Brain Teasers
The Traveler & The Nut Tree
Situation
Situation puzzles (sometimes called lateral thinking puzzles) are ones where you need to ask lots of yes or no questions to figure out what happened in the situation. These are good puzzles for groups where one person knows the puzzle and answers the questions.Situation
A traveler who stopped to rest under a nut tree noticed a huge pumpkin growing on a thin vine near by.
"How foolish are the ways of nature," the traveler muttered. "If things were as they should be, this big, strong tree would hold the large pumpkins, and the spindly vine would hold the small nuts. Now if I made the world, that is how I'd have done it!"
If indeed, he had "made the world", what flaw could there be with such a logical arrangement: big, strong trees growing big heavy crops, and small vines, small crops?
"How foolish are the ways of nature," the traveler muttered. "If things were as they should be, this big, strong tree would hold the large pumpkins, and the spindly vine would hold the small nuts. Now if I made the world, that is how I'd have done it!"
If indeed, he had "made the world", what flaw could there be with such a logical arrangement: big, strong trees growing big heavy crops, and small vines, small crops?
Hint
Think Newton!Answer
At that moment, from high up in the tree, a small nut fell and hit him squarely on the head. Startled, he looked up into the branches and thought, "Forgive my arrogance! If it were a big pumpkin that fell out of the tree onto my head, it most certainly would have killed me!"Hide Hint Show Hint Hide Answer Show Answer
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