43 / The stick-man puzzle
A man is holding a piece of wood. What will happen to the piece of wood if he lets go of it?
Well, stupid question - the piece of wood will fall to the ground. What's the issue here?
The issue is - as with many brain-teasers - there is more to the puzzle than meets the eye. The answer obviously is correct, but only one third correct. And the point of the puzzle is to train yourself to think beyond the obvious. The full answer is:
Yes, the piece of wood will fall to the ground - if the man stands on earth. However, should he stand at the bottom of a swimming pool, submerged by water, the piece of wood will float upwards; and should he be at some point in outer space, nothing at all will happen - as far as we know, the piece of wood will stay in place. So there.