The riddles thread

[HairyMan]

^ Is that a riddle, or a philosophical ponderance?

I'm guessing it's a riddle since a philosophical ponderance would be like asking "If "God" is all powerful, how can the devil exist in the manner that he does unless he is working with/for "God"?" While that is sadly a religious ponderance, it's still one that really makes you think.

[Magnet]

"What is not the answer to this riddle?"

[GNFfhqwhgads]

"What is not the answer to this riddle?"

The question.

[SheSaidSheSaid]

So I was totally gonna create this thread just now....until I realized I already had, way back when!

Three from the category of 'transport puzzles' The answers are pretty easy to find on the web, but c'mon, strain your brain a little and come up with 'em yourself

This first one's pretty easy - consider it a warmup. A farmer returning from market has to cross a river to get home. He has with him a wolf, a goat, and a bag of grain. He can only take one of the three with him when he crosses. If the wolf is left alone with the goat, it will eat it, and if the goat is left alone with the bag of grain, it likewise will eat it. How does the farmer get across with all his possessions intact?

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Four people come to a dark chasm in the dead of night, spanned by a long, narrow, rickety bridge. Only two of them can cross the bridge at a time, or else it would collapse, and the night is so dark only the light of the flashlight they carry will light their way. They have only 15 minutes of battery life left in their flashlight.

The fittest person in the group can cross the bridge in 1 minute, the next fittest can cross in 2 minutes, and then there are two fatties who respectively will take 5 and 8 minutes to cross. Whatever the tandem crossing the bridge, they take the slower person's time to get there.

How can all four safely cross the bridge within the flashlight's remaining 15 minute battery life?

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Three missionaries and three cannibals must cross a river with a boat that can carry only two people at a time. Cannibals must never outnumber missionaries on either side of the river at any time (or they will eat the missionary(ies) with them). How do all six get across without anyone getting eaten?

Note - the person driving the boat is not considered to be on either bank until he gets out, and once the voyage begins the boat will never be left empty in the water until all six have crossed.

[CJHobbes]

This first one's pretty easy - consider it a warmup. A farmer returning from market has to cross a river to get home. He has with him a wolf, a goat, and a bag of grain. He can only take one of the three with him when he crosses. If the wolf is left alone with the goat, it will eat it, and if the goat is left alone with the bag of grain, it likewise will eat it. How does the farmer get across with all his possessions intact?

I'll answer the easy one first! He takes the goat to side B, drops it off, coming back to side A empty. Picks up the wolf and drops it off at side B, picks up the goat and takes back to side A. Drops the goat at side A, picking up the grain and taking it to side B, then crosses back to A empty. Picks up the goat and takes it back to side B where the other two are waiting for him.

Three missionaries and three cannibals must cross a river with a boat that can carry only two people at a time. Cannibals must never outnumber missionaries on either side of the river at any time (or they will eat the missionary(ies) with them). How do all six get across without anyone getting eaten?

Note - the person driving the boat is not considered to be on either bank until he gets out, and once the voyage begins the boat will never be left empty in the water until all six have crossed.

Trip 1: Cannibal and Missionary crosses, Cannibal comes back. 2C 2M | 1C | 1M
Trip 2: Cannibal and Cannibal crosses, Cannibal comes back. 1C 2M | 1C | 1C 1M
Trip 3: Cannibal and Missionary crosses, Cannibal comes back. 1C 1M | 1C | 1C 2M
Trip 4: Cannibal and Missionary crosses, Cannibal comes back. 1C | 1C | 1C 3M
Trip 5: Cannibal and Cannibal crosses. End.

[SheSaidSheSaid]

I guess there's a reason this one kind of faded into obscurity the first time Should I just give the solution to the bridge puzzle?

Guess so ;\ I won't even reply and bump this, I'll just edit it in:

The two fastest cross. 2 minutes elapse.
The fastest crosses back alone to bring back the flashlight. 3 minutes elapsed.
The two fatties cross together. 11 minutes elapsed.
The second fastest crosses alone to bring back the flashlight. 13 minutes elapsed.
The two fastest cross again. 15 minutes.