Solution:

A feather.

Solution:

They used the planks in the manner that is shown in the figure.

Solution:

Since every bacterium divides into two in two minutes and we know the fact that the dish was half filled with bacteria at 3 pm, after exactly 2 minutes, all will divide into two and will fill the petri dish. Thus, the petri dish will become full at 3:02 pm.

Solution:

The competition was held on 11 November 2013. The logic is simple. In America, the dates are mentioned as Month/Day/Year and in Britain, dates are written as Day/Month/Year. But on 11 November 2013, the date and month will be the same. And thus both will write in the same manner i.e. 11/11/2013. If it would have been any other date, the evaluators would have been able to identify it.

Solution:

It can be down as shown below.

Solution:

2, 3, 10 and 10
To maintain the difference of eight and keeping in mind the third and fourth hint, the first and third cards can be 2 and 10 or 10 and 2. But keeping in mind the first hint, we know that the first card is 2 and the third is 10. Similarly, if we see the fifth hint, the difference between the second and fourth card should be 7. Thus we know that the second card is 3 and the fourth card is 10.

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:

It can be solve as shown below.

Solution:

The two numbers are 4 and 13 whose product is 52 and sum is 17.

Solution:

What must be kept in mind before you start calculating through any method is that the weights can be put on both the pans.

So the weights - 1, 3, 7, 12, 43, 76, 102

The oldest man that can be weighed using these weights is a man aged 122 years

Solution:

step 3 is wrong