Brain Exercise...

[BlueNine]

Whoever answers the question/riddle gets to post one...LETS GO!!!

A farmer has one rock weighing 40 pounds. Using a balance scale and this rock, he can measure 40 pound units of wheat, which he sells at the market. One day, his neighbor comes by and borrows the rock. After a few days, the neighbor returns and tells the farmer that he has some bad news and some good news.
The bad news is that he dropped the 40 pound rock and it broke into four pieces. The good news, he says, is that the farmer can now use these four fragments to measure any amount from 1 to 40 pounds, to an accuracy of one pound. How much does each rock fragment weigh?

[Nixit]

It's definitely a trick question.

[Pie]

Yep. compleatly imposible to happen.... unles.....

THATS IT!!!! THE NEIBOR GIVES HIM 40 NEW ONE POUND ROCKS!!

its either that, or

THE NEIBOR TELLS HIM THAT HE IS STUPID TO LEND HIM A ROCK, AND THEN HE HITS HIM ON THE HEAD WITH A SHOVEL RUNNING AROUND LIKE A CHIKEN WITH NO HEAD!!!!

[Nixit]

No, that's not right, because it specifically says that he can use the FOUR fragments to form any combination between 1 and 40 pounds.

[Leo Luncid]

That definitely wouldn't be right, Pie. The rock broke into four pieces. That's "4" in numeral language, Pie. As with the other answer, it's not funny, to be honest.
Sorry to be offensive, but I think you could take it since there are about a hundred people who do the same to you.

As for me, that is a tough riddle.

[The Lurker]

It isn't a trick question at all, it's only a math puzzle... you just need to keep in mind the nature of balances.

[Sho]

I have the answer; well-known problem.

[El_Skwidd]

Post it, O Sho! Amaze us!

Or just Pie. Do it for Pie's sake.

[AoM]

2

6

14

18

[AoM]

First off, ignore the odd numbers. If something weighs 15, and you know how to get 14 and 16, you can pinpoint 15.

Now you just need four even numbers that can get you all the even integers between 0 and 40. The above numbers work.

For those who doubt...

2 = 2
4 + 2 = 6
6 = 6
8 = 6 + 2
10 + 6 = 14 + 2
12 + 2 = 14
14 = 14
16 = 14 + 2
18 = 18
20 = 18 + 2
22 = 14 + 6 + 2
24 = 18 + 6
26 = 18 + 6 + 2
28 + 6 = 14 + 18 + 2
30 + 2 = 14 + 18
32 = 14 + 18
34 = 14 + 18 + 2
36 + 2 = 6 + 14 + 18
38 = 6 + 14 + 18
40 = 2 + 6 + 14 + 18

[Nixit]

Okay... a new riddle for us then?

[Spider]

huh?...Wait...how do you get 10 or 1 pound near it?..Kind of confused here.

[Sho]

I'd rather not blow the solution (which is better than AoM's because it gets all the integral weights without resorting to dodgy interpolation to get the odd weights) because I'm not going to post a puzzle, and I don't want to break the chain before it starts. The curious can PM me.

[AoM]

new riddle... hm... okay, something easier.

Two men sit at a bar drinking and talking about their families.
Man #1: How old are your kids?
Man #2: Well... the product of their age is 36.
Man #1: That's not enough information...
Man #2: Okay then... the sum of their ages are equal to the number of beers we've had tonight.
Man #1: That's still not enough info...
Man #2: Oh, I forgot to mention that my oldest son likes to wear a red hat.

What are the ages of the three children?

[AoM]

I take offense to your solution being better than mine. If it works, it works, and that is all there is to it. But since I am curious, PM me your solution.