Brain Teasers
My, That's Tall!
I was on a road trip with a friend when we drove past a very tall radio tower. I told my friend "That thing has to be at least a thousand feet tall!" He looked out the window for a moment, and said "I'll bet it's closer to 1500 feet." We stopped at a gas station and asked how tall the tower was, and it was exactly 1500 feet tall! Now that I owe my friend a steak dinner, how could he tell how tall the tower was?
Answer
Radio towers are always painted with alternating red and white stripes. If the tower is over 700 feet tall, every stripe is 100 feet high. My friend just counted the 15 stripes and knew immediately it was 1500 feet tall. This only works if it's over 700 feet; if it's under 700 feet, the tower will always have seven stripes. Bonus Factoid: The top stripe on the tower is always red.Hide Answer Show Answer
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Comments
Thanks for that towering teaser.. Is this for safty reasons (small aircraft?). If so, I hope the pilots aren't flying faster than they can count ..
zonahobo, you're right, it is to make sure airplanes see them. It's also why the red is always on top- if it was white on top, clouds behind the antenna would hide the top of it and create a potentially dangerous situation.
xmadnetx, I don't think you're quite up to speed on the concept of a Trivia teaser. Trivia is all about getting to show off knowledge that is almost completely useless. Asking "So what?" to a trivia teaser is like noticing it's raining, walking outside, and then complaining that you're soaking wet.
xmadnetx, I don't think you're quite up to speed on the concept of a Trivia teaser. Trivia is all about getting to show off knowledge that is almost completely useless. Asking "So what?" to a trivia teaser is like noticing it's raining, walking outside, and then complaining that you're soaking wet.
YOU GO DUCE I thought it was very good...I admit...not quite as FUN a fact as some...like brag worthy to a friend, but I liked it none the less
Nice one... I love RUK.... random useless knowledge! Thanks.
i agree w/ mi2mo2tx i love to have randon useless knowledge like this. i didnt get it but now i no it which is kool...u go deuce u really told of that idiot who made the bad coment (i forget his name lol)
xmadnetx must not enjoy filling his brain with facts hahahahahaha hahahaha hahahahahahahahaha.. well at least u told him off good wahoo!!!
yeah go Deuce i guess u told him!! lol and i agree i like to learn about useless stuff its pretty fun sometimes!!!
Okay, more useless knowledge...
first, the FAA requires towers to be painted "international orange" and "aviation white".
both the top and bottom layers are orange.
The FAA site stipulates that towers over 700 feet tall have between 9 and 13 layers. That doesn't jive with this teaser. Got it Broadcastwriter.com, a site dealing with broadcast towers.
first, the FAA requires towers to be painted "international orange" and "aviation white".
both the top and bottom layers are orange.
The FAA site stipulates that towers over 700 feet tall have between 9 and 13 layers. That doesn't jive with this teaser. Got it Broadcastwriter.com, a site dealing with broadcast towers.
Thanks for the info on that one, Vikingboy. Now all I need to do is hunt the source I had down and let them know... goodness knows where they went.
u guys are nerd!!! my teacher get riddle to say to class from this website...so i look for the riddle he mention it to get the answer so i can get rewarded in class. but sometime i actuually enjoy this website...this tease disappointed this website. I like other teases waaaaaaay beter.
Ever get the strange feeling someone entered a battle of wits very sadly unarmed?
xmadnetx, I barely know where to start this time. While I am mildly disappointed that your original post got deleted (since now people won't have any idea what I'm talking about on the first response), I can mention right now that I'm disheartened (but hardly surprised) by your use of an ad hominem in your response; I find they are a horrid substitute for actual wit, and indeed frequently used by people who think they are witty but only halfway there.
And I prefer the term "geek", thank you very much.
xmadnetx, I barely know where to start this time. While I am mildly disappointed that your original post got deleted (since now people won't have any idea what I'm talking about on the first response), I can mention right now that I'm disheartened (but hardly surprised) by your use of an ad hominem in your response; I find they are a horrid substitute for actual wit, and indeed frequently used by people who think they are witty but only halfway there.
And I prefer the term "geek", thank you very much.
Duece, don't humor him, it's not worth it.
Very nice, not something many ppl would know right off the bat.
If the viking is right, this teaser makes no sense at all. I only guessed it might have something to do with the stripes, but missed it.
I liked that...fun and oddly informative! By the way Deuce, I agree that he does seem sadly unarmed,but in his defense...he's probably like 12...so cut him some slack
Cool teaser.
good one. i learned a new fact that i didn't no. good job.
A bit too locale specific. I suspect this only applies to the US or, perhaps, North America.
Ummm, well at least I learned something new. There is never anything wrong with that!
i though there was a sign you didn't notice
thanks for random information
thanks for random information
Thanks for the great and educational teaser! I'll tuck this info away for my next road trip and impress my friends ;)
xmadnetx, haven't you heard? Cheaters never prosper. By trying to get the answer in advance so you can be "rewarded in class" you're losing the fun of the teaser.
xmadnetx, haven't you heard? Cheaters never prosper. By trying to get the answer in advance so you can be "rewarded in class" you're losing the fun of the teaser.
Deuce, don't be upset...it was a great piece of trivia!!! Good Job!
I didn't know that-My answer was that they were in a plane and the pilot knowing the elevation and the plane's height was able to determine the tower height.
That wasn't like a treaser it was more of a fact question but it was fun anyways, I just thought he read a sign next to it.
Well, I would have liked it better if it wasn't so specific. I mean, how many people actually know that? And here I kept trying to figure out if maybe there was a hidden clue or message in the text, but instead its something that only you and the guys that paint the towers would know, LOL! J/k- but keep them coming! You can never know too much seemingly useless facts (u proved that today! )
You know what they say, Deuce...those that can do, those that can't criticize!
People....the type of teaser tells you it's a...T R I V I A teaser...
People....the type of teaser tells you it's a...T R I V I A teaser...
Good one i wasnt even close in my answer But now i know for future reference.This IS trivia shows how much random knowledge us geeks have.Thanx!!!
I've already read this one...
Well, it's still really good. Two thumbs up!
Well, it's still really good. Two thumbs up!
GOOD ONE! I WAS THINKING THERE WAS A SIGN THAT SAID THE TOWER WAS 1500 FEET HIGH. U GOT ME!!!
Wow, I didn't know that fun fact! Great teaser. Keep up the good work!
Wow, I didn't know that fun fact! Great teaser. Keep up the good work!
Jul 20, 2005
COOL!!!!!!!! I like to learn new things!!!!! great job!
Great TRIVIA. Thanks for the fun. Is that true world wide?n It would seem that it should be, especially because of the reasoning behind it. Got something else to add to my research. Thanks for the knowledge.
Jul 22, 2005
The operative word is teaser! It was very useless information. Who really cares about paint on a tower? The first thing I thought when I read this was ."What the h***? This was dumb!! And Im not scared to say it!
Jul 22, 2005
The operative word is teaser! It was very useless information. Who really cares about paint on a tower? The first thing I thought when I read this was ."What the h***? This was dumb!! And Im not scared to say it!
w/e semone !!!!!! lik a lot of ppl i lik RUK! and my dad always gives me trivia lik this so it might help! thanks duece!(youre the one who rote it rite?) its fun not the funnest but still great!
Yee gads... ladies and gentlemen, this *is* the Trivia section. Go look up "trivia" in the dictionary. Right there you'll see it says... are you ready? Unimportant matters. All of this complaining about it being useless knowledge would be like going to Red Lobster and then complaining there's nothing but seafood on the menu.
i was trying to b nice forget u!
I just thought that it was written on the tower somewhere.The teaser was ok but I love how you argue with the comments even better!!! Good fun
Could you also guess something about the relative length of shadow versus another known height? Measure the length of shadow by how fast the car is moving?
YEP USELESS INFORMATION WE ALL WANT TO REMEMBER/ HENCE THE NAME "TRIVIA",,,I LIKED IT
ALSO LOVE YOUR VOLLEYS WITH COMMENTS. I WILL STAY SUBCRIBED TO THIS ONE FOR A WHILE
Got me stumped, but it was fun. Keep up the good work!
The Western Front has quieted down...the painting and lighting of tower is subjected to Federal and International Rules and Regulations and as all R&Rs are subject to change. Don't take it too seriously...this too shall pass.
I took a different approach, though still not even close to the answer! I was thinking that the person who guessed correctly knew the exact distance from where they were at that time to the cell tower, and was able to gauge the height based on the angle to the top. Using triangulation, he would have been able to determine the height of the cell tower.
Interesting bit of trivia. Enjoyed it. Also enjoyed all the comments from over the years. Thanks for posting.
Didn't know and didn't care,but good if it's your thing.
This is incorrect
http://home.epix.net/~ronnieb/Logs_and/FOB_13.TXT
PAINTING REQUIREMENTS
When you are required to paint your tower, you must apply the paint using alternate bands of aviation orange and white. You must have at least seven bands of equal width. The top and bottom bands must be aviation orange. The width must not be more than 100 feet nor less than 1.5 feet. You must repaint the tower whenever paint fading reduces tower visibility. You must also repaint the tower whenever you change the height of the tower.
The bands cannot be more than 100 ft, but they can be way less.
The teaser is inaccurate.
http://home.epix.net/~ronnieb/Logs_and/FOB_13.TXT
PAINTING REQUIREMENTS
When you are required to paint your tower, you must apply the paint using alternate bands of aviation orange and white. You must have at least seven bands of equal width. The top and bottom bands must be aviation orange. The width must not be more than 100 feet nor less than 1.5 feet. You must repaint the tower whenever paint fading reduces tower visibility. You must also repaint the tower whenever you change the height of the tower.
The bands cannot be more than 100 ft, but they can be way less.
The teaser is inaccurate.
And to think, it only took three years for someone to notice ;-) Thanks for the update. I'd imagine most towers that are an even number of hundreds of feet would still do 100 foot sections. Can you imagine painting a 1500 foot tower with 1000 1.5 foot stripes?
Good one! I didn't get it, of course. But hey, you learn something new every day!
Good one! I didn't get it, of course. But hey, you learn something new every day!
Good one! I didn't get it, of course. But hey, you learn something new every day!
Very interesting...
Very nice thing to know! (kinda)
Enjoyed this trivia, but really enjoyed all the comments. I love it when a good teaser gets the people talking. Thanks Deuce.
My, you learn something new every day! Heh, good one!
I did not see that one coming.
Interesting.
As were the comments.
Wide range of intelligence and attitudes on display...
As were the comments.
Wide range of intelligence and attitudes on display...
I just do not see this as a trivia brain teaser. I see it as a "Here's a fact I bet you did not know!!" The part that is a brain teaser is the fact it was thought to be one. Still very informative.
Jul 21, 2011
Good one! I didn't get it, of course. But hey, you learn something new every day!
I thought it would have something to do with the length of the shadow being cast.
So if every section is 100ft does that mean that every tower is a height that is evenly divisible by 100? A tower couldn't be say 1275 ft tall?
So if every section is 100ft does that mean that every tower is a height that is evenly divisible by 100? A tower couldn't be say 1275 ft tall?
AROB. This will be my new remark most of the time. If you want to know what it means, let me know. GnMi already has it figured out.
My guess was the Eiffel Tower...lol Great to know this info...thanks.
My guess was the Eiffel Tower...lol Great to know this info...thanks.
Not bad at all! I had 3 basic guesses as to how he knew:
a) your friend was a surveyor, and used his skills of trigonometry, shadow length and angle, and position of the sun to calculate height
b) the coloured bands or spacing/number of beacon lights on the tower were counted to determine height, like a tree's rings can be counted to determine age
c) you passed a specific tower (IE - the CN tower in Toronto), and he knew its exact height (the clue you were on a road trip, and this being a trivia teaser led me to believe this was possibly referencing a specific landmark tower)
I knew after several read-troughs I hadn't missed a clue in the text, so I thought it might be something I had no knowledge of. I don't mind missing a teaser as long as I can figure out the rationale, and I was indeed on the right track with option B. Great work!
(I had a similar puzzle pop up on my MENSA page-a-day, regarding a man entertaining party goers with tales of his African safaris, where he hunted lions, leopards and tigers tigers, and you had to prove he was lying - the lie - which I happened to know - is that tigers are Asian animals, NOT African. My coworkers, all of whom liked to work the puzzles as well, got annoyed with this one, too, except for one coworker who was from South Africa and counted the popular African Tiger misconception as one of his peeves!)
Seriously, if you're more upset you got a teaser wrong than you're glad you've gained new knowledge, I think you've missed the point of mental exercise entirely. You have to lose a few to appreciate the wins, or - to quote Shakespeare - "The sweetest honey is loathsome in his own deliciousness."
Thanks again for the almost impossible teaser, Deuce!
a) your friend was a surveyor, and used his skills of trigonometry, shadow length and angle, and position of the sun to calculate height
b) the coloured bands or spacing/number of beacon lights on the tower were counted to determine height, like a tree's rings can be counted to determine age
c) you passed a specific tower (IE - the CN tower in Toronto), and he knew its exact height (the clue you were on a road trip, and this being a trivia teaser led me to believe this was possibly referencing a specific landmark tower)
I knew after several read-troughs I hadn't missed a clue in the text, so I thought it might be something I had no knowledge of. I don't mind missing a teaser as long as I can figure out the rationale, and I was indeed on the right track with option B. Great work!
(I had a similar puzzle pop up on my MENSA page-a-day, regarding a man entertaining party goers with tales of his African safaris, where he hunted lions, leopards and tigers tigers, and you had to prove he was lying - the lie - which I happened to know - is that tigers are Asian animals, NOT African. My coworkers, all of whom liked to work the puzzles as well, got annoyed with this one, too, except for one coworker who was from South Africa and counted the popular African Tiger misconception as one of his peeves!)
Seriously, if you're more upset you got a teaser wrong than you're glad you've gained new knowledge, I think you've missed the point of mental exercise entirely. You have to lose a few to appreciate the wins, or - to quote Shakespeare - "The sweetest honey is loathsome in his own deliciousness."
Thanks again for the almost impossible teaser, Deuce!
Thank you, Deuce, for a good teaser and thank you, Rockstar, for some important comments and special messages to people who don't appreciate learning new facts! I thought the answer was knowing radio towers were a standard height. Interesting information!
Deuce commented, " Ever get the strange feeling someone entered a battle of wits very sadly unarmed?" and, " this *is* the Trivia section. Go look up 'trivia' in the dictionary. it says... Unimportant matters...." Thanks, Deuce - well said!
A brain teaser is a form of puzzle that requires thought to solve. It often requires thinking in unconventional ways with given constraints in mind; sometimes it also involves lateral thinking. Logic puzzles and riddles are specific types of brain teasers.
Trivia is not really a brain teaser, that's what most of the complaints are really about
Trivia is not really a brain teaser, that's what most of the complaints are really about
Sorry. Just RUT not any sort of brain teaser. That kind of stuff has its place. It just seems like it should be filed elsewhere.
FWIW, the rules given as the solution seem like the sort of thing that's governed by national or regional standards rather than global ones. Suppose it was in Russia or Australia, would it still work?
FWIW, the rules given as the solution seem like the sort of thing that's governed by national or regional standards rather than global ones. Suppose it was in Russia or Australia, would it still work?
Nice one! Having lived in close proximity to a broadcast tower, I got this answer right away. Thanks for the great start to the day.
I don't usually look at trivia teasers, and I thought it was great! Very clever and well written.
Interesting .... but very trivial.
But still rated it as lots of fun.
Hmmmm ... TOTD has been up almost an hour and I've registered the only comment.
Getting worse, folks. And you don't seem to care.
BB02
But still rated it as lots of fun.
Hmmmm ... TOTD has been up almost an hour and I've registered the only comment.
Getting worse, folks. And you don't seem to care.
BB02
Two radio towers got married. The wedding was boring but the reception was great!
Didn't have a clue.
I was told by a man, who climbed these towers for a living, that the lights on the tower are placed every 100 ft. Therefore 3 lights, 300 ft.
Interesting, informative teaser! and, thanks, Jaycr, for a good joke!
Loved the joke, jay. I didn't get the teaser, but it was interesting.
My dad, who works in broadcasting, also told me that light patterns also show how tall the tower is for incoming airplanes.
He could have calculated the angle of the sun, then measured the shadow, do the math, and come up with an answer. It would have taken a little more time, but it still works.
Wolfpack, the shadow measure was my only guess as well. But, I did not see how that could be done by just looking out th ewindow for a moment. Terrific trivia teaser. I learned something new today.
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