Are you a Genius?

This test, developed by Princeton University, claims it only takes three questions to tell if you’re a genius.  Good luck!

1. A bat and a ball cost $1.10 in total. The bat costs $1 more than the ball. How much does the ball cost?

2. If it takes 5 machines 5 minutes to make 5 widgets, how long would it take 100 machines to make 100 widgets?

3. In a lake, there is a patch of lily pads. Every day, the patch doubles in size. If it takes 48 days for the patch to cover the entire lake, how long would it take for the patch to cover half of the lake?

SCROLL DOWN FOR THE ANSWERS

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ANSWERS:

1.  $0.05. Many guess 10 cents.  If that were the case, the bat would cost $1.20—not $1.10. Purchasing a 5 cent ball and a bat priced at $1.05 (which is $1 more expensive than 5 cents) would total $1.10.

2.  5 minutes.  Since the question reveals that it would take 5 minutes for 1 widget machine to make 1 widget, you can determine that it would take 5 minutes for 100 widget machines to make 100 widgets.

3.  47 days. Your gut might tell you it would take 24 days. But remember: Since the area of the lake covered in lily pads doubles every day, a patch that covers half the lake would fully cover it in just one day. Subtract one day from 48 days, and what do you get? 47 days.