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Agecroft is right, the answer is 3.

For the ones who don't know the solution to my riddle above:

12, if you would write it down is 6 letters
6, when written down is 3 letters

So the solution to 10 would be 3, since ten is three letters.

EDIT RIGHT AFTER POSTING:
When reading this thread again, it might also be possible that Agecroft was giving the solution to another riddle ?

Bundy wrote:Agecroft is right, the answer is 3.

For the ones who don't know the solution to my riddle above:

12, if you would write it down is 6 letters
6, when written down is 3 letters

So the solution to 10 would be 3, since ten is three letters.

My answer of 1 boy 0 girls was also [mathematically] correct i like to think!

My answer of 1 boy 0 girls was also [mathematically] correct i like to think!

When i wrote Agecroft is right, i meant to the solution of my riddle, but after reading again i also think Agecroft was giving the answer to that other riddle and not to mine, but it happened to be the same number to get it right ...

Robbie wrote:Ah, but sound is the perception of vibration, strictly speaking. If there are no living creatures around to hear, there is vibration, but surely there can't be sound...?

I would have said the same but I would have said sound is the interpretation of vibrations.

It's kinda like asking what true colour is when all we are told is that objects absorb and reflect different parts of the colour spectrum to give the 'illusion' (for want of a better word) of colour. Many insects and animals don't see the same colours that we see, for example bees are believed to see beyond the spectrum of colour that is available to us. Does that mean our vision is flawed and restricted by our limitations and in fact the bees have it right?
Who knows...

Puzzles, puzzles...

How does the man get out of the room then? Where are the answers to these?? I've heard a similar one where you say imagine you're in a room... etc etc no doors/windows. How do you get out?
A: Stop imagining.


Monty Hall is great but people refuse to accept it. Somewhat difficult concept.

There are so many questions. 7! Was that the answer, to any of them?

You want to know how he gets out of the room?

He puts the two halves of the table together - two halves make a (w)hole and he crawls through it to freedom.

beetlejuiceecis wrote:You want to know how he gets out of the room?

He puts the two halves of the table together - two halves make a (w)hole and he crawls through it to freedom.

Oh dear Oh dear Oh dear !!!!

Hmmmn, still thinking of the moon one. It must spin quicker than the Earth due to it's hugely reduced size and lesser gravity. So I'm assuming if I knew the circumference and the speed it was turning, I could divide that by two. But that's then complicated by the fact that we are revolving around the sun. So I looked up the moons orbit, and it revolves around us once every 28 days ish:
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_long_does ... earth_once

So by that context if we are in darkness for half that time then a day would be half that, BUT the moon is spinning. I'll negate the fact it's spinning as that evens out, as it's still 50/50 and assume it's turning with us, as our gravity must affect it. So I'll say 14 days. Surely the actual "day" is going to be an average in some way, as for a prolonged period the moon will be behind us, so some days it will actually be in our shadow, so completely dark, whereas at other times only 50% of it will be in light. So the answer thus might be a quarter of 28? So 7 days?

Bundy wrote:Agecroft is right, the answer is 3.

For the ones who don't know the solution to my riddle above:

12, if you would write it down is 6 letters
6, when written down is 3 letters

So the solution to 10 would be 3, since ten is three letters.

That is one answer but there is no reason to suppose that it is the only one. An alternative answer is 8, so that the sum of the digits of the question and answer is 9. ie

6+3=9
1+2+6=9
1+0+8=9

Sleightech wrote:So by that context if we are in darkness for half that time then a day would be half that, BUT the moon is spinning. I'll negate the fact it's spinning as that evens out, as it's still 50/50 and assume it's turning with us, as our gravity must affect it. So I'll say 14 days. Surely the actual "day" is going to be an average in some way, as for a prolonged period the moon will be behind us, so some days it will actually be in our shadow, so completely dark, whereas at other times only 50% of it will be in light. So the answer thus might be a quarter of 28? So 7 days?

The key point is that as the moon orbits the earth once in 28 days, the same side of the moon always faces us. For this to happen, the moon must spin on its axis once in the same 28 days, so the length of its 'day' (sunrise to sunrise) is 28 earth days.

The alternative answer is that as a 'day' is defined as the time it takes to rotate on its axis once, the length of a moon day is 1 moon day

the same side of the moon always faces us.

Now I've always heard of the dark side of the moon, but that's a basic fact that I didn't think of.

The key point is that as the moon orbits the earth once in 28 days, the same side of the moon always faces us. For this to happen, the moon must spin on its axis once in the same 28 days, so the length of its 'day' (sunrise to sunrise) is 28 earth days.

See your point, but if we turn once every 24 hours, then a day is approx half that?

Bigtone53 wrote:That is one answer but there is no reason to suppose that it is the only one. An alternative answer is 8, so that the sum of the digits of the question and answer is 9. ie

6+3=9
1+2+6=9
1+0+8=9

But what if the guard picks the numer 77? The guard can pick any number he wants.

7+7=14
Then ofcourse you can use a number to substract from 14 to get to 9.

This riddle was translated from Dutch to English. In the Dutch language we also use 8 as an example, since 8 (acht) is written with 4 letters in Dutch. In that case your solution of adding the digits of the question would not work.
With your solution the answer to 8 would be 1, but the guard will not accept that

Sleightech wrote:See your point, but if we turn once every 24 hours, then a day is approx half that?

The question related to how long it took the moon to spin once on its axis. I don't think it matters whether the earth is spinning like a top or just sitting there.

Bundy wrote:But what if the guard picks the numer 77?

But he didn't! You are changing the question now

and also wrote:7+7=14
Then ofcourse you can use a number to substract from 14 to get to 9.

My answer could be expanded to include the concept of 'throwing out 9s' or repeated addition, which would deal with any number

77 -> 14 -> 5 so the answer is 4

589 -> 22 -> 4 so the answer is 5.

I am just pointing out that there is rarely a single right answer for questions like these.

Bigtone53 wrote:I am just pointing out that there is rarely a single right answer for questions like these.

Actually I think there is only one answer. The only right answer follows the rules of which the riddle was made.

When the guard would pick the number 2, your solution would be 2+7=9 and you would answer 7. The guard wants to hear the answer 3, so you don't get to enter the city. Your logic is right, but it's not the same as the logic of the guard, so the answer is wrong to the guard. Sometimes you might get lucky and get the same number the guard wants to hear, but I can light a match by striking it against the box, or I can light a match by holding a burning lighter under the match head. One method is right, the other is wrong, but the results are the same.

I can solve a mathematical problem on a test by guessing the right answer, but if I cannot show the teacher that I got it by using the right mathematical formula in the right way, I will still fail the test.

Therefore, when the guard says 10, and you answer 8 with your solution, the guard will not let you enter the city.

Who knows whether the guard applies any logic at all? Perhaps he just lets in people that he recognises and the exchange of numbers is just to cover this up

This reminds me of the certainly apocryphal but nice story of the barometer