Brain Teasers
16 + 53 + 3 + 27 + 7 = 14
When does the following equation become true:
16 + 53 + 3 + 27 + 7 = 14
16 + 53 + 3 + 27 + 7 = 14
Answer
It becomes true when the addends are replaced with the chemical symbol of that atomic number...16 = S (Sulfur)
53 = I (Iodine)
3 = Li (Lithium)
27 = Co (Cobalt)
7 = N (Nitrogen)
...and the sum is replaced with the element name, not symbol, that has that atomic number.
So the equation would in fact look like this:
S + I + Li + Co + N = Silicon
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Comments
Very clever, indeed! You got me, & all the time my periodic table was sitting right in front of me!
I didn't know that it was invovled with the table of elements. I thought it was the sum of all the numbers times two equals 14.
16+53+3+27+7=106
1+0+6=7
7+7=14
16+53+3+27+7=106
1+0+6=7
7+7=14
In the reviewing bay I thought this very clever, and now it's out I shall favou-*gunshot*
Ragah! I pheo atth idn'dt od irabn admeag... He? Maragnas? Hawt?
Ragah! I pheo atth idn'dt od irabn admeag... He? Maragnas? Hawt?
I would never have thought of your answer, with my mind. Awesome teaser.
Great puzzle!
But if that were the case, then 1 + 0 + 6 = 77, and thus, it doesn't work.
excellent
Great teaser! Of course, I fell into the trap...but great teaser all the same!
Too hard for me but I did follow the answer quiite well. Would have never kown the answer tho. For me it would have been unsolvable, but it is a great brain teaser.
ooooo i see it now....to bad i dont take cemestry yet.
I didn't solve it but this was great! Gotta think outside of the box on this one.
I'm passing it on to those in my family that are chemistry majors. (but I'm not telling them this has to do with chemistry)
I'm passing it on to those in my family that are chemistry majors. (but I'm not telling them this has to do with chemistry)
That's WAY too difficult for me.
I guess I don't think along those lines! What I like most about these teasers is that they appeal to a wide variety of people's interests! Thanks! Can't wait for a new one each day!
I hadn't the faintest idea, and after reading the answer I non the wiser.
Dec 30, 2006
106 is 14 when we count it on the base of 102. In this base, 102 is 10 and 106 is 14.
Moshe Pereg, Israel
Moshe Pereg, Israel
Have to agree with Coachpisco and Feste. What do you think Imurray?
i tihnk its the whole "other" catagory if you can actually give it a catagory, we could guess a little better. when its "other" you dont really know what to expect.
all in all, its clever, but its just a little unanticipating kinda answer
all in all, its clever, but its just a little unanticipating kinda answer
Dec 30, 2006
As my only brush with chemistry class was painful (two degrees in English), I solved this another way, using the calendar. If you assume that the numbers are years, and that some of them are A.D and some B.C. it solves this way: If 53 and 7 are AD and 16,3,and 27 are BC, and subtract the BC from the AD, the answer is 14AD. Made sense to me....
I did the following:
(53-27-16-3) = 7
7 + 7 = 14
So there is more than one answer.
(53-27-16-3) = 7
7 + 7 = 14
So there is more than one answer.
THIS WAS NOT TOO DIFFICULT, BUT WITHOUT A KNOWLEDGE AND FAMILIARITY WITH CHEMISTRY, YOU WOULD NOT EVEN FAINTLY HAVE REASON TO GUESS IT INVOLVED USE OF THE PERIODIC TABLE.
ALL IN ALL, I WOULD RATE THIS CHALLENGING, BUT CERTAINLY NOT WORTHY OF TEASER OF THE DAY.
ALL IN ALL, I WOULD RATE THIS CHALLENGING, BUT CERTAINLY NOT WORTHY OF TEASER OF THE DAY.
Heyman (the user), that equation wouldn't work because you would have to change the initial teaser, which is out of the question. The teaser says to add, so why would you subtract?
Shouldn't this be in either the 'trick' or 'science' category??
I was way off with this one. Was trying to figure it out with the obvious, math.
i agree with spookyboy0
u could have other answers
but for them to make sence
the original would have to be twisted up
and that ruins it
if he ment minus, why wouldn't he have written it like that?
u could have other answers
but for them to make sence
the original would have to be twisted up
and that ruins it
if he ment minus, why wouldn't he have written it like that?
I thought it had to do with time...
16 minutes + 53 minutes + 3 minutes + 27 minutes + 7 minutes = 14 minutes before the hour.
16 minutes + 53 minutes + 3 minutes + 27 minutes + 7 minutes = 14 minutes before the hour.
I agree with several others, this should have at least been labled a Science Teaser.
Loved the teaser, enjoyed the creativity of the alternative answers! Thanks for submitting.
way too tough for me.
Ouch! My brain hurts!!!
Too much for me!
Needed a hint abt the chemistry
A hint would've been very welcome. I was stumped. But I loved the answer, and wished it had occurred to me to use chemistry!
I started by playing around with hours and minutes, though I didn't come up the answer rajakiit got (or any answer at all, for that matter). Oh well!
I started by playing around with hours and minutes, though I didn't come up the answer rajakiit got (or any answer at all, for that matter). Oh well!
Awesome teaser Spookboy!! Very creative thinking!!
that is so cool! i love chemistry!!! and science in general!!!
I blew it, just like I did the Chem Lab in high school What a great teaser! Even with a hint of "Chemistry", I would not have gotten it
the only reason i got that was because i am studying for my chemistry mid term now otherwise you would have got me nice
I got this one because I did a chemistry teaser right before.
Immuray, why do you always put rude comments on other's teasers, when you don't even have any of your own? They took the time to come up with a great teaser (like this one ) and all you can do is insult it.
This was really cute, I loved it
Made me go "GENIOUS!" as soon as I read the answer
This was really cute, I loved it
Made me go "GENIOUS!" as soon as I read the answer
"In the reviewing bay I thought this very clever, and now it's out I shall favou-*gunshot*
Ragah! I pheo atth idn'dt od irabn admeag... He? Maragnas? Hawt? "
- ROFLOL I don't understand ;D
Great teaser!!!!!!!!Stumped me Congrats ;D!!!!!!
Ragah! I pheo atth idn'dt od irabn admeag... He? Maragnas? Hawt? "
- ROFLOL I don't understand ;D
Great teaser!!!!!!!!Stumped me Congrats ;D!!!!!!
Or when you are working within the cyclic group of order 92.
Nice comment Doug!
h0lly!! thAt was hArd!! l0lz braiiny
impossible to get, but very cool once you see the answer!
Very clever. I knew it had to do something with elements because when I searched up "lithium" on the teaser search bar, it popped up. Still, I would have never thought of that...
Spook, this was absolutely brilliant! Love your teasers!
I got the same solution as MrDoug...you get this answer using modulo 92 arithmetic.
It's pretty obscure since even though I thought to look at the periodic table, the answer didn't occur to me since there's no pattern related to the properties of the elements, just the symbols becoming a name.
It's pretty obscure since even though I thought to look at the periodic table, the answer didn't occur to me since there's no pattern related to the properties of the elements, just the symbols becoming a name.
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