Random Puzzles 

Workings

Hint
How many hands did the first person shake?

Answer
190.

The first person shook hands with 19 others, the second had already shook hands with the first and therefore shook 18 hands, etc: 19+18+17+16+15+14+13+12+11+10+9+8+7+6+5+4+3+2+1 = 190.

Workings

Hint
The answer is right in front of you.

Answer
Mississippi.

The diagram is actually the word 'mississippi' on its side.

Workings

Hint
Going down and across the floor isn't the only route.

Answer
40 feet.

Explanation Diagram
If you imagine the room to be a cardboard box, you can 'unfold' the room in various ways, and each route gives a different answer.



We can use Pythagoras' theorem (a² + b² = c²) to calculate the distances:
   distance² = horizontal² + vertical²
   distance = √(horizontal² + vertical²)

Route #1
   distance = 1 + 30 + 11 = 42 feet.

Route #2
   horizontal = 6 + 30 + 6 = 42 feet.
   vertical = 10 feet.
   distance = √(42² + 10²) ≈ 43.174 feet.

Route #3
   horizontal = 1 + 30 + 6 = 37 feet.
   vertical = 6 + 11 = 17 feet.
   distance = √(37² + 17²) ≈ 43.178 feet.

Route #4
   horizontal = 1 + 30 + 1 = 32 feet.
   vertical = 6 + 12 + 6 = 24 feet.
   distance = √(32² + 24²) = 40 feet.

Workings

Hint
One of the words begins with the letter S.

Answers