Brain Teasers
Space Airlines
One day in Atlanta, Cut-my-own-throat Dabney was trying to convince Fred to buy his company, Space Airlines. He told Fred, "My company is the wave of the future! We've already got hundreds of space planes operating, but I need to cash out to start another venture in oranges. All I'm asking for is ten million dollars, and that's cutting my own throat!"
"I don't know," said Fred, "it doesn't sound too feasible to me."
"Look, I can prove that the planes are flying, " the slick salesman replied. "That's why I brought you out here at night. Here, face south and look up into the sky. Can you see those moving dots? Those are the planes flying through space to their destinations."
After looking up for a minute, Fred did see the moving dots. He looked at them for a while before turning to Dabney and exclaiming, "I'm out of here you crook!"
What made Fred so sure that Cut-my-own-throat Dabney was a crook?
"I don't know," said Fred, "it doesn't sound too feasible to me."
"Look, I can prove that the planes are flying, " the slick salesman replied. "That's why I brought you out here at night. Here, face south and look up into the sky. Can you see those moving dots? Those are the planes flying through space to their destinations."
After looking up for a minute, Fred did see the moving dots. He looked at them for a while before turning to Dabney and exclaiming, "I'm out of here you crook!"
What made Fred so sure that Cut-my-own-throat Dabney was a crook?
Answer
While Fred was looking at the moving dots, he realized that he was looking at satellites orbiting the Earth, not "space planes". From the Northern Hemisphere, where he was standing, he knew that he could look south to see the satellites orbiting the earth above the equator.Hide Answer Show Answer
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