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

Solution:

We now have a square of 3x3 size, 2 squares of 2x2 size and 5 squares of 1x1 size.

Solution:

You better switch!

Your first choice has a 1/3 chance of having the car, and that does not change.<br>The other two doors HAD a combined chance of 2/3, but now a Goat has ben revealed behind one, all the 2/3 chance is with the other door.

Solution:

It has been clearly stated that none of the two students gave same number of correct answers which leads us to two different possibilities of correct answers:
Either (1 + 2 +3 + 4 + 5 = 15) or (0 + 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 = 10) stands true.

After analyzing the question, the maximum number of correct answers possible with the answers Gerry, Billy, Clark, Peeta and Jonathan gave:
Question 1 = 2 (b or c)
Question 2 = 2 (b or c)
Question 3= 4 (True)
Question 4 = 4 (True)
Question 5 = 3 (True)

Let us first assume with the maximum number of correct answers possible according to our data which are 15 (2+2+4+4+3). According to it, Billy must have given all correct answers as he was the only one who answered True for questions 3, 4 and 5. But in that case, Gerry and Clark must have given exactly three correct answers. Furthermore, Peeta and Jonathan must have given two correct answers. Therefore none of them got all the five correct answers which is wrong according to what we have analyzed.

Thus we move on to our next assumption according to which, the total number of correct answers are 10 (0+1+2+3+4). Now we must acknowledge that Questions 3 as well as Question 4 cannot be False as it will mean that the number of correct answers would not be 10. So the students giving wrong answers cannot be Gerry, Billy and Peeta.

Assume that Jonathan got all wrong, it will suggest that Gerry, Clark and Peeta each would have at least two correct answers. Then, Billy would have to be the person with only one correct answer and in that situation, the correct answers for questions 1 and 2 would be a and a respectively. Since that is not possible as then the total number of correct answers would be 1 (a) + 1 (a) + 1 (False) + 4 (True) + 2 (Flase) = 9.

Thus it must be Clark who has given all wrong answers. The correct answers are then b, a, True, False and False. Also, the scores are Clark (0), Billy (1), Gerry (2), Jonathan (3) and Peeta (4).

Solution:

It is best if the person sits on the back of the train. After the stop, the train will be accelerating as it goes into the tunnel. Thus the train will be much master when the back of the train enters the tunnel. In this way, he will have to spend much less time in the tunnel.

Solution:

This problem can be solved with algebra as well as logical reasoning. We are going to tell you how it is logically possible.

Be it any quantity that was present in the beginning and any liquid as well. We know that we have taken a spoonful from one glass and put it into another. Then, we have taken a spoonful from the other glass and put it into the first glass. So, at the end of it, the quantity of liquid in either glass remains same as it was in the beginning.

Therefore, we can conclude the fact that any amount of coke that is missing in the glass with coke will be present in the lemonade glass. Also, the same quantity of lemonade will be missing from the lemonade glass and will be present in the coke glass.

Solution:

Birbal drew another line that was larger than the pre-drawn line. Now the pre drawn line was smaller.

Solution:

10 prisoners must sample the wine. Bonus points if you worked out a way to ensure than no more than 8 prisoners die.

Number all bottles using binary digits. Assign each prisoner to one of the binary flags. Prisoners must take a sip from each bottle where their binary flag is set.

Here is how you would find one poisoned bottle out of eight total bottles of wine.

Bottle 1 Bottle 2 Bottle 3 Bottle 4 Bottle 5 Bottle 6 Bottle 7 Bottle 8
Prisoner A X X X X
Prisoner B X X X X
Prisoner C X X X X
In the above example, if all prisoners die, bottle 8 is bad. If none die, bottle 1 is bad. If A & B dies, bottle 4 is bad.

With ten people there are 1024 unique combination so you could test up to 1024 bottles of wine.

Each of the ten prisoners will take a small sip from about 500 bottles. Each sip should take no longer than 30 seconds and should be a very small amount. Small sips not only leave more wine for guests. Small sips also avoid death by alcohol poisoning. As long as each prisoner is administered about a milliliter from each bottle, they will only consume the equivalent of about one bottle of wine each.

Each prisoner will have at least a fifty percent chance of living. There is only one binary combination where all prisoners must sip from the wine. If there are ten prisoners then there are ten more combination where all but one prisoner must sip from the wine. By avoiding these two types of combination you can ensure no more than 8 prisoners die.

One viewer felt that this solution was in flagrant contempt of restaurant etiquette. The emperor paid for this wine, so there should be no need to prove to the guests that wine is the same as the label. I am not even sure if ancient wine even came with labels affixed. However, it is true that after leaving the wine open for a day, that this medieval wine will taste more like vinegar than it ever did. C'est la vie.

Solution:

Solution can be verified from the picture below.

Solution:

Remove the same 2 matchsticks from each figure and move figure towards left 45 degrees, It forms the letters V W X Y.

Solution:

White should move the rook from
A1 to D1 and hence complete the castling move.