might sound quite difficult, there is quite a simple solution for it if you light up your logics. All you have to do is turn two switches on and keep one off. Keep them in the same position for some 10 minutes and then shut one of them off. Hurry up into the room now.

There can be two possibilities - either the light are on or they are off. If they are on, you know which switch controls the lights as you have left only one switch on. If the lights are off, it can be either of the two remaining switches. All you have to do is touch the lights with your bare hand. If the lights are hot, it is the switch which you just turned off before entering the room and if the lights are cold, it is the switch which was left untouched and was off since the beginning.

Solution:

36 meters.

100/v1 = 80/v2
100/v2 = 80/v3

20+(20/v2)*v3=20+16 = 36

Solution:

Read the question carefully again. New Year do falls after Christmas but that happens if two different years. The question is put up against the year 2050 and thus there will be 51 weeks and 2 days in between them as New Year will appear on 1 January 2050 and Christmas will happen on 25 December 2050.

Solution:

2 degree below zero

Solution:

At each draw, the number of strawberry candies are either decreasing by 2 or not decreasing at all. In the case of orange candies, at each draw, they are either increasing by 1 or decreasing by 1.

Thus on an assumed outset with at least one candy in the jar to begin with, if the number of strawberry candies are 0 or are even in numbers, they will finish off leaving an orange candy at the end. If otherwise, the remaining candy will be a strawberry one.

Solution:

The answer is 2. First, divide the coins into 3 equal piles. Place a pile on each side of the scale, leaving the remaining pile of 3 coins off the scale. If the scale does not tip, you know that the 6 coins on the scale are legitimate, and the counterfeit is in the pile in front of you. If the scale does tip, you know the counterfeit is in the pile on the side of the scale that raised up. Either way, put the 6 legitimate coins aside. Having only 3 coins left, put a coin on each side of the scale, leaving the third in front of you. The same process of elimination will find the counterfeit coin.

Solution:

If you see the picture, they formed a pentagonal shape and achieved the required.

Solution:

Steps:
1) Light fire on first bar from both the ends and second bar from one end.

2) After 30 seconds(when first bar gets completely burned out) , burn the second bar from second end as well.

3) When second run completely gets burned , you know its 45 seconds.

Solution:

A) Fill 5 ml gallon ( 5mlGallon - 5, 3mlGallon - 0)
B) Transfer to 3 ml gallon (5mlGallon - 2, 3mlGallon - 3)
C) Empty 3 ml gallon ( 5mlGallon - 2, 3mlGallon - 0)
D) Transfer 2 ml from 5 ml gallon to 3 ml gallon (5mlGallon - 0, 3mlGallon - 2)
E) Fill 5 ml gallon(5mlGallon - 5, 3mlGallon - 2)
F) Transfer 1 ml from 5 ml gallon to 3 ml gallons(5mlGallon - 4, 3mlGallon - 3)

Solution:

There are two things to keep in mind:
Firstly there is at least one red hat. (There can be two or three as well).
Secondly the competition is fair for everyone.

Thus if there is only one red hat, that person will see two green hats on other heads and will be able to deduce his own color as red. However the other students will see one red and one green hat and can never be sure. In such manner, the competition will prove to be partial for one student.

Suppose if there are two red hats. Then the students who are wearing red hats will see one red and one green hat on others. Now they must have deduced that there can’t be just one red hat. Thus they will know that they are also wearing a red hat. But the one who is wearing a green hat will see two red hats and can never be sure of his own color. In this case as well, the competition will not be fair.

Thus the only possible and fair means is if all of them are wearing a red hat. The one who is able to deduce the situation first, will raise his hand and will tell the correct answer.

Solution:

17 min

The initial solution most people will think of is to use the fastest person as an usher to guide everyone across. How long would that take? 10 + 1 + 7 + 1 + 2 = 21 minutes. Is that it? No. That would make this question too simple even as a warm up question.

Let's brainstorm a little further. To reduce the amount of time, we should find a way for 10 and 7 to go together. If they cross together, then we need one of them to come back to get the others. That would not be ideal. How do we get around that? Maybe we can have 1 waiting on the other side to bring the torch back. Ahaa, we are getting closer. The fastest way to get 1 across and be back is to use 2 to usher 1 across. So let's put all this together.

1 and 2 go cross
2 comes back
7 and 10 go across
1 comes back
1 and 2 go across (done)

Total time = 2 + 2 + 10 + 1 + 2 = 17 minutes