Random Puzzles 

Workings

Hint
Both words begin with the letter B.

Answer
Brainy and binary.

Workings

Hint
How many large pipes are required to drain the reservoir in 24 hours?

Answer
21 hours and 36 minutes.

Reasoning
Looking at the first clue:
   in 12 hours, 6 large pipes can drain 1 reservoir
   in 24 hours, 6 large pipes can drain 2 reservoirs
   (*) in 24 hours, 3 large pipes can drain 1 reservoir

Looking at the second clue:
   in 8 hours, 3 large + 9 small pipes can drain 1 reservoir
   in 24 hours, 3 large + 9 small pipes can drain 3 reservoirs

But, by (*), we know that in those 24 hours, 3 large pipes can drain 1 of those reservoirs.

Therefore, the other 2 reservoirs can be drained by the small pipes on their own:
   in 24 hours, 9 small pipes can drain 2 reservoirs
   in 24 hours, 1 small pipe can drain ²/₉ reservoirs
multiply the hours by 9:
   in 216 hours, 1 small pipe can drain 2 reservoirs
   in 216 hours, 5 small pipes can drain 10 reservoirs
divide the hours by 10:
   in 21.6 hours, 5 small pipes can drain 1 reservoir

21.6 hours = 21 hours and 36 minutes.

Workings

Hint
A little algebra might help.

Answer
He will be 35 in 14 years.

Reasoning
He is currently 21.

If X is his current age, then:
  X = 14 +  X
           ———
            3
so

   2X = 14
  ———
   3

and

  2X = 42

So

  X = 21

He is currently 21 and his favourite book is currently 14 years old, when it is 28 years old (double its age) he will be 35.

Workings

Hint
A little bit of algebra might help.

Answer
There are four boys and three girls.

If we call the number of boys B, and girls G.

From the first statement (we take one off as Billy is a boy):

              B - 1 = G

and similarly:

        2 x (G - 1) = B

Substitute G from the first equation into the second equation to give:

  2 x ((B - 1) - 1) = B

    2 x (B - 1) - 2 = B

      2 x B - 2 - 2 = B

          2 x B - 4 = B

                  B = 4

which means that B = 4 and hence G = 3.