Recreational Mathematics

Puzzles & Riddles

Puzzles and riddles are perhaps the most well-known activities within recreational math. Math
puzzles and riddles are fun and interesting, and they help improve problem solving skills and
thinking capacity! Puzzles and riddles are also an important area of research for many
mathematicians

Try Solving These

⇒ How can you add eight 8s to get the
number 1,000 using only addition?
888 + 88 + 8 + 8 + 8 = 1,000
⇒ In a certain country, ½ of 5 = 3. If the
same proportion holds, what is the value of
⅓ of 10?
Answer is 3.
½ of 5 = 2.5, which is rounded to the next
number, i.e., 3. Similarly, ⅓ of 10 is 3.33,
which when rounded to the previous number
is 3.
⇒ If one and a half hen lays one and a half
egg in one and a half day, how many eggs
does one hen lay in one day?
To get the daily rate per hen;
Hens × Days × (Daily Rate) = Eggs
1½ × 1½ × (Daily Rate) = 1½
By solving the equation, we get the answer
as ⅔. Thus, 1 hen will lay two-thirds of an
egg, in 1 day.
⇒ Can you find the numbers A, B, C, and D
so that the following calculation is proved?
ABCDx4=DCBA
A = 2, B = 1, C = 7, and D = 8.

⇒ Ryan can place 8 large boxes or 10 small
boxes into a carton for transporting them. In
one shipment, he sent a total of 96 boxes. If
there are more large boxes than small
boxes, how many cartons did he ship?
11 cartons.
7 large boxes (7 × 8) = 56 boxes
4 small boxes (4 ×10) = 40 boxes
11 total cartons consisting of 96 boxes
⇒ Brian, Rennie, and their dog start walking
down a road in the same direction. They
start at the same point and at the same
time. Brian walks at 12 km/h, while Rennie
walks at the speed of 10 km/h. Their dog
runs from Brian to Rennie and back again
with a constant speed of 15 km/h. How far
does the dog travel in 1 hour?
⇒ Use four 9s in a math equation that
equals 100.
99 + (9 ÷ 9) = 100
⇒ What number comes next?
1, 3, 6, 10, 15, 21, ___
Answer is 28!
As you see, we get 3 by adding 2 to the first
digit 1. Similarly, when we add 3 to the next
digit, 3 we get 6, and so on.
⇒ I add five to nine, and get two. The
answer is correct, but how?
When it is 9am, add 5 hours to it and you will
get 2pm.

15 km. Because the dog's speed is 15 km/h.

⇒ Jammy is a milkman. He has 3-liter and
5-liter milk cans. Now, he want to measure
4 liters from these milk cans. How can he do
it?
First, he will completely fill the 5-liter can,
and then pour milk in the 3-liter one. So, he
is left with 2 liters of milk. He empties the 3-
liter can and pours the remaining 2 liters in
it. Now, he again fills the 5-liter can, and
pours only 1 liter in the 3-liter can, because it
already has 2 liters in it. So, he is left with 4
liters of milk in the 5-liter can.

⇒ There are 12 kids in a classroom. 6 kids

are wearing socks and 4 are wearing shoes.
3 kids are wearing both. How many are bare
feet?
As we know, 3 kids are wearing both. So,
only 3 kids are wearing only socks (6 - 3 = 3),
and 1 is wearing only shoes (4 - 3 = 1). So, in
total, 3 + 3 + 1 = 7. Now, 12 kids are there, so,
12 - 7 = 5. That means 5 kids are bare feet.

⇒ Peter, Ricky, John, and Sam played

basketball and scored different points: 24,
10, 6 and 28. Peter scored 4 times as many
points as Sam. John scored more points
than Ricky and Sam. Who scored how
much?

Peter scored four times more points than

Sam, which means, Sam scored 6 points,
and (6 × 4) 24 points were scored by Peter.
John scored the most points, i.e., 28, and the
remaining points, i.e., 10, was scored by
Ricky.

⇒ What is the value of 1/2 of 2/3 of 3/4 of

4/5 of 5/6 of 6/7 of 7/8 of 8/9 of 9/10 of
1,000?

100