I'm posting one puzzle, riddle, math, or statistical problem a day. Try to answer each one and post your answers in the comments section. I'll post the answer the next day. Even if you have the same answer as someone else, feel free to put up your answer, too!
Friday, May 22, 2009
Riddle of the Day
How can half of 12 be 7?
This was submitted by Nina Renner. Nina, if you want me to link your name to anything, please let me know.
I cheated my way through math... I'll go with whomever's answer is right! Words are my thing.... not numbers and letters mixed with numbers don't count. TGIF
81811 AND Durrock are both right. I thought of Durrock's answer before looking at the comments, but I appreciate 81811's answer because (a) it's correct and (b) a lot of people are implying it's wrong, but may not understand bases other than 12 :)
BloggerIO: Use the scale to split the 24 kg into 2 portions of 12. Split one of those into 6 and 6, then one of those into 3 and 3. Take the other 6 that you didn't use, add one of the 3 kg portions to it. Then split that in 2 portions to get 4.5 kg.
aaaa.. okay.. roman thing made sense.. but how about if we divide musical notes into two groups- natural notes and sharp/flat notes.. then if we cut out 'half' the thing (sharp notes), we're left with seven natural notes!!
I am basically very fond of working out puzzles and crosswords. But these are tough. I cannot seem to answer even a single question. I think you are one of the few blogs that I think really deserve the blogs of note!
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If you have 12 as a base instead of 10.
ReplyDeleteThen the "1" would be worth 12
The "2" would still be worth 2
Adding them gives 14
And the "7" would still be worth 7.
Also in Roman numerals. Because 12 = XII in Roman numerals
ReplyDeleteIf you cut the XII in half across the middle, it becomes 2 VII's, which is equal to 7.
Durrock's answer made more sense to me.
ReplyDeleteDurrock's right. my dad gave me this riddle once. the answer's just like what he say
ReplyDeleteIn base 12, like 81811 said. Also as an optical illusion type problem, cover up the bottom half and all you see is the VII.
ReplyDeleteI think Durrock has it. I would have never thought of that. I skipped Roman Numerals growing up...oops!
ReplyDeleteIf you take the morse code for 12, flip it vertically, then cut that in half, it is identical to 7's horizontal code. That is how half of 12 can be 7.
ReplyDeleteDurrock is right
ReplyDeletebut please write this one
You have 24 kg of sugar. You have a lot of bags. You have a scale but no weights. How do you measure 4.5 kg of sugar?
I cheated my way through math... I'll go with whomever's answer is right! Words are my thing.... not numbers and letters mixed with numbers don't count. TGIF
ReplyDeleteIf you have an extremely large value of 12 and half it, I think it should work.
ReplyDeleteOh wow, I would never have gotten this one...I kept trying to count letters or something, but the numeral thing is pretty clever.
ReplyDeleteHere's one for you:
What is greater than God,
more evil than the devil,
the poor have it,
the rich need it,
and if you eat it, you die?
(I know it goes off of the assumption of certain beliefs, but it's a good riddle)
Nothing is greater than God
ReplyDeleteNothing is more evil than the devil
The poor have nothing
The rich need nothing
and if you eat nothing, you'll die
kira: the answer's nothing
ReplyDeleteI am with Durrock! Half (-cut )of the Roman numeral for the number 12, XII, is VII, the equivalent for it is the number 7 in Arabic numerals.
ReplyDelete81811 AND Durrock are both right. I thought of Durrock's answer before looking at the comments, but I appreciate 81811's answer because (a) it's correct and (b) a lot of people are implying it's wrong, but may not understand bases other than 12 :)
ReplyDeleteI meant bases other than 10.
ReplyDeleteHaha, I'm so confused!
ReplyDeleteI've always been awful at riddles, doh.
durrock is right.so tricky.
ReplyDeletetry this
http://unscrambletheletters.blogspot.com/
BloggerIO: Use the scale to split the 24 kg into 2 portions of 12. Split one of those into 6 and 6, then one of those into 3 and 3. Take the other 6 that you didn't use, add one of the 3 kg portions to it. Then split that in 2 portions to get 4.5 kg.
ReplyDeletei think that all three answers for half of 12 are right (12 as a base, roman numerals, and brail) :P
ReplyDeletewell, a baker's dozen is 13 so if you divide that, one half would be bigger - hence, 7...
ReplyDeleteand if you believe that....
ha
ReplyDeleteI have to go with Durrock's answer because I can't come up with my own answer when it involves numbers :P
ReplyDeletethe of 12 is 6.5, if you estimate it the answer is 7!!!! gets
ReplyDelete9
ReplyDeletehey i have a good one for you please respond on my blog and i will give it to you
ReplyDeleteaaaa.. okay.. roman thing made sense..
ReplyDeletebut how about if we divide musical notes into two groups- natural notes and sharp/flat notes..
then if we cut out 'half' the thing (sharp notes), we're left with seven natural notes!!
stupid logic i know.. just an option! :P
I think the explanation of Durrock is great!
ReplyDelete;)
I am basically very fond of working out puzzles and crosswords. But these are tough. I cannot seem to answer even a single question.
ReplyDeleteI think you are one of the few blogs that I think really deserve the blogs of note!
I can run, but cannot walk. Wherever I go, thought follows close behind. What am I?
ReplyDeleteGive me food and I will live. Give me water and I will die. What am I?
abe there is another way
ReplyDeletei agree with Durrock
ReplyDeleteI'm terrible at riddles and not too great at logic either. But I cannot understand how you can halve the "X" and not "II"?
ReplyDeleteTara: your second one is fire. =]
ReplyDeleteyeah the roman numerals work sans serif lol
ReplyDeleteI like the rounding error answer, but the way I've seen this before is half of XII is VII, or half of 12 is 7 in roman numerals.
ReplyDeleteWorks best in a classroom with a chalkboard.
XII cut in half is VII
ReplyDeleteRoman Numerals is more logical.
ReplyDeleteI remember one in gradeschool that was kind of like this:
19 - 1 = 20
XIX - I = XX
;)
I'll repeat my previous entry (kind of). I ran this by my math teacher colleagues, and they all agreed that the Base 12 answer was the most clever.
ReplyDeleteIt's technically the only correct answer. It's just that most people don't understand bases other than 10.
I think I'll do this as a warm-up in Algebra class sometime. :)
Iagree with all of you but i think the roundin is wrong.
ReplyDeletei say half of 12 is 7
ReplyDeletethe answer is 12 in roman numerals is XII and if you draw a horizontal line through it you get VII which is 7
ReplyDeleteThis may be a stretch.
ReplyDeleteYou have 12 children in a room, and 6 of them are age 7.
Count from 12 to 1 u will see that 7 will be the half
ReplyDeleteYou have 12 children, 6 of them are 7 years old
ReplyDelete