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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Comments
Thought the title sounded like you, China! Another clever little story! So glad the world is designed the way it is, or most of us would be maimed... or worse!
I think it would have made more sense to have it been that the fruit would be ruined... but even then that implies that its purpose is to be eaten.
Either way, if trees were that way, people would know not to dawdle under the ones with the pumpkins...
Either way, if trees were that way, people would know not to dawdle under the ones with the pumpkins...
Still they could be in the middle of a whole group of them on accident! Oh and great teaser!
It makes a better story than a teaser. But it's still awesome...I love all of your teasers.
And aren't you glad cows don't fly?!!
If pumpkins grew on trees would that made their stems brown instead of green?
Loved it!
I agree with MalcolmReynolds and Punk_Rocker. I thought the answer was that a tree's infrastructure wouldn't support pumkins very well, while the flexable vine can support any size.
I have already read this somewhere else, but I still loved it. And, If the world had been designed that way, the tree would have grown in such a way to support the pumpkin.
This makes me glad God created the earth. He obviously knew what he was doing when he did it.
that was good! God created this world so thoughtfully, and He knows whats best for us
I guess some of you have never heard of a coconut tree.
You do not want to get hit on the head by one of those!
You do not want to get hit on the head by one of those!
And why do you suppose coconuts grow where and how they do in nature...so we don't have to keep an eye up all the time.
Thanks to all those who drop by to share their comments. OCH
Thanks to all those who drop by to share their comments. OCH
OldChinahand.
Obviously you never watched Gilligan's Island...those nasty coconuts were a force to reckoned with!
Obviously you never watched Gilligan's Island...those nasty coconuts were a force to reckoned with!
Another great teaser.
rotfl
Liked the teaser but I think that Aranara is wrong when she says that the tree would grow to support the pumpkin. As far as I know trees grow fruit to drop them so that the seeds can be spread around and the tree can continue to grow. It is simply an annoyance to the trees that humans pick the fruit and eat it. As soon as the Pumpkin was ripe the tree would need to drop it to the ground.
The hint gave it away
I opened the hint and got it right after I read the hint so i gave it a 1/2 difficulty rating, great teaser
best teaser ever
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