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1500 questions
41
votes
1 answer
Save our WWII planes
This is a true story, and an illustration of smart thinking.
During WWII, Allied airforces were having a difficult time getting their bombers to withstand German artillery. Their planes desperately needed some armour to increase the chances of them…
Chuck
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41
votes
4 answers
Oh, it is greater than God!
What is greater than God, worse than evil,
The poor have it, the rich require it,
And if you eat it, you die?
What is it?
MoonMind
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41
votes
7 answers
Guide to Codes and Ciphers
Note: This is a Guide not a Puzzle
ciphers are quite common now on puzzling, and at first can seem quite confusing. But ciphers are bigger than this site, used worldwide by companies and secret services to encrypt data.
But what is a cipher, and…
Beastly Gerbil
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41
votes
2 answers
41
votes
1 answer
A cubic colored pyramid
While preparing the next puzzle for publishing, I decided to encrypt the file to protect it, but something went wrong or maybe I entered the wrong command because the puzzle was encrypted, yes, but not the way I was expecting it to be! Instead of…
Alenanno
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41
votes
5 answers
A Thing Of Beauty Is A Joy Forever!
I...I've just seen something. Something wonderful. Something beautiful. I don't know what it is...I don't have the least idea, to be honest. But, its innate beauty is unmistakable.
$\qquad\qquad\quad$
But I don't remember what it was like...I have…
Ankoganit
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41
votes
11 answers
Puzzling about a cube
I do not claim credit for this puzzle; I saw it online years ago and realised it hadn't been asked here yet (as far as I could tell), so I thought I'd share it with the community here. I cannot recall the text verbatim, so I sincerely hope that I do…
Xenocacia
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41
votes
16 answers
What is the smallest set of letters that can spell any integer?
Today my 9-year-old nephew told me that he can spell any integer in English using only 9 letters. This is how he's doing it:
...
-3: MINUS ONE MINUS ONE MINUS ONE
-2: MINUS ONE MINUS ONE
-1: MINUS ONE
0: ONE MINUS ONE
1: ONE
2: ONE PLUS ONE
…
GOTO 0
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41
votes
1 answer
Letter Crush Friends
Inspired by the game Candy Crush I devised a new type of word-searchpuzzles which go under the name Letter Crush $^{TM}$ puzzles.
How to solve a Letter Crush $^{TM}$ puzzle:
A puzzle consists of a stack of letter-squares. Within the stack one has…
BmyGuest
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41
votes
9 answers
Nobody knows me. Nobody wants me
You are going through the belongings of your recently deceased uncle and come upon a small wooden box with the following inscription, presumably describing its contents.
Those who take me, won't know me.
Those who know me, won't want me.
Those…
user4221
41
votes
1 answer
The four of us are brothers and sisters. Who are we? And why?
For convenience, the four of us are nicknamed: ONE, TWO, THREE, and FOUR respectively.
What are our real names? And why do you think so?
We answered the following six questions to give you clues as to who we are.
To begin with, our real names are…
Segwayinto
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41
votes
9 answers
Why is Bob a normal guy?
Here are 7 facts about Bob:
He has a shot of alcohol every morning.
He hasn't showered in weeks.
He has a full head of hair, but doesn't use a comb.
He regularly wraps a noose around his neck.
He has a drug once or twice a day, but not for…
rybo111
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41
votes
1 answer
A Very Weird Day
Today was a very weird day for me. First, I saw a rainbow with the colors white, pink, yellow, green, blue, beige, and orange. Then, I drove my car across the sea. Finally, I saw a dog convicted of a crime and then almost immediately pardoned. My…
paste
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41
votes
4 answers
Could you solve a chessboard math puzzle at gunpoint?
Professor Veryevil pointed the gun at Shirley Knowsalot. "And why shouldn't I just kill you now?" asked the professor.
"What about your shtick where you always give the hero a math puzzle that they can solve for their freedom?" responded…
Tyler Seacrest
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41
votes
1 answer
The Non-Pythagorean Theorem
Everyone knows the Pythagorean theorem: In a right-angled triangle, the square of the hypotenuse (the side opposite the right angle) is equal to the sum of the squares of the other two sides.
The Pythagorean Theorem: $$a^2+b^2=c^2$$
Recently,…
Gamow
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