Test your skills of deduction with the July 2025 edition of Riddle Me The Bird that Broke the Camel’s Back
A 1-ton truck must cross a bridge that can hold no more than 1 ton. The truck is empty but barely weighs 1 ton. As it’s halfway across the bridge, a bird weighing 20 grams lands on it. Will the bridge collapse?
Click to Reveal Answer
1431 Graham Drive, Suite 265
support@noonpi.com
Assuming the truck gets 10 miles per gallon, the halfway point of the bridge would have to be at least 396 feet from the start point, or else the bridge will collapse once the bird lands on the truck.
Another factor is the type of fuel, or whether any fuel is involved at all. If this were a hybrid truck, there may be no fuel consumption at all. There would definitely be none if it were all-electric.
As the Truck crosses the bridge, a marginal amount of fuel will be consumed; Assuming the bird lands on truck after the mid-point, enough fuel should have been consumed to carry the 20-gram bird without bridge collapse. Additionally, the design would likely have additional provision of safety factor in the calculations to accommodate the bird for the full crossing, in my opinion.