Brain Teasers

Here are a couple of brain teasers/logic puzzles that a business associate sent me recently. They are designed to test how well you can think out of the box (a very important attribute in my line of work). Can you figure them out? I'll post the answers in a few days.

And yes, in case you were wondering I solved both of them.


1. An Arab sheikh tells his two sons to race their camels to a distant city to see who will inherit his fortune. The one whose camel is slower wins. After wandering aimlessly for days, the brothers ask a wise man for guidance. Upon receiving the advice, they jump on the camels and race to the city as fast as they can.

What did the wise man say to them?


2. There are ten tennis ball manufacturing machines. All but one manufacture the balls with exactly the same weight (100 gms each) . The faulty machine is manufacturing tennis balls with a weight of either 99 gms each or 101 gms each. You are allowed only one weighing to find the faulty machine and also tell if the faulty machine is manufacturing heavier balls or lighter balls.

How can you tell that?