VIDEO - World’s Hardest Riddle?
Well, I do not know if this is the world’s hardest riddle, but it definitely is a good one. I would love to hear your comments on what you think is the answer. I have my guess, but I do not want to it to detract from you own thought process. I will continuously check with the author of the video to get the real answer. Once I get the answer I will post it on another page. Have fun.
PS: 97% of Harvard graduates can not figure this riddle out, but 84% of kindergarten students were able to figure this out in 6 minutes or less.
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Alright, now that everyone has seen the video and thought about it. I will tell you what I think.
———SPOILER BELOW—————————-
It is either “time” or “God”. Everyone is thinking this riddle was derived from a poem about time, but I do not know if a kindergartener would say time. I do think however that they would say God. Well, tell me what you think.
I vote for “Air” or something like that
at the first couple slides I wanted to say water, polar bears are white to blend with snow AKA crystalized water, girls brush their hair when it gets frizzy from humidity, but by the end I wasn’t sure anymore.
As for the 97% of harvard grads, 76% of stats are made up on the spot.
I’ll be curious to hear the answer.
Oh and thank you to Carnival of the Godless for pointing me in the direction of your blog.
I saw on a site that the correct answer is NO, it says the question is can you find the answer to this riddle and all the kids said no, while the college students were to busy looking for the answer, I dontknow if its the right answer, just sharing some info
imagination
I believe the answer to the “Worlds Hardest Riddle” is NO
thats the answer
The question asks if you can guess the riddle. Its not asking you “What is it?” or “What am I”
So the answer to the riddle is NO
that is exactly why 84% of kindergartens got it and 97% of Harvard grads didn’t. They dont think what makes Polar Bears white because they’re not exactly sure of the answer. So they look at what they can answer and that is the last line on the riddle.
So they came up with their answer which is “NO!”
it’s presuure…
Polar bears are white because the pressure at the poles is low, so they have to be able to absorb heat.
Pressure makes you cry if it’s too much.
Pressure in your bladder makes you have to pee.
Peer pressure makes girls comb their hair.
Celebrities usually crack under pressure.
Many normal people will shine under pressure.
Pancakes turn brown thanks to pressure generated by the heat.
Champagne will bubble until the pressure of the carbonation has disappeared.
If you squeeze something under pressure, BAM, there it goes.
If you are “looking” at pressure, you’re in it. for example-> in an airplane your ears pop under pressure!
Well thinking over this as a 13 year old kid i have to say i have seen the riddle before, I cant remeber but from my memory im pretty sure it was nothing or god
I am a 13 year old and i saw this in 5th grade. From what i recall the anwser is nothing or god.
the answer is actully yes u can guess the answer
the answer is “no”, how can it be pressure? do you think kindergardeners would know?
Actually, I like that theory about pressure. Well thought out. Who the hell finds the time for that kind of stuff, though?
the answer to the riddle is simply “no.” this is because the last line of the riddle is can u guess the riddle not wat the it is but if u can guess it. it makes sense tht kids would say no. Also, the answer is something obvious. not pressure or god or time.
Q:can u guess the riddle?
A:pressure, god, or time doesnt make sense. ‘NO’ is the answer
the answer is NO. look at the last line of the riddle. “can you guess what the answer is?” the answer is NO! thats why kindergarteners can get it!
ITS PRESSURE!!! KIndergardeners arent always stupid pressure is a common word everyone has heard it “no” doesnt make pancakes turn brown Pressure does!! DUHHHHH
Well, I have 3 different theories. First I think the answer is “no” just because little kids don’t overthink things. Second, I believe it could be water because water could make all of those things happen. Thirdly, I think it could be “God” because He makes everything in this world happen.
God would have to be real in order for that answer to work, and he’s not, so my vote goes for “No”
You know, Tim, if all you want to do is offend people because of what they believe, you shouldn’t post comments. You really should not say anything about believing in God or not.
You know Tim, if all you want to do is offend people because of their beliefs, maybe you shouldn’t post comments and tell everyone not to believe in God.
Tim, the underlying issue with this riddle is that kindergarten kids are answering it correctly. I highly doubt kids are going to take the side of an atheist.
Keisha, I don’t think he meant to offend you. I am pretty sure he was just stating his opinion just as everyone else here. Don’t let it get to you.
Thanks everyone for your answers.
I don’t even remember knowing anything about god when I was in kindergarten, which would probably make this an easier riddle to answer. Just a simple answer would do it. It’s not until you get older that religion really gets pushed on you and then you look at this and say “if i can’t answer it, then i’ll just say it’s god that does it.” pressure can be proved to do this to all of those things, no can be proved if you don’t know the answer, i just don’t understand answering with something like god that can’t be proved.
It’s no
Tom, just please be quiet about the God issue. There are people on here who do believe in Him and you really need to respect our beliefs.
Okay, this has gone far enough, and I am going to have to step in and say something.
Keisha and Chantelle - I don’t understand how you guys think he has no right to say what his opinion is. That is what makes America a free nation — we have the right to free speech. He has not said anything to personally attack anyone.
I have read many times “Believers” declaring the “fact” that God exists, but when a “non-Believer” says that She does not exist, all of a sudden someone is out of line. You all cannot prove to any degree that God exists just as much as Tim can not prove that She does not exist. Neither of you all are “right”. Hence why it is called a faith based belief, and not scientific fact. With that being said,”Believers” being able to declare their “facts” without the same right being given to atheists, to me, sounds like a very obvious double standard.
Tim has all the same right as you to declare his opinions here in this forum as long as he does not personally attack anyone or uses disrespectful language. The funny thing is I have always witnessed the “Believers” as the most disrespectful of the scale. The “non-Believers” are more or less just defending themselves and never the first to personally attack.
I have a good friend of mine say something that really meant a lot to me.
I want to allow a debate of intellectual opinions regarding all issues here at Blog4Brains, but I cannot fulfill this goal if all we do here is verbally insult people and attack them on their opinion. This will not become a Digg or YouTube. As far as negative comments, I will delete them to keep the quality of this site up. Bottom line, it is okay to have a contrarian view, but personally attacking and insulting instead of conversing with civil discourse is not.
the answer is “no”.
The reason so many kindergarteners got it is when asked the last line can you guess the riddle they said no not being able to guess it.
I cheated and read the answers first. Therefore, between no and pressure, I’ll go with pressure because the one guy Michael says he saw this in the fifth grade. This ridddle has been around, faster among kids than Harvard graduates. That kinda tells me that little folks have heard it before the teacher presented it and were able to guess “pressure.” But –Hey, I could’ve flip a coin.
Hey Stan, between the two I would go with “no”. I just can’t see kindergarten kids saying pressure. I was thinking Time or God, but no works too.
i think the answer is pressure actually.
Actually, im not really sure about where this was going, my brain hrut for a while when i was at work reading this, after reading the answers of what others have said im really indecisive as to what the answer really might be. No, seems to be a perfectly logical answer that a kindergardener could easily guess, partly because the attention span of a child this age is very short, so they would probably give up and go with no as their answer. As for the Harvard Graduates, i can beleive that statistic because I myself am attending Flagler College and I actually found myself overanalyzing the riddle so that is definitley a beleivable statistic. As far as the pressure answer that makes absolute perfect sense and i commend u for your thought of the riddle i never would have guessed that answer. The GOD answer i can definitely agree with because his power created the earth, but for people to come on an open forum and attack someone based on their religious beleifs this is obsurd and frankly it makes me irate that people go on their daily lives with nothing better to do than harass people who have common interests in mind (refering to the riddle) so personally grow up and let people belive wHat the beleive because inevitably que se ra se ra, (WHAT WILL BE WILL BE).
The answer can be yes or no simply because the only question in the entire riddle is “can you guess the riddle?” the begining doesnt start out with a who or what or any other word suggesting that it needs an answer.
If you are more intelligent your answer would prob be pressure or time but a 5 or 6 year old would not know that pressure is at the poles or that pressure is what is causing them to pee and they dont know pancakes are brown thats just the way they are on the plate for them they are too young to know what peer pressure is and too innocent to know what will happen in time. some of the most simpliest things slip by us when we over think them almost like its so easy we think it can’t be right so we search deeper for the “correct” answer.
I don’t think it’s God. No, I’m not attacking anyone’s religion, I’m just thinking about what percentage of kindergarteners practice western religions. I’m sure more than 3% of little kids have a diety other than God (such as Krishna, Buddah, Gaia, ect.), That’s why the 97% part doesn’t really click with the God answer.
Pressure does not heat things, and nor does it pop when you see it. The vibrations of the atoms in a substance create friction energy which is transferred to heat. If you were to see pressure, you would just see a can filed with a gas. Pressure can be any measure. Ex. there is pressure in the solar system, but it hasn’t popped. If your going to try to make an educated decision, do a little research first. How do you assume that God is a she?
Zac — I use She, in reference to God, on purpose to throw people off. There are too many people that believe that God being called a she is blasphemous, revealing the ridiculous sexism within most major religions. In reality, if there was a God, It would not have a reproductive system at all, and therefor no genitals making the Entity neither male nor female. So in essence, God is an It. Just so you know. But, thanks for the comment and take care.
Yeah, good thought on the pressure tip. However, I am inclined to believe the answer is no.
A word on proof, many things which we take for granted every day were the subject of fantasy and dreams at some point in the not so distant past. In those times there was no way of proving their feasibility based on the science or technology of that era.
Truthfully, we only “know” what we “know” until we find out more, and discover the depth of our ignorance. Proof is merely a collection of facts, so if any of you are willing accept any position based on a limmited collection of facts as truth that’s on you. There is evidence to say all kinds of differents things. Science admits that it is based only on measuring or quantifying as it’s source of understanding… Science is still struggling with some of the most simple riddles known such as fire, gravity, or if there is indeed life on other worlds. I don’t expect it to be able to grasp the big questions. Your god is ultimately what you choose to believe.
Personally I choose the infinite and unexplainable. You others have a right to be wrong (winks). Love each other…
C
umm yeah all of you shut about god who cares. religion is just about the problem to all wars the little forum shows religion causes lots of problems and by the way this is not a religion forum so tim can say what he wasnts and yeah if it was saying can you guess the riddle and you say no that eans your taking it as a question not a riddle so yeah pressure is the onlyone to make the most sence remmeber its a riddle not a question i.e can you guess the answer is a question not a riddle
How pray tell, would pressure make normal people look like celebrities? Can anyone generate the “real” answer to this “God” forsaken riddle?
O.k for eveyone with their opinion stuck on god first of all because someone thinks god doesn’t exist doesn’t mean their attackiong anybody its their own personal opinion n my opinion is dat the god theory makes no type of sense who ever heard of anyone peeing or comming their hair cuz god sayd so oh plz n for the person who thinks its pressure dat makes no sense either who told u that polar bears fur is white cuz of pressure go do some research next time n u can’t see pressure either n for the lady who is irritated because they think ppl are being attacked cuz of their religion no one is being attacked ur just mad cuz someone doesn’t believe in god just because god made everything doesn’t mean u have the ability to see pressure so go somewhere there is nuttin wrong with saying GOD DOES NOT EXCIST n if anyone has a problem with me saying dat u let me know hit me up on aim misslc184 ill be happy to handle ur complaints because I DON’T BELIEVE IN GOD
The answer is “No”. That is the official answer they wanted for the riddle. It’s a psychological trick that demonstrates how being overly analytical can complicate simple questions/ideas/concepts. A kindergartener hears these “clues” and quickly decides that he has no idea what could do all those things. An Ivy League graduate, being aware of his own intelligence, is much less likely to admit not knowing. He would assume that there must be an answer and a logical way to discover it. It’s similar to Einstein not being able to perform simple tasks, like tying his shoes. But not quite so extreme.
And for those who claim that saying “No” is answering a question, not solving the riddle, (”if it was saying can you guess the riddle and you say no that eans your taking it as a question not a riddle so yeah pressure is the only one to make the most sence remmeber its a riddle not a question i.e can you guess the answer is a question not a riddle”), a riddle IS a question. If you don’t believe me, look it up. It’s defined as a puzzle usually in the form of a question, which describes an object, person etc., in a mysterious or misleading way. “Can you guess the riddle?”, is what you’re intended to answer. And that’s what makes this riddle so hard. It takes to concept one step further by describing something non-existent. So when we assumed that it’s like any other riddle and MUST be describing something legitimate, we stump ourselves. So you can stop arguing about God now.
Oh and also, Common Sense was right in pointing out that you are never asked what does all those things… So even if you can legitimately argue that pressure, or God, or whatever else might actually accomplish them, you’re never asked to say so. You’re asked if you can solve the riddle. Kindergarteners can’t, so they say “no”. Some of you believe that you can and would say “yes” (though the riddle was intended to be unsolvable and therefore have “no” be the answer). Regardless of which you might choose, it has to be one or the other. Pressure is not an acceptable answer to a yes or no question. Either you can or can’t guess the riddle, those are the only options. Even if you can… what your answer would be is irrelevant.
The answer is no. I have five children and not any one of them would have known enough about pressure or time or god to give any of those as an answer.
The percentage of kindergarten age children that would know about those things is way lower than the given 84%.
The answer to the question at the end of the riddle is yes or no, depending on whether you can guess the riddle or not, yes or no does not solve the riddle itself.
not to drop on anyones parade but the fact that tom stated that he didnt believe in god u guys shouldnt be on to him b/c the lady above him first pointed out her opinion about god and that he makes everything happen so if she was goin to say something in all rights he can state his belief if anything u guys should be commenting on the other lady b/c she is the one who brought it up oh and by the way the answer really is no
one more thing for u ppls who think that it could be anything else it is not time b/c time will never make u pop its not pressure although its appealing the very first line about the polar bears proves that wrong polar bears’ fur turns white through the winter when it thickens normally its a yellow color oh and the god thing tell me once when god ever says that looking at him will make u pop he says lots but not ever that he will make u pop
umm.
i either think that the awnser is hormones or something else.
but i like my hormones idea.
I think that the answer has to be BUBBLES!
I respect everyones answers here, I come from a strict backround in christianity by choice mind you…. and if you think about it, honestly no matter what back round you come from…. take what mark says to heart… honestly if someone can point out in anyone of thier books of any religion where there God would make you pop if looked upon, then by all means you have my vote. this page from what I gather is a Debate… what can the answer be? I can look at pressure - I have opened a Soda before and saw pressure….. and lookie here I am typing a message to everyone so obviously I didnt pop. though my ears do pop when i am in pressure — not seeing it. Implication of these statements say that you can see it so on and so forth…. bubbles… I like that. but no…. My best judgement says the same thing that most of you are goin for…. EVERYTIME I have seen this riddle there has been statistics with it….. EVERYTIME…. just because this is set-up different from most riddles we have seen, who is to say these statistics arent the biggest clue in this riddle to go from? Kinderkids get it Harvard doesnt…. the question is, can you guess the riddle…. NO I can not!
cerebral cheers on your comments and keepin some sort of order…. the debate is what the answer is, not if God exsists…. everyone has a right to thier opinions, and everyone will answer for them one day…. do I believe in God? I have my faith, do I attened…. NOPE! and for all out there who are reading this and getting shivers up and down thier spine… or have any sort of reaction… you are the reason, I am commanded to go to “church” for fellowship… I chose not to fellowship with you. because faith brings judgmental people…. yeah well God does not weigh sin…. so quit being judgmental to the people who dont believe… and love them! damn it!
I just pray to God that someone tells me the damned answer!
The answer of the riddle is riddles.
The real answer is NO. If you reread it then its rather simple. Here, I’ll disect it:
I turn polar bears white(Nothing Does except God)
and willmake you cry.
I make guys have to pee(Water, Juice, ect but dosen’t fit first 2)
and girls comb their hair.
I make celebrities look stupid(Nothing that fits the others)
and normal people look like celebrities.
I turn pancakes brown(Same answer as before)
and make your champane bubble.
If you squeeze me I’ll pop.(Balloon amonge other things)
If you look at me you’ll pop.(Illogical)
Can you guess the riddle?(It’s just asking you if you know or not!)
So there you have it. Oh and God and time would not fit this, sorry. Well off to my next riddle^^ Oh and my friend has a site that has a few riddles too.
Here is the link:
http://www.freewebs.com/angeanassite
it’s no cuz it say can you guess this riddle
Nothing has Seven Letters
Nothing Preceded God
Nothing is Greater than God
Nothing is More Evil than the Devil
All Poor People have Nothing
All Wealthy People have Nothing
If you eat Nothing you will Die
LOL
The answer is “NO” it is because the riddle only asking if you could answer the riddle it is on the last line which is “Can you guess the riddle?” so that means the answer is between “YES” or “NO”. =)
the answer is pipi chavez
the answer is no. in the beggining of the riddle it says can you guess the riddle and thats why kindergrdners got this riddle right they just simply say no there is no actual answer
well..i think pressure…??
all the questions fits with it…
or maybe NO..or YES or MAYBE…
its yes, no or maybe. Read the last line, they are only asking if you can answer it, not what the answer is.
Yall are wrong and stupid.. the answer is obviously poodles
As a harvard graduate and a seasoned riddle solver participant at various school studies, I must agree with Pianobob here.If you analyze the word poodle,translate it into spanish and then match it with each of the poem’s statements, you will see that it’s the perfect answer; unlike no or pressure. Right on pianobob.
Just a thought….If the answer to ‘can you guess the riddle’ is no…and you say no. Then haven’t you actually guessed the riddle and therefore your answer should in fact be yes.
Oh and also how does answering a riddle become a debate about whether or not god exists…craziness!
Enjoy
hmm. actually it really make me stupid when i read it. i was very curious about it. i was a high school student , and i just laugh at myself. I just realize kindergarten would not understand it clearly but frankly say NO, bec. they even don’t know what the answer is. No is the answer, when you analyze everythin’ . laugh at your self. haha.
It isn’t god, in public schools they wouldn’t talk about God and most children are in public schools. I tihnk it could be water, time or pressure.
but im not sure 5 year olds would guess that.
The answer is “ME”.
The answer is actually time.
There is a poem called time and it explains the answer….
Time
The time has come,
winter is here
and those yellow bears disappear.
The time has past
as man looks back with a sigh
and a tear in his eye.
As time is held
boys cross their legs
but of course the toilet begs
As time marches on
Girls loose their blush
and swap a comb for their brush
As time passes
For those held high
their end is nigh
As time catches up
Everyone is equal
when we get to the final sequel
As time turns
Without it we have flour and water
With it we have breakfast for my daughter
As time revolves into something so fine
As time runs out
The more in a minute you try and squeeze
the less you can do with ease.
As time ticks
All the time that has past
man cannot comprehend something so vast.
AWESOME! I knew it! Thank you so much Dave McD for sharing the answer and the whole poem with us, I really like it.
Well, there it is people, we have solved the mystery, thanks to Dave McD. Hope you all enjoyed the journey. Case closed.
[Cerebral]
Time is clever, but the riddle is flawed
Time does not make you cry. Thinking about the past might, but not thinking about time.
However, that’s minor… the whole thing might have worked if not for the “pop” lines at the end… time doesn’t pop, nor can you look at time.
But for the last two lines, the riddle might have been answered with time, however because someone forced those extra comments in there, “no” is correct.
I think you are thinking about it too hard, just have fun with it.
wow, and people wonder why there is so much hate / wars / and disputes in this world, i stumbled upon this site while looking for an answer to this “fun” riddle, I learned there are many answers some make sense some don’t, but the fact is people are stating in their own opinion what they believe the answer is. yet there is always one person that has to state their opinion and add in a sarcastic or hatefull comment to go along with it , fueling anger, hate and protest.
It is simply a fun riddle , so how does a fun riddle turn into a forum of people bashing eachother /or their answer for that matter.
oh , and to add … to answer the person who asked where does one get that if you look at god you will pop … that would be from the movie “Dogma”
but they are getting mixed up , it is not looking at him will make you pop, it is if you hear her voice, as the movie states. etc, than you will basically “pop”…
The answer is NO. That’s why kindergarten kids get it.
The technical answer is N.O. or Nitric Oxide. Kindergarten kids get the answer, not because they understand what Nitric Oxide does, but simply because they can’t guess what the riddle is, so they say ‘no’ and inadvertently answer correctly.
Nitric Oxide is a chemical compound. It’s a signalling molecule in mammals (triggering polar bears fur colour, and also signals in humans)
Anyone can Google Nitric Oxide to see all the stuff it does.
I think the answer is “YES” and “NO”
“Yes”, i can GUESS it
“NO”, i can’t answer it
the kindergardeners got this because they have simpiler minds and dont break things down seriously like college students. they just examine each line and see if they cant answer it, by the time they get to the last question they will say no, kindergardeners arent complicated thinkers, or most of them arent at least.
the answer is pressure i think??
I would say the answer is no because for one they are not asking what am i like a relatively normal riddle would…it is asking can you solve it? and the point of the whole thing is to realize not everything is complex and so intricate and deep…sometimes they are just basic one word answers. In this case the answer is no because, sure its possible that pressure could be the answer but stop analyzing every inch of it and realize that supposedly kingergarden students answered it right. Kids dont understand depths to analysis and how answers are hidden in words and phrases like this… they dont assume that the answer isnt easy…they hear and what makes sense to them comes to mind. No is the actual only logical answer because the whole point of it was to see if you could take a minute and read the last line before trying to rearrange and crack the code before you finished reading. You cant answer this riddle because it may sound like a riddle and even look like one but not anywhere does it ask to figure out ‘what i am’. It was just to have people stop and take a breathe in their always on the move life and realize some things arent complex and that some times the only logical answer doesnt involve deep analysis….. By the way just a tidbit of information to shed the light on the whole time is the answer issue. time works for it partly..but did anyone stop to realize how much time they have wasted of their lives trying to figure out an answer that wasnt even asked?!?!?!?!
It cannot be pressure, the hair of a polar bear looks white because the air spaces in each hair scatter light of all colors. The color white becomes visible to our eyes when an object reflects back all of the visible wavelengths of light, rather than absorbing some of the wavelengths. It doesn’t have anything to do with pressure. Pancakes turn brown from heat, not pressure. Champagne bubbles from carbonation. If you look at pressure (which isn’t visible) it won’t make you pop. So I agree with the “no” answer as the ONLY question is “Can you guess the riddle”, kindergarten students would automatically just answer no, they can’t guess it. It just seems the most logical answer.
For the guy who said NO as in Nitrous Oxide, it doesn’t make polar bears white, or guys pee, or girls comb there hair it’s also not added to champagne to make it bubble. Along with all the other lines in the riddle, it doesn’t work.
Wendy, it’s not Nitrous Oxide, Its Nitric Oxide - something very different - it does indeed play a part in polar bars turning white, as it is a signaling chemical.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nitric_oxide.
It’s a stretch, and I believe the simple answer is simply ‘no’, but if you wanted to get technical, one could make a case for N.O.
I stumbled upon this site and I couldn’t help but laughing imensely. People are just so darn funny. I have read teh responses and some make sense, some make you giggle (I like the poodle idea)I think the funniest part is seing how people can take a forum about a riddle and change it into a debate about something so far off topic it makes no sense why they ae posting responses. I am a firm believer, but I just don’t see how people (believers or not) can go from trying to find an answer to debating a totally different issue. It made me laugh how people can warp things. Thanks for the good laugh everyone!!!
Very interesting! Let me break this into two parts or questions.
First,what is the official answer?
Second, is there actually a common factor (answer) to all of the lines proceeding the last sentence? If so what is it?
We have here two different personality types. The person who simply wants to know the answer to my first question; and then the person with the inquisitive mind that wants to know the answer to my second question.
What was the “official” answer? (The one the kids gave)
We must be careful when employing the technique of trying to think like the child to answer the question. We are after all still trying to answer the question, not make the most accurate guess as to what the children answered. So, let me look at the question itself. “Can you guess the riddle?” The only way this question can have ONE correct answer is if, and only if, the rest of the riddle is completely unsolvable. Sure the majority of kids might think about it for a minute or two and then answer, “no”. However, if the riddle does actually have an answer, then the child would be giving the correct answer FOR THEM. The correct answer for someone else could be “yes”. The best theory I have heard for this dilemma has been the suggestion of Nitric Oxide. I have not personally researched the substance myself, therefore I can neither support nor refute its claims. However, should this be the answer to the riddle, only those who do not know about Nitric Oxide would be satisfying both the riddle and the question at the end. For example, the person who suggested the N. O. theory would have to answer, “yes, I can guess the riddle.” This puts us back at the beginning, with the question having TWO correct answers. In my opinion, this defeats the purpose. Why create a riddle, and then stick a trick question on the end, that, if someone answers the question and not the riddle will, by default, answer correctly? I leave you now with these deep thoughts. Maybe later I will come back and deal with my second question.
The most common method of deducting this answer has been to analyze the kindergartner. (May I suggest we have fallen into the same trap of over analyzing as that of the “Harvard” student?
Le Penseur, I am pretty sure the official answer is time, although other answers may work. It seems it was taken from a poem and was modified into a riddle. The poem was about time and how it effects life.
Now, I don’t know if the kindergarten and harvard student portion of the video is accurate. Would kindergarten kids say time, pretty unlikely, but most would probably say god, if they are actually trying to answer the riddle, or the “NO” approach. Why god? Because 90 % of children are raised in a religious home, and god is an answer for everything with theists. Is that scientific, no, but it works in their minds.
I am sick of hearing about the kids and Harvard students! They’re not actually part of the riddle, as was pointed out above. So, I’m going to forget about them.
I loved the poem about time; I thought it fit perfectly.The idea of making a riddle out of a poem I found quite ingenious. I think the last line is the misleading part. After all, as Le Pensuer pointed out, it can have two correct answers.
Watson — I agree. Thanks for speaking your mind.
I just did some searching, and it really appears like the poem on Time was written after and as a result of the riddle. I think it was just someone having some fun and leading people on (but I could well be wrong)
My favourite answer thus far is “No”. It’s a stretch to make “pressure” fit, and I highly doubt it’s “God” just due to the one line, “If you squeeze me, I’ll pop”
Does it really matter when the poem was written? It still fits the riddle. I highly applaud all of those who actually thought about the riddle and what the possible theme might be. I happen to prefer “time” over “pressure”, but whoever suggested it at least put some thought into it. I thought it was a pretty good guess. I also found the Nitric Oxide theory interesting. In short, anyone who took the time to logically propose a theory and equally as logically defend it, kudos to you. In my opinion, you are what this blog is about. So, Thank you, I enjoyed reading your ideas.
Basically, there probably isn’t one correct answer. It’s a riddle with no answer designed to get you talking about. I personally think the answer is NO, but I can’t prove that. It’s just my opinion.
There’s a great quote
“What can be asserted without proof can be dismissed without proof.” …
Which actually is a quote about the existance of god but I find it also applies equally well to this riddle debate.
Fundamentally, the answer doesn’t matter - it’s the debate around it, the fact it gets our brains ticking over and the strength of opinion (who’s right, who’s wrong) that makes it worth discussing.
xxx
ok people, it’s time, it’s even in this riddle
Time
The time has come,
winter is here
and those yellow bears disappear.
The time has past
as man looks back with a sigh
and a tear in his eye.
As time is held
boys cross their legs
but of course the toilet begs
As time marches on
Girls loose their blush
and swap a comb for their brush
As time passes
For those held high
their end is nigh
As time catches up
Everyone is equal
when we get to the final sequel
As time turns
Without it we have flour and water
With it we have breakfast for my daughter
As time revolves
into something so fine
As time runs out
The more in a minute you try and squeeze
the less you can do with ease.
As time ticks
All the time that has past
man cannot comprehend something so vast.
as u can see, its time
its time to say, that poem is crap
its no, the solution to what the riddle is talking about may well be time or pressure or whatever but the answer to the question is no and it is the question that is asked, not who the riddle is referring to!
Sorry this is ridiculous. it is pretty clear this is a hoax eating away at all your(and now mine ironically) time.
A. Dont pay any attention to the percentages…..do you really think that an extensive survey of (a)children or (b) harvard students was undertaken for this riddle
B. If this is a North American creation why is it suddenly the World’s Hardest Riddle?? or is it a similar label that you all use for the baseball ‘World Series’ when only North America competes…
C. They are clearly unrelated statements.
D. The main question at the end of the ‘riddle’ which, if i am not mistaken, should always ask to solve it, actually asks can you guess it….clearly everyone can guess it…so there is no wrong answer.
Final point. I agree with the forums stance on religion. No real proof for or against so all opinions valid once they arent deemded to be inflammatory remarks.
Yours etc.
oh and its clearly not pressure as the colour white reflects all light thereby reducing heat absorption…!!!
Polar bears are white in order to blend in with their environment so that they can hunt there prey with less detection.
Since there is such great debate I think three things:
1) the answer to the question is “yes” - we can all “guess” at the answer
2) I think that for the most part there are actually limited possibilities to many of the answers, such as pressure - when you look at it you don’t pop,
N.O. - when you LOOK at it you don’t pop, you could use the premise that when you inhale it you do, but not look at it
No, does not work, because the last thing that was asked was can you guess the answer, and everyone can guess it, maybe not solve it, but guess it - so same as number 1
3)The poem is the best fit especially with some sort of explanation, and really it does seem quite ingenious.
haha it is “no”..
cuz it says can u guess the answer.
so the kindergarten kids said no!
lol
but if i have to guess what it was id say air or pressure
well actually air doesint make u pop haha so yeah i think pressure instead.
What I believe is that the ‘Can you guess the riddle?’ part is not really part of the riddle itself. It is simply there for the function of creating confusion, as we have already seen.
The poem entitled ‘Time’ actually answers all the questions about the riddle…
As for time not being able to pop/make one pop… Well, it is obviously written in the metaphorical sense, where the ‘I will pop’ part means that something is bound to go wrong if you try to squeeze too much into a short amount of time, and the ‘you will pop’ part implies the loss of patience when staring at a clock, wishing for time to go by.
Simple, right? Besides, kindergarteners aren’t THAT stupid, are they?
The answer to the riddle? “Who gives a smeg!” (-:
Just something else to think about:
“If God is all powerful, he can do everything. He can make a stone so heavy that even he can’t lift it. Then there is something God cannot do, he cannot lift the stone. Therefore an all powerful God does not exist.”
-Lucretius
Love me, or BURN FOREVER.
But you get a choice in the matter.
Cool, eh?
-God
When did I realize I was God?
Well, one day I was praying,
and I suddenly realized I was talking to myself!
Christians are like jewellery………………….
Only the fake ones tend to irritate people!
Definitely not pressure.
Polar bears are white because of a genetic mutation. Being white doesn’t help them absorb heat either. They stay warm because of a 10cm thick layer of blubber, hide and fur.
Just a thought on this…There may be no right or wrong answer to this riddle. Of course a kindergarten is going to say “NO” to this riddle because they dont have the patience or focus. Adults tend to over analyze things before they formulate an answer.
to all those who say the answer is “pressure”, i challenge you to approach a 5-6 year old with the question “what is pressure” and listen to their response… i highly doubt they will have an answer…. the answer to the riddle is in fact “no” because that’s how the riddle is designed… can you guess the riddle?lol
ps: and as for the “time” answer… i’ve never looked at time, let alone popped when i did, have you? and time doesn’t change the shade of a polar bears fur, snow cover does. and as for the poem, i highly doubt that a person would create a riddle with an answer referring to a poem… unless maybe they were both written by the same person, in which case, he/she is an ad whore trying to promote their own poetry! and that’s just ridiculous! besides, how many well read poetry enthusiast kindergartners do you know?lol
The answer is Time it has to do with a riddle
the answer is no 9 out 0f 10 kindergardeners will so no and hazzard graduates will try and work out what it could be
The final answer is “time.”
There is actually a poem called “Time” and it explains the answer….
Time
The time has come,
winter is here
and those yellow bears disappear.
The time has past
as man looks back with a sigh
and a tear in his eye.
As time is held
boys cross their legs
but of course the toilet begs
As time marches on
Girls loose their blush
and swap a comb for their brush
As time passes
For those held high
their end is nigh
As time catches up
Everyone is equal
when we get to the final sequel
As time turns
Without it we have flour and water
With it we have breakfast for my daughter
As time revolves
into something so fine
As time runs out
The more in a minute you try and squeeze
the less you can do with ease.
As time ticks
All the time that has past
man cannot comprehend something so vast.
So Rixa, where’s the bit about time making you pop when you look at it?
I am a kindergarten and class teacher so I should try this riddle for kids. I THINK kindergarteners would say no, because of their memory, patience and understanding. Definetly they would not say pressure or N.O. Time is good, but too hard for 5-6 year old.
On the other hand kids want to guess something because they have such a good imagination and urge to always try something new. It doesn’t matter to them what they will answer, they just want to answer something. Usually in this kind of situations, if they don’t know the correct answer straight away, they will guess something. So it may also be a frog.
BUT, I think those statistics are made up and the real answer before “manipulation” was Time, but after adding the statistics it could be no or something else. This is good riddle for the kids, but maybe not for the kindergarteners yet. Riddeling first and then reading the poem would be logical way to keep a quick 5 minute brief for starting a new subject.about corrosion or something, or just for fun.It may be that some teacher have made this as a riddle..=)
I agree with those that say the answer is “no” (or maybe “yes” if anyone happens to know what is being described in the riddle).
It reminds me of a similar question my dad, a math teacher, used to ask the kids in his class just for fun: Do you know the answer to 8 x 8?
Most of them would answer 64. The correct answer is actually “yes” or “no” as he wasn’t asking for WHAT the answer is, he’s asking if they know the answer or not.
I think this riddle is one of those trick-questions-using-wordplay thingies. Maybe the riddle isn’t even describing anything at all
AND THE ANSWER IS………………………
YES….THE RIDDLE IS THE RIDDLE. READ THE LAST LINE. IT DOESN’T ASK IF YOU CAN SOLVE THE RIDDLE, ONLY IF YOU CAN GUESS IT. AND SINCE THE RIDDLE IS WRITTEN FOR YOU, YOU KNOW WHAT THE RIDDLE IS.
THE ANSWER IS NO or Yes if you have some weird theory
ok, god can do anything, and time can bring anything, but with any form of support, anything is the right answer. the world around is has no proof to support anything, there are records that things have happened in the past, but we were not there, and if we were, who has to believe us? science shows the works of nature and the world around us, how particles form bonds, but every form of science has just as much proof as religion, seeing is believing, and that is the only way to proove anything, but only to yourself. the world we live in can be flat, astronauts have seen earth from afar, but that was not you, and therefore we cannot have any proof. historical records are as believeable as memory, science is fake, math does not exist if you want it not to, if there are 2 pencils before you, that is only the projection of the mind. anything that people see and hear is just a spectre of the mind, reality doesn’t exist, life is a spectre of the mind, the answer is what you want it to be
Red Dwarf: White Hole
8 Ext. Space.
We see the White Hole. It resembles a white star, surrounded by a shifting white cloud.
9 Int. Science room.
CAT is sitting on a bench, LISTER on a table. RIMMER and KRYTEN stand between them.
CAT: So, what is it?
KRYTEN: I’ve never seen one before — no one has — but I’m guessing it’s a white hole.
RIMMER: A _white_ hole?
KRYTEN: Every action has an equal and opposite reaction. A black hole sucks time and matter out of the universe: a white hole returns it.
LISTER: So, that thing’s spewing time back into the universe? (He dons his fur-lined hat.)
KRYTEN: Precisely. That’s why we’re experiencing these curious time phenomena on board.
CAT: So, what is it?
KRYTEN: I’ve never seen one before — no one has — but I’m guessing it’s a white hole.
RIMMER: A _white_ hole?
KRYTEN: Every action has an equal and opposite reaction. A black hole sucks time and matter out of the universe: a white hole returns it.
LISTER: (Minus the hat.) So, that thing’s spewing time back into the universe? (He dons his fur-lined hat, again.)
KRYTEN: Precisely. That’s why we’re experiencing these curious time phenomena on board.
LISTER: What time phenomena?
KRYTEN: Like just then, when time repeated itself.
CAT: So, what is it?
They all stare at him.
CAT: Only joking.
LISTER: (Suddenly upright, and minus his hat, again) Okay, so it’s decided then. We consult Holly.
CAT: Hey, wait a minute — I missed the discussion!
RIMMER: (Suddenly on the bench, where the CAT used to be sitting) We all did.
KRYTEN: (Suddenly on the table previously occupied by
LISTER) Time is occurring in random pockets. The laws of causality no longer apply. An action no longer leads to a consequence.
CAT: (Back on the bench) So, what is it?
KRYTEN: I think we’ve experienced this period of time before, Sir.
CAT: Only joking.
KRYTEN: And that one. Since we’re no longer affected by the laws of causality, we can override these time jumps if we concentrate.
RIMMER: Look, the only way out of this is to consult Holly.
CAT: (Snaps fingers) I’ll go with that.
KRYTEN: Gets my vote.
LISTER: Okay, so it’s decided then. We consult Holly.
KRYTEN: Ah, I think we’ve just encountered the middle of this conversation!
CAT: So, what is it?
LISTER: Ooh, someone punch him out.
it’s funny, because the question itself being “can you guess the riddle?” implies that what we are perceiving as the riddle, is actually the answer. Therefore, “no” fits perfectly, as to develop a riddle with an answer so obscure would be virtually impossible. If you were to read it as “can you guess the answer?” then “yes” would be more appropriate, as we would be fully capable of making a guess. Even if it turns out to be incorrect. I think that makes sense, if we’re getting caught up in the semantics
A “poem” is the answer to the riddle.
everyone….this is stupid! the answer is ‘no’ … its quite obvious really. pressure doesnt turn polar bears white, they need to blend into their surroundings so they can hunt and stuff…plus little kids saying pressre? AHAHAHHAHAHA I DONT THINK SO!!! but seriously its quite obvious the answer is ‘no’… sorry to disapoint u ppl with imainiations!