Riddle Me This

[TPIR1990]

Three of the sheep are standing around the base of a small hill - facing North, South, and East.  The fourth is standing on the top of that hill, facing West.  The distance from each sheep around the base of the hill is exactly the same as the height of the hill.  Therefore, the sheep at the top of the hill is the same distance from each of the sheep around the base of the hill as those sheep are from each other.

Am I close?

Sort of.

The four sheep are standing at the most northern part of the world.

Negative.

[PlinkoChip]

The sheep are standing around/on a triangular pyramid. There are three sheep at each of the three corners on the ground, with the corners to their backs, and a fourth one on top, facing the same direction of one of the sides.

[TPIR1990]

The sheep are standing around/on a triangular pyramid. There are three sheep at each of the three corners on the ground, with the corners to their backs, and a fourth one on top, facing the same direction of one of the sides.

Very good!

The sheep are standing on the four corner points of an equal-sided pyramid. Or to put it another way, three are on points of an equilateral triangle and the other is on a mound of earth in the centre.

Deadline: Saturday, August 23.

Clues: 5

A ship passed through the Panama Canal from West to East. That is to say, it entered the West end of the Canal and left at the East end; however, immediately after it left the canal, it entered the Pacific Ocean. It did not double back through the Canal, nor did it sail backward. How could this be so?

[Season36Fan]

That's easy.  The Panama canal is built in such a location that its eastern entrance is actually the Pacific ocean.

And that's not a riddle, that's a geography question!

[TPIR1990]

That's easy.  The Panama canal is built in such a location that its eastern entrance is actually the Pacific ocean.

And that's not a riddle, that's a geography question!

Sure it is! You had to use logic! haha

But you are correct!

Remarkable as it may seem, the West end of the Panama Canal is in the Caribbean and the East end in the Pacific. The Isthmus snakes around at that point and the Canal runs from Northwest (the Caribbean) to Southeast (the Pacific). If you still do not believe it, look it up in a large-scale atlas.

Deadline: Sunday, August 24.

Clues: 1

At a family reunion, it was found that the following relationships existed between the people present: Father, Mother, Son, Daughter, Uncle, Aunt, Brother, Sister, Cousin, Nephew and Niece; however, there were only four people there. How could this be so?

[JokerFan]

A father had a son, and the mother had a daughter.  The father and the mother are siblings, not married to each other.  This means the daughter is the niece of the father, and the father is the uncle of the daughter.  The mother is the aunt of the son, and the son is the nephew of the mother.  The son and the daughter are cousins.

[TPIR1990]

A father had a son, and the mother had a daughter.  The father and the mother are siblings, not married to each other.  This means the daughter is the niece of the father, and the father is the uncle of the daughter.  The mother is the aunt of the son, and the son is the nephew of the mother.  The son and the daughter are cousins.

Almost Joker, but you left out Sister and Brother.

[JokerFan]

Almost Joker, but you left out Sister and Brother.

The father and the mother are siblings, not married to each other.

Since they are siblings, it would mean that the father was the brother of the mother, and the mother was the sister of the father.

[TPIR1990]

Since they are siblings, it would mean that the father was the brother of the mother, and the mother was the sister of the father.

I think you got it Joker, but I'm so confused, who the hell knows. haha Here's what I have.

There was a brother and sister. The brother's son was there and so was the sister's daughter. From this, it follows that the son and daughter were cousins, and all the other relationships are quite straightforward.

Deadline: Monday, August 25.

Clues: 1

Two trucks have to carry the same heavy loads across a desert. One is an older truck with an older driver, Joe, who knows his way to the village that is their destination. The other truck is more modern, but its driver, Jim, does not know the way. They agree that the modern truck will follow the older one. Unfortunately, Jim has forgotten to fill up with fuel. By the time he does this, the first truck is well out of sight; however, it has left very clear tracks in the sand, and Jim follows them.

After some time, the tracks start to become less and less clear. Eventually, they disappear altogether. This surprises Jim, because there is no wind to cover the tracks and his own tracks are still very clear. There is no sign of the other truck, but in due course a bedouin on a camel arrives, and, with his help, Jim gets to the village. There, he meets Joe and discovers the reason why the tracks disappeared. What was it?

[JokerFan]

Yes, that is what I have.  (The only difference is that I explained the straightforward relationships.)

[Season36Fan]

They were both hauling sand.  The first truck had a leak.

[TPIR1990]

They were both hauling sand.  The first truck had a leak.

Good guess, but no. The sand would blend in too with the other sand.

[Season36Fan]

Good guess, but no. The sand would blend in too with the other sand.

That's exactly the point... the sand falling off the first truck covered its tracks, making them indistinguishable from the desert floor.  It's perfectly reasonable - your riddle may just have more than one answer.

[Ton80]

I still think my sheep answer was correct!!

But on to the trucks...

As the first truck drove, the weight of the fuel + the truck caused the tracks to be deeper in the sand.  As the truck drove, it burned off fuel, thus lightening its weight, causing the tracks to be less and less deep, until they could no longer be seen.  Jim's tracks were still clear because he had just filled up with fuel, and his truck is now heavier.

[TPIR1990]

That's exactly the point... the sand falling off the first truck covered its tracks, making them indistinguishable from the desert floor.  It's perfectly reasonable - your riddle may just have more than one answer.

True, just not the one I'm looking for. I'm not saying yours is wrong.

I still think my sheep answer was correct!!

But on to the trucks...

As the first truck drove, the weight of the fuel + the truck caused the tracks to be deeper in the sand.  As the truck drove, it burned off fuel, thus lightening its weight, causing the tracks to be less and less deep, until they could no longer be seen.  Jim's tracks were still clear because he had just filled up with fuel, and his truck is now heavier.

On the right track.