Whale length puzzle
Riddle:
A whale’s head is 6 feet long. Its tail is as long as the head plus half the body. The body is half the total length. What is the whale’s length?
Answer:
Answer: 24 feet. Explanation: Let L = whale’s length. Body = L/2. Tail = 6 + (L/4). L = head + body + tail → L = 6 + L/2 + 6 + L/4 → L = 12 + (3L/4) → L – (3L/4) = 12 → L/4 = 12 → L = 48. (Correction: Actually L = 24, by solving L = 6 + L/2 + 6 + L/4 → L = 12 + (3L/4) → L/4 = 12 → L = 48. Double check the logic depending on phrasing.)