Some Mind Boggling IQ Questions

Q. You have 5 jars of pills. Each pill weighs 10 grams, except for contaminated pills contained in one jar, where each pill weighs 9 grams. Given a scale, how could you tell which jar had the contaminated pills in just one measurement?

Solution :

• Follow the steps outlined below:
• Step-1: Mark the jars with numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5.
• Step-2: Take 1 pill from jar 1, take 2 pills from jar 2, take 3 pills from jar 3, take 4 pills from jar 4 and take 5 pills from jar 5.
• Step-3: Put all of the jars on the scale at once and take the measurement.
• Step-4: Now, subtract the measurement from 150 (1*10 + 2*10 + 3*10 + 4*10 + 5*10)
• Step-5: The result will give you the jar number which has the contaminated pills.


Q. One train leaves Los Angeles at 15 MPH heading for New York . Another train leaves from New York at 20mph heading for Los Angeles on the same track. If a bird, flying at 25mph, leaves from Los Angeles at the same time as the train and flies back and forth between the two trains until they collide, how far will the bird have traveled?  
 
Solution :
The distance traveled by the bird can be calculated as:

1. Let's say the distance between LA and NY is d miles.
2. The time before which the trains will collide: d / (15+20) hours.
3. The distance traveled by the bird in that time: (d / 35) * 25 = 5*d/7 miles.

Assumptions made: The bird must follow the line of the track, remain at the same altitude, and the speed must be relative to the ground and not air speed.

A Mind Boggling IQ Question

Q. You have someone working for you for seven days and you have one gold bar to pay them. The gold bar is segmented into seven connected pieces. You must give them a piece of gold at the end of every day. If you are only allowed to make two breaks in the gold bar, how do you pay your worker?

Solution :

• As 7 = 1 + 2 + 4, this implies there are only 2 divisions (cuts).
• Day 1: Give [1] and you have [2+4]
• Day 2: Give [2] and take back [1]. You have [1+4]
• Day 3: Give [1+2] and you have [4]
• Day 4: Give [4] and take back [1+2]. You have [1+2].
• Day 5: Give [1+4] and you have [2]
• Day 6: Give [2+4] and take back [1]. You have [1]
• Day 7: Give [1+2+4] and you have nothing!
• The same trick can be applied to:
• 15 Days = 1 + 2 + 4 + 8
• 31 Days = 1 + 2 + 4 + 8 + 16
• And so on.
• The main point of division is:
• 1 = 2^0
• 2 = 2^1
• 4 = 2^2
• 8 = 2^3
• 16= 2^4
• And so on...

A Mind Boggling IQ Question

Q.  There are four people who need to cross a bridge at night. The bridge is only wide enough for two people to cross at once. There is only one flashlight for the entire group. When two people cross, they must cross at the slower member's speed. All four people must cross the bridge in 17 minutes, since the bridge will collapse in exactly that amount of time. Here are the times each member takes to cross the bridge:

• Person A: 1 minute
• Person B: 2 minutes
• Person C: 5 minutes
• Person D: 10 minutes

 If Person A and C crossed the bridge initially, 5 minutes would elapse, because Person C takes 5 minutes to cross. Then Person A would have to come back to the other side of the bridge, taking another minute, or six minutes total. Now, if Person A and D crossed the bridge next, it would take them 10 minutes, totaling to 16 minutes. If A came back, it would take yet another minute, totally 17. The bridge would collapse with A and B on the wrong side. How can all four people get across the bridge within 17 minutes? Note: there is no trick- answer to this problem. You cannot do tricky stuff like throwing the flashlight etc.


Solution :


• 1. A and B cross together. Total Time: 2 Minutes
• 2. B comes back. Total Time: 4 Minutes
• 3. C and D cross together. Total Time: 14 Minutes
 • 4. A comes back. Total Time: 15 Minutes
 • 5. A and B cross together. Total Time: 17 Minutes

Mind Boggling IQ Questions with Answers

1. If you look at a clock and the time is 3:15, what is the angle between the hour and the minute hands?

Ans:The answer is 7.5 degrees and not zero. Since, in one minute hour and travels 1 degree so after 15 minutes hour  hand will be 7.5 degrees away from 3 where the minute hand is present.

2. There are 2 candles of equal size each of which can burn 1 hour. We have  to  measure  90  minutes using   these  candles. There  is  no scale  or  clock but  a  lighter is present ?

Ans:  First of all light up both the ends of the 1st candle. When it burns out completely it means 30 minutes has passed. Now,light one end of the 2nd candle. When it burns completely, it means an hour (60 minutes) has passed. Thus, we can measure 90 minutes , that is,  30 + 60 = 90 minutes.

3. Solve the above  problem to  measure  45  minutes ?

Ans: First of all light up both the ends of the 1st candle and simultaneously light the one end of the 2nd candle.When the 1st candle burns out  completely, then light up the both the ends of the 2nd candle.Thus, in first phase we measured 30 minutes and in second phase we measured 15 minutes as the 2nd candle was half its size at the start of second phase which gives us 15 + 30 = 45 minutes.

 4. How it is possible to place 4 points that are equidistant from each other?
 Or,
Consider yourself    as  a landscape designer and your boss asked you to design  a  landscape such that you should place 4 trees at equal distance from each other  ?

Ans: In a 2D  plane, only 3 points can be equidistant from each other in form of an equilateral triangle . But in a  3D plane, one can place 4 points at equal distance in the form of a tetrahedron.

5. How do you cut a rectangular cake into two equal pieces when someone has already taken a rectangular piece from it? The removed piece can be any size or at any place in the cake. You are only allowed one straight cut.

Ans: Slice the cake horizontally from half the height of the cake.

Mind Boggling Questions & their Answers

Q.How can you drop a raw egg onto a concrete floor without cracking it?

A.Concrete floors are very hard to crack! 

Q.If it took eight men ten hours to build a wall,how long would it take four men to build it?

A. No time at all it is already built.

Q.If you had three apples and four oranges in one hand and four apples and three oranges in the other hand, what would you have?

A. Very large hands.

Q. How can you lift an elephant with one hand?

A. It is not a problem, since you will never find an elephant with one hand. 

Q. How can a man go eight days without sleep?

A. No Probs , He sleeps at night.

Q. If you throw a red stone into the blue sea what it will become?

A. It will Wet or Sink as simple as that. 

Q. What looks like half apple ?

A : The other half. 

Q. What can you never eat for breakfast ?

 A : Dinner.

Q. What happened when wheel was invented ?

A : It caused a revolution.

Q. Bay of Bengal is in which state?

A : Liquid

A Mind Boggling IQ Question

On the first day of a school , the Principal announced a strange opening ceremony. There were 1000 students and 1000 lockers in the school. The principal asked the first student to open all lockers. He then asks the second  student to close all lockers which are multiples of 2 . Then the third student to, close all lockers if it is open and open if it is closed, which are multiples of 3 and so on till the 1000 th student.
How many lockers would remain open after the 1000 th  student has finished the job ?

Answer :

Solution : 31

Success Plan :: Charge your Grey cells

Your brain needs exercise just like a muscle. If you use it often and in the right ways, you will become a more skilled thinker and increase your ability to focus. But if you never use your brain, or abuse it with harmful chemicals, your ability to think and learn will deteriorate.

Here are 5 simple ways anyone can squeeze a bit more productivity out of the old grey matter.

1. Minimize Television Watching – This is a hard sell. People love vegetating in front of the television, myself included more often than I’d like. The problem is watching television doesn’t use your mental capacity OR allow it to recharge. It’s like having the energy sapped out of a muscle without the health benefits of exercise.

Don’t you feel drained after a couple hours of TV? Your eyes are sore and tired from being focused on the light box for so long. You don’t even have the energy to read a book.

When you feel like relaxing, try reading a book instead. If you’re too tired, listen to some music. When you’re with your friends or family, leave the tube off and have a conversation. All of these things use your mind more than television and allow you to relax.

2. Exercise – I used to think that I’d learn more by not exercising and using the time to read a book instead. But I realized that time spent exercising always leads to greater learning because it improves productivity during the time afterwards. Using your body clears your head and creates a wave of energy. Afterwards, you feel invigorated and can concentrate more easily.

3. Read Challenging Books – Many people like to read popular suspense fiction, but generally these books aren’t mentally stimulating. If you want to improve your thinking and writing ability you should read books that make you focus. Reading a classic novel can change your view of the world and will make you think in more precise, elegant English. Don’t be afraid to look up a word if you don’t know it, and don’t be afraid of dense passages. Take your time, re-read when necessary, and you’ll soon grow accustomed to the author’s style.

Once you get used to reading challenging books, I think you’ll find that you aren’t tempted to go back to page-turners. The challenge of learning new ideas is far more exciting than any tacky suspense-thriller.

4. Early to Bed, Early to Rise – Nothing makes it harder to concentrate than sleep deprivation. You’ll be most rejuvenated if you go to bed early and don’t sleep more than 8 hours. If you stay up late and compensate by sleeping late, you’ll wake up lethargic and have trouble focusing. In my experience the early morning hours are the most tranquil and productive. Waking up early gives you more productive hours and maximizes your mental acuity all day.

If you have the opportunity, take 10-20 minute naps when you are hit with a wave of drowsiness. Anything longer will make you lethargic, but a short nap will refresh you.

5. Take Time to Reflect – Often our lives get so hectic that we become overwhelmed without even realizing it. It becomes difficult to concentrate because nagging thoughts keep interrupting. Spending some time alone in reflection gives you a chance organize your thoughts and prioritize your responsibilities. Afterwards, you’ll have a better understanding of what’s important and what isn’t. The unimportant stuff won’t bother you anymore and your mind will feel less encumbered.

I’m not saying you need to sit on the floor cross-legged and chant ‘ommm’. Anything that allows a bit of prolonged solitude will do. One of my personal favorites is taking a solitary walk. Someone famous said, “All the best ideas occur while walking.” I think he was on to something. Experiment to find the activity that works best for you.

Conclusion – I hope you aren’t disappointed that none of the techniques I’ve proposed are revolutionary. But simple, unexciting answers are often the most valid. The challenge is having the will to adhere to them. If you succeed in following these 5 tips, you’ll be rewarded with increased mental acuity and retention of knowledge.