A Riddle For You...

[spacevampire]

Because I'm an honest fellow, I'll admit up front that I couldn't figure this out. (The question was the Puzzler on NPR's "Car Talk" -- the greatest radio program ever made -- and I had to wait a week to get the answer.)

A man takes two medications, pill "A" and pill "B". He must take one of each pill each morning, no more and no less, or he will die.

One morning, he shakes out one pill from bottle "A" into his palm, then repeats the same action with bottle "B" -- BUT TWO "B's" fall into his palm.

Now, I know what you're thinking: put one "B" back into its bottle, right? Unfortunately, pills "A" and "B" look identical! And he doesn't know which of the three pills in his palm is which, "A" or "B".

Now, he could just throw the three pills away and start over, right? But it's Saturday morning, the only pharmacy with his prescriptions is closed until Monday morning, and aside from the three pills in his hand, there is only one other pill remaining, an "A" still in the bottle.

What does he do?

We have a winner! Answer is here

 

[greeneyedvirgin]

He yells for his wife!

 

[Aussie_Wolf]

Ok only sensible way of doing this I can see is this. Pick a pill in your hand You have a 2 in 3 chance of it being a B. Now place the other two pills back into the empty pill bottle and swallow that pill plus the pill you know to be pill A.

If he dies oh well. That's just the law of averages for you.

 

[37_ttej]

He wanders out to the garage and dusts off his home chemistry set.
After an hour of complex pharmaceutical analysis on the second 'B' pill - the thermograv machine was particularly tricky - he discovers the frikkin pill was a placebo!

He takes the 'A' pill and feeds the first 'B' pill to the dog: which unfortunately dies, since dogs don't understand the concept of 'placebos' and have an instinctive aversion to little pills.

On Monday he phones his solicitor and seeks legal advice.

On Tuesday he sues the GP and the pharmacist.

Six months later he and his wife - alas, not including the dog - are enjoying a Pacific island cruise.

 

[ElasticMermaid]

puts them all in a blender. Divides powder in half. Takes half today, half tomorrow. Lives. Buys pill organizer the next day.

 

[ElasticMermaid]

I hope that was not the official answer and I just came up with a new one. Because I like being smarter than "the man."

Unless what I said didn't make sense. I just woke up from a nap.

 

[Lovely2222]

puts them all in a blender. Divides powder in half. Takes half today, half tomorrow. Lives. Buys pill organizer the next day.

He would have to add one of pill a into the mix before he blended and it would work.


or.. my thought was ...

he can take each of those pills and line them up. break them in half. take one pill A and break it in half. If the takes one half of each of those pills he will have taken one of each. Then save the other half for tomorrow.

Then learn his lesson. Take pill A swallow, then grab Pill B...

 

[ElasticMermaid]

He would have to add one of pill a into the mix before he blended and it would work.


or.. my thought was ...

he can take each of those pills and line them up. break them in half. take one pill A and break it in half. If the takes one half of each of those pills he will have taken one of each. Then save the other half for tomorrow.

Then learn his lesson. Take pill A swallow, then grab Pill B...

Yes. I meant take all the pills, blend them, take half each day. Same idea as breaking them up.

 

[spacevampire]

Deleted

 

[spacevampire]

YES!!

he can take each of those pills and line them up. break them in half. take one pill A and break it in half. If the takes one half of each of those pills he will have taken one of each. Then save the other half for tomorrow.

Then learn his lesson. Take pill A swallow, then grab Pill B...

The next riddle is here.

 

[ElasticMermaid]

YES!!

Acknowledge that my unique answer was equally as brilliant!

 

[spacevampire]

Acknowledge that my unique answer was equally as brilliant!

Actually, I did ... then I erased it. Sorry! You're idea was in fact brilliant. (You may notice that the reply above my "YES" reply is deleted. That was where I patted you on the back, then retrieved my pat. My bad! )

 

[ElasticMermaid]

Actually, I did ... then I erased it. Sorry! You're idea was in fact brilliant. (You may notice that the reply above my "YES" reply is deleted. That was where I patted you on the back, then retrieved my pat. My bad! )

How dare you retrieve your pat!

 

[spacevampire]

This one is well used, and you've likely heard it before, but I will post it anyway:

A father and son are in a horrible car crash half way between two cities. One ambulance arrives from each of the cities, and each ambulance takes one victim to the emergency room of its hospital.

When the Doctor enters the ER where the son is being prepped, the Doc says, "I can't operate on this boy! This is my son!"

How can that be?

 

[Dogma52]

This one is well used, and you've likely heard it before, but I will post it anyway:

A father and son are in a horrible car crash half way between two cities. One ambulance arrives from each of the cities, and each ambulance takes one victim to the emergency room of its hospital.

When the Doctor enters the ER where the son is being prepped, the Doc says, "I can't operate on this boy! This is my son!"

How can that be?

Mommy!

 

[islandjoe2]

Brilliant!

Elasticmermaid, I loved your answer! It's nice to come across an intelligent woman who can think outside the box. Love it! Which isn't to say there aren't other women like that here, but you happened to jump out at me

 

[ElasticMermaid]

Elasticmermaid, I loved your answer! It's nice to come across an intelligent woman who can think outside the box. Love it! Which isn't to say there aren't other women like that here, but you happened to jump out at me

Finally. Some appreciation!

 

[magicmikeaustin]

Finally. Some appreciation!

i appreciate you, and i even appreciate how smart you are!

 

[spacevampire]

Dogma, nice job. You're either sharp as a tack ... or you'd heard it before. I won't ask which.

Okay, we need a new one...

Hmm...

How about a math problem. You CAN NOT go back and reread the question; but you CAN use your fingers.

Ready...?

• You're driving a special education school bus, you know, a short bus.
• You stop to pick up 2 students.
• You stop to pick up 2 more students.
• You stop to pick up 2 more students.
• You reach the first school and drop off half of the students.
• You continue onward and stop to pick up 2 students.
• You stop to pick up 2 students.
• You stop to pick up 2 students.
• You reach the second school and drop off one third of the students.
• What's the bus driver's name?

 

[fire_breeze]

Dogma, nice job. You're either sharp as a tack ... or you'd heard it before. I won't ask which.

Okay, we need a new one...

Hmm...

How about a math problem. You CAN NOT go back and reread the question; but you CAN use your fingers.

Ready...?

• You're driving a special education school bus, you know, a short bus.
• You stop to pick up 2 students.
• You stop to pick up 2 more students.
• You stop to pick up 2 more students.
• You reach the first school and drop off half of the students.
• You continue onward and stop to pick up 2 students.
• You stop to pick up 2 students.
• You stop to pick up 2 students.
• You reach the second school and drop off one third of the students.
• What's the bus driver's name?

Breezey

 

[L8tnIt]

an offering

You peel the outside
Cook the inside
Eat the outside
Throw away the inside

What am I?

 

[Aussie_Wolf]

Aussie_Wolf

 

[Aussie_Wolf]

You peel the outside
Cook the inside
Eat the outside
Throw away the inside

What am I?

Sweet corn

 

[fire_breeze]

You peel the outside
Cook the inside
Eat the outside
Throw away the inside

What am I?

Corn.

 

[L8tnIt]

Corn.

Really? How so?