Brain Teasers

[schielrn]

Thought maybe we could see if we could start a thread of brain teasers:

You are in a room with a bathtub full of water. You have a teaspoon, a coffee mug and a mop bucket. There is a window in this room. What would be the quickest way to empty the tub and have no water left in there?

 

[TinaP]

Pull the plug.

 

[schielrn]

Yes. I was surprised that many people in my office missed that. About 25% of the people I have asked said they would use the bucket. I even had one guy say he would use the teaspoon to fill the coffee mug and then fill the bucket with the coffee mug to use all resources, but they didn't even think about the plug.

 

[TinaP]

I used to help my college roommate with one of her psych classes. It was all about how people think and learn. There were a mess of questions like this, I guess to help learn not to overlook the obvious.

 

[jgthtrotih]

HI,

i have one...

WET WET WET WET
WET WET WET WET
WET WET WET WET
WET WET WET WET
WET WET WET WET
WET WET WET WET
WET WET WET WET
SPILL SPILL
WET WET WET WET
WET WET WET WET
WET WET WET WET
WET WET WET WET
WET WET WET WET
WET WET WET WET
WET WET WET WET
WET WET WET WET
WET WET WET WET
WET WET WET WET


Thanks!

 

[schielrn]

Ever since I have left work yesterday I have been trying to figure this out and still haven't? Maybe by Monday it will come to me.

 

[Oorang]

<deleted>

 

[jgthtrotih]

Schierln,

It's a toughy!

Oorang,

Your post didn't come through?

Thanks!

 

[Misca]

Thinking outside the box the absolutely quickest way would be to flip the tub over. If that's not possible, then pull the plug and use the bucket to empty it even faster.

 

[Expiry]

Surely the quickest way would be to pull the plug out, then use the bucket and the mug to continually bail out until it was empty.

Oh, and drinking some of it, too. Probably.