Brain Teasers
Mysterious Liquid
Zona, the nutty professor, gathered the class one day for an experiment. Zona began, "I have in my hands a rock and a piece of wood. I am going to place them in this beaker of mysterious liquid, and you may observe what happens." Surprisingly, the rock floated and the wood sank! He turned to the class and said, "My question is: What is this mysterious liquid in the beaker?"
Do you know the answer?
Do you know the answer?
Hint
This liquid occurs naturally.Answer
The mysterious liquid is water. The rock is pumice or volcanic glass which floats in water and the wood was from the desert ironwood tree which is so dense that it actually sinks in water.Hide Hint Show Hint Hide Answer Show Answer
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Comments
Very nice Zona. I realyy enjoyed this.
I've always known of those, but didn't have a clue on how to make it into a teaser
Good job.
However, couldn't any liquid (to an extent) work? Like Gatorade, lighter fluid, white out, etc.
Good job.
However, couldn't any liquid (to an extent) work? Like Gatorade, lighter fluid, white out, etc.
Awesome teaser. I spent about ten minutes trying to figure it out, and I still didn't get it! Keep it up Hobo.
Nice job Zona!! Really great teaser!!
Awesome teaser; Arizona flavor and nicely done.
Enjoyed this one. Good one hobo!! Keep them coming.
I agree with the above comment. The trick here is that the liquid doesn't really matter, so long as its density is less than ironwood and greater than pumice. Lemonade would have done it.
umm... wanted to say good teaser too...
Well noted Warrior .. you get an A in the class .. (Thanks to all for the nice comments)--Zona
This was fun, thanks!
terrific ..keep it up goodie..
i alf guessed the answer, but it was a good teaser
great teaser " Z ", I knew the water and pumice, ...but not the desert ironwood learn something new everyday!
At first I was thinking mercury, but nothing like wood would really sink. The pumice I got but the desert ironwood tree which is so dense that it actually sinks in water, I'm not too sure about. Structure wise it would float. Cool
At first I was thinking mercury, but nothing like wood would really sink. The pumice I got but the desert ironwood tree which is so dense that it actually sinks in water, I'm not too sure about. Structure wise it would float. Cool
Zona ,good thinking girl. I am going to pull this one on my friends this morning over coffee. Thank you Bob.
Silly me - I didn't get it. Thanks and keep them coming!!
...and I was thinking too much about the liquid.
Woah good one!!
Very good teaser. Fun and informative. I learned something today!
at first i was hoping it was a riddle so i wouldn't have to feel that bad dor not knowing the answer . but i then remembered the pumice stone i used this morning . i couldn't really figure out the wood . so i thought maybe petrified wood ?!
haha...i was just thinking it was a really dense piece of wood and a very un-dense rock....i guess that makes the rock pumice...lol nice teaser!
Wow it seems like thatd be so simple... I got it wrong anyway.
I am torn on this teaser. On the one hand, I think it was a clever teaser, but on the other, I think it was full of misdirection that the Science category should be without.
I thought of both pumice and the desert ironwood (though I couldn't recall the name of the tree-my grandfather was a geologist) but then, when I looked at the teaser again, it seemed that the point was not to figure out what kind of rock or wood were involved, but to figure out what kind of liquid they were both in. So, after thinking I was wrong, I gave up and peeked...and felt cheated. Grrr. But still, it is clever.
I thought of both pumice and the desert ironwood (though I couldn't recall the name of the tree-my grandfather was a geologist) but then, when I looked at the teaser again, it seemed that the point was not to figure out what kind of rock or wood were involved, but to figure out what kind of liquid they were both in. So, after thinking I was wrong, I gave up and peeked...and felt cheated. Grrr. But still, it is clever.
while stuck between a rock and a hard place, i guessed water, figuring it had to do with the type of rock and wood, but thats as far as i could go.
GREAT TEASER
GREAT TEASER
clever & creative.
i found it really easy cause if you know what type of rock has air holes, then you know the answer! very nice teaser. it's the second one i'v gotten right so far!
good one - science teaser are my favorite
Not a bad teaser, but obsidian is considered volcanic glass. As a matter of fact, pumice is not at all glassy, but more soft and powdery. Thought I'd let you know that, otherwise, pretty good!
very well done kinda easy but i stilled liked it good job zona!!!
Feb 09, 2006
2006Feb9 Superb trivia, but the type of wood is not familiar in my location (Manila,Philippines) Surely look forward to more trivia. regards,[email protected][email protected]
i like it even though it was rele hard. but maybe it was justt me. lol!!!
Having a teaser as teaser of the day (TOD) is always a high point for submitters on Braingle because you get to see posts from so many new and interesting people. Thanks for the comments all!
I would add for Sword that the pumice and obsidian are both volcanic glass .. one cooled as a liquid (obsidian) and the other was more of a froth which made it light enough to float. Indeed, Oldchina the wood sinks. You could make a floatable boat out of it like you can with steel and concrete, but it does sink right off the tree. I also thought of petrified wood when I wrote this, but really there is no wood in pertrified wood. It has all been replaced by quartz mostly.
As far as the misdirection in the science category, that is the nutty professor's fault. That is why the students call him nutty. Has anyone had a teacher like that? I did and it made science kind of fun.
Those are great comments all and sorry about the location specific tree but that is why I am Zona!
I hope everyone has as much fun as possible on this site.
I would add for Sword that the pumice and obsidian are both volcanic glass .. one cooled as a liquid (obsidian) and the other was more of a froth which made it light enough to float. Indeed, Oldchina the wood sinks. You could make a floatable boat out of it like you can with steel and concrete, but it does sink right off the tree. I also thought of petrified wood when I wrote this, but really there is no wood in pertrified wood. It has all been replaced by quartz mostly.
As far as the misdirection in the science category, that is the nutty professor's fault. That is why the students call him nutty. Has anyone had a teacher like that? I did and it made science kind of fun.
Those are great comments all and sorry about the location specific tree but that is why I am Zona!
I hope everyone has as much fun as possible on this site.
is rele supposed to be real or really
?????????????????????????????????
?????????????????????????????????
about the petrified wood , do you mean that you just can't find it outside anymore ?
also , i guess i thought petrified wood was available because i grew up with it in my house but i think my grandfather had gotten it in his travels . (he died before i was born so i don't know) it was an ashtray .
also , i guess i thought petrified wood was available because i grew up with it in my house but i think my grandfather had gotten it in his travels . (he died before i was born so i don't know) it was an ashtray .
Sure, there is plenty around but it is rock that has filled in where the wood was over many many years. We have a place called the Petrified Forest (a national park) that has giant logs still on the surface. It is protected there and if you get caught trying to leave with a free sample, you can get in big trouble from the park service.
There are lots of unprotected sites, so you can still find it on the market and if you are lucky, on the ground. It polishes beautifully and is great looking in many art forms. It also lasts a lot longer than its owners, so someday your grandchild can treasure that ash tray as you probably do.
There are lots of unprotected sites, so you can still find it on the market and if you are lucky, on the ground. It polishes beautifully and is great looking in many art forms. It also lasts a lot longer than its owners, so someday your grandchild can treasure that ash tray as you probably do.
that was nice zona . i did know about the petrified forest . i just didn't know if i could walk in my front yard and find some .
thanks for getting back with me . you're awesome !!!!
thanks for getting back with me . you're awesome !!!!
Zona your birthday is two days after mine .
i would have never guessed that !! since i have no clue what either of those are !! but great teaser anyway..good job!
Great Teaser, made my day!
*sighs*
I got it right away. I think I get these better if I do them at the end of the day instead of the first thing
THIS WAS A LITTLE BETTER, BUT STILL TOO EASY!
HE'S BACK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
THE ANSWER IS WATER.
GOOD ONE ZONA. I THOUGHT OT WAS GOOD.
THE ANSWER IS WATER.
GOOD ONE ZONA. I THOUGHT OT WAS GOOD.
Lil angel - pumice is that gray rocky stuff that people use when showering. You know... to buff the rough skin off their feet? It's called a pumice stone and has lots of edges (holes) that do the scraping.
As for the tree, no idea.
As for the tree, no idea.
That was really neat, I hope to see many more like this one! Great work!
Didn't get that one- great work!!!
Mar 16, 2006
science really rocks!!!
THIS WAS TOO EASY!!!!!!
Liked the way you had me thinking about the liquid more than the objects. Doesn't seem to have been the opinion of everyone but that's what makes some teasers stand out from the rest - good presentation.
Cool...I got it right.
:[] WHAT?
i got it write!
good 1
Nice teaser, Bo. I guess it's one of those that you either know or you don't. I didn't. Now I do. Thanks for posting.
This would work in any liquid that does not have an oil base.
Great Teaser Bo! Make us some more!!!!!
good one, Bo!
I figured this was the trick and was right!!!
I thought of water right away, because of the pumice stone, but I got hung up on the ironwood. Very good teaser, and the commentw were great. Keep up the good work hobo.
Great teaser Bo!!!... i had gotten the pumice part, but was unaware of Desert Ironwood... i did some research on it and it is a very interesting tree... thanx for the informative teaser this Monday morning!!!
I thought it wasn't the liquid, so I was on the right track. I immediately thought of the Petrified Forest, which I saw as a little girl; but never did think of volcanic rock. I have some pumice stones around the house to remove limestone in the water that builds up on our toilets; but I didn't think of pumice.
I'm pretty pleased at how quickly I got that.
Wooo! I actually got this one; living in Arizona, we've got a lot of ironwood trees and we scrub our pools with pumice. Great teaser!
I got this from when I was in arizona! nice teser!
That was NOT fair... the liquid was comrpomised by the differences in the two items. UNFAIR!!!
I usually am an unfair-reporter of difficult answers so don't take this personally!
I usually am an unfair-reporter of difficult answers so don't take this personally!
This teaser is no good.
2 things.
Firstly, how is it a mysterious liquid?
Secondly it could just as easily be mercury or bromine or even coca-cola.
2 things.
Firstly, how is it a mysterious liquid?
Secondly it could just as easily be mercury or bromine or even coca-cola.
NICE!!!
I really liked this teaser. I thought water, but I wasn't sure.
that was 1 horrible teaser, thats all i gots to say
Thanks all for reading and taking time to comment. I guess it proves you can't please all the people all the time.
That was a good one! I learned a few things!! Thanks for posting!
Nice one!
Nice one!
I too enjoyed the focus on the liquid instead of the objects. It did not occur to me that they would not just be your average garden variety rock and wood. I could not think of a liquid in which those items would exhibit that behaviour. great teaser even if I missed out on the answer.
Pumice rock is also used as a medium for some potted plants. I have heard of petrified wood, but not ironwood. Good teaser anyway.
Got this one. I have a piece of ironwood. It is appropriately named.
Take no notice of the critics Zona - I love this teaser and I learned something as well!
I can't help wondering how many people would actually know this. It was more of a fact than a teaser.
To mepapa To answer your question.. Heavens NO. I would never try to influence people and be such an unpleasant person as "badbunee was. besides at my age I do not have the energy . .I do think he comes back occasionally under a new name. I thought I recognized his banter about a week ago saying he had been away for a month. I hope not though.
To mepapa To answer your question.. Heavens NO. I would never try to influence people and be such an unpleasant person as "badbunee was. besides at my age I do not have the energy . .I do think he comes back occasionally under a new name. I thought I recognized his banter about a week ago saying he had been away for a month. I hope not though.
I got it, but see from the comments that there may be several answers.
To Babe, mepapa, doodley ....
You may rest easy. I'm (of the "bad rabbit" clan) ... still here.
And the hysteria continues.
Let me tire you with more facts (If I may).
Today's TOTD had 52 comments when it was first posted in 2006.
Check the most RECENT new teasers.
Click on "all" under "browse teasers" to your left.
You have to go all the way back to October of last year to get more than 10 comments.
Most have 0, 1, 2, or 3.
Facts, please, facts.
You evasion and denial is ... still .....
hilarious.
Jaye (for Dad - the original BadBunnee - and Jay - my brother; BadBunnee02).
(still laughing)
You may rest easy. I'm (of the "bad rabbit" clan) ... still here.
And the hysteria continues.
Let me tire you with more facts (If I may).
Today's TOTD had 52 comments when it was first posted in 2006.
Check the most RECENT new teasers.
Click on "all" under "browse teasers" to your left.
You have to go all the way back to October of last year to get more than 10 comments.
Most have 0, 1, 2, or 3.
Facts, please, facts.
You evasion and denial is ... still .....
hilarious.
Jaye (for Dad - the original BadBunnee - and Jay - my brother; BadBunnee02).
(still laughing)
I had pumice and PETRIFIED WOOD!!
Ya, Babe .... it's me.
And .... (still laughing) ....
And .... (still) .... asking you why you won't support Braingle by commenting on CURRENTLY posted teasers ????
Signed: Jaye (LittleGreenMan) ... and (for) Jay (Bro still restricted because of you - and others like you ...)
And .... (still laughing) ....
And .... (still) .... asking you why you won't support Braingle by commenting on CURRENTLY posted teasers ????
Signed: Jaye (LittleGreenMan) ... and (for) Jay (Bro still restricted because of you - and others like you ...)
Ya, Babe .... it's me.
And .... (still laughing) ....
And .... (still) .... asking you why you won't support Braingle by commenting on CURRENTLY posted teasers ????
Signed: Jaye (LittleGreenMan) ... and (for) Jay (Bro still restricted because of you - and others like you ... and .... sorry to disappoint ya ... but we ARE actually two people !!!)
And .... (still laughing) ....
And .... (still) .... asking you why you won't support Braingle by commenting on CURRENTLY posted teasers ????
Signed: Jaye (LittleGreenMan) ... and (for) Jay (Bro still restricted because of you - and others like you ... and .... sorry to disappoint ya ... but we ARE actually two people !!!)
Wow! I actually knew that one
I knew the answer was water and that the mysterious part had to do with the items. I figured the rock had to be some sort of pumice. I couldn't remember the name of the type of tree that produced the hard wood though. Good job of misdirection professor!
Not a good puzzle with info withheld. It was unfair to withhold names. Even with name person seeking to solve, must know special properties. Just TOO set up for fail...
Decent teaser. I figured it was pumice and petrified wood. That would not necessarily let us determine the liquid. It could work with water, but there was no scientific way to determine that.
Regardless. It could be nice to be able to specify multiple categories for a teaser. Even having two category slots could help. This could have easily been a science/trick question.
It won't make my favorites list, but I was happy to spend some time today thinking about it and reading the teaser related comments!
Regardless. It could be nice to be able to specify multiple categories for a teaser. Even having two category slots could help. This could have easily been a science/trick question.
It won't make my favorites list, but I was happy to spend some time today thinking about it and reading the teaser related comments!
Ok teaser; I am not much into science questions and it is my worst subject. I felt it was a trick questions because unless you have a lot of science knowledge, you are not going to consider various types of rocks and wood but instead think of types of liquid.
I thought of waterlogged wood (which sinks because water has replaced the air if I understand correctly). I didn't know about ironwood so that was interesting. Pumice was more obvious. I once lived near a beach where pumice from a volcanic eruption was washing up. The eruption was far away but I suppose the ocean currents were in the right direction.
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