Hidden's Brain Teasers

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Enjoying the sunny weather and want to test your mind while relaxing? Have a go at these fun riddles and then click for the answers at the end! 

1. I ride into town on Wednesday and spend three nights in town. I then ride out of town on Thursday. How can this be?

2. In the height of summer, a sea captain sets sail on a long voyage, but is caught in a nasty storm and is shipwrecked on a desert island. The only survivor, he spends months stuck on the island alone, until he finds a way off.

How does he get off?

3. I head to see the only two barbers in town for a haircut. The first of the two has slick and shiny hair combed lovely. The other's is in clumps and wisps. Which of the two do I choose for my haircut?

4. I've got a grandfather clock which currently shows 3.30pm on the hands, but I want it to show midnight. What is the minimum number of places I would need to touch for the clock to show midnight?

5. Two brothers attend the same school and walk the same route every morning. The younger brother leaves first and walks one metre every second. At the point the younger brother reaches 100 metres, the older brother leaves home and walks two metres every second. 

What is the minimum number of seconds it could take for the older brother to catch up to his younger brother?

6. There are seven people in my family, with five children including me. The second eldest boy is four years younger than me. The second eldest girl, who I get on with really well, is three years younger then the eldest girl. The eldest boy is four years younger than the eldest girl, and three years older then the youngest boy. We all have the same parents.

If the second eldest girl is nineteen years old, how old am I?

7. Three candidates (A, B and C) are standing for mayor in an election with 1000 voters. In a pre-election poll, 200 voters were undecided, 400 voters supported A, 300 voters supported B, and 100 voters supported C.

Assuming no voters changed their allegiance, how many candidates out of the three still have a chance at winning the election?

8. There is a crossroads with an old signpost. Both routes are the same distance to the destination, but one of them is always busy, so it takes longer to get there. All of the drivers on this route want to reach their destination quickly, so they all choose the quiet route. You also want to reach your destination quickly. 

Which route should you take?

9.  Two people are chatting at work while using their computers.

'My ????? is acting strange today.'

'I didn't know you had a pet!'

The conversation doesn't seem to make much sense. See if you can work out the five-letter word that goes in the place of the '?????'.

10. These four people (A, B, C and D) live on different floors of this apartment block. Can you work out from their comments which floor they each live on?

A: 'I live three floors below D.'

B: 'I live on the seventh or eight floor.'

C: 'I live on an odd-numbered floor.'

D: 'The floors we each live on are an equal distance apart.'