River Crossing Puzzles: Real Life Maths Logic Problems

Challenge your mathematical and logical skills with engaging river-crossing puzzles. Solve real-life scenarios and conquer mind-bending challenges.

There are many challenging puzzles that can be made for River Crossing. Some of the river crossing puzzles rely on the weights of the persons. Some of the puzzles rely upon the time taken by a person to cross the bridge. There are many different conditions and different river crossing puzzles that can be created from these different conditions.

Here we are putting together some of the river crossing puzzles. In these River Crossing Brain Challenges, you play the role of John who along with other friends Tom, Garry, and David have to cross a few bridges before all can reach home safely. In this river crossing challenge, there are three different rivers that need to be crossed with different challenges. Let us see if you can solve these different puzzles and can lead yourself and your friends home safely?

Answers to these puzzles are given at the end of this post.

River Crossing Maths Puzzle

A. You (John) along with three other friends, Tom, Garry, and David need to cross a river in a small canoe. The canoe can only carry 100kg. John weighs 90kg, Tom weighs 80kg, Garry weighs 60kg and David weighs 40 kg. They also have 20kg of supplies. How will you lead to help you and your friends to cross the river in minimum trips?

River Crossing Torch Puzzle

B. Now after crossing this river day passes and night starts. They come across another river. This river is not having any canoe to cross. However, there is a bridge on this river. It is completely dark. They have only one torch and the river is too risky to cross without the torch. if all people cross simultaneously then torchlight won't be sufficient. The speed of each person crossing the river is different. The crossing time for each person is as below

John: 1 min,

Tom: 2 mins,

Garry 7 mins and

David: 10 mins.

The bridge will collapse in 17 mins. Is it possible to cross the bridge safely before it gets collapsed?

What is the shortest time needed for all four of them to cross the river?

River Crossing Real-Life Logical Problem

After crossing this bridge, they come across my river which needs to be crossed before every reaches their respective homes. However few of them start fighting with each other and in the end, Tom wanted to kill Garry and Garry wanted to kill David. You (John) now have the responsibility to make all of them cross the river without fighting and killing each other. In your presence, everyone behaves very well. However, if you are not around then Tom will kill Garry or Garry will kill David. There is a small boat to cross this river which can carry a maximum of two people at a time. How will you make sure that this river is crossed without anyone harming another person?

Please check out similar Logical Brain Teasers as mentioned below

List of Logical Brain Teasers and Puzzles

1. Critical Thinking: Out of Box Thinking Brain Teasers for Students with Answers: Check out Logical thinking brain teasers which will make you think critically and out of the box.

2. Six Practical Problems and their Remarkable Solutions: Good Logical thinking helps us to solve practical problems. Here are six practical problems in which you have to think logically. Some of the answers to these practical problems will blow your mind.

3. Out of Box Thinking Fun Brain Teasers with answers to Challenge your Mind: Think Out of Box to solve these fun Brain Teasers which will twist your mind.

4. The Brain Wiring Test for Kids, Teens, and Adults with Answers: At last give The Brain Wiring Test to check your IQ levels.

River Crossing Puzzles-Answers

Hidden solutions of how John helped his friends to cross the bridge and made sure that all of them reach home safely are given below. We have hidden the solutions to avoid a spoiler. Do select the text between the puzzle marked with the alphabet to watch the corresponding answer.

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River Crossing Maths Puzzle-Answer

1. David and Garry cross the river (60+40=100kg)

2. David comes back. Tom takes supplies (80+20=100kg)

3. Garry comes back. David and Garry go again (60+40=100kg)

4. David comes back. John goes over alone. (90Kg)

5. Garry comes back. David and Garry cross the river (60+40=100kg) and with this, all crossed the river.

River Crossing Torch Puzzle-Answer

Here we have to make sure that people who take more time cross the bridge together and none of them comes back. It means Garry and David cross the bridge together and they don't need to come back. So here is how this can be done.

John (1 min) and Tom (2 mins) cross the bridge carrying the torch (Total = 2mins)

John (1 min) comes back with the torch (Total = 3 mins)

Garry(7 mins) and David (10 mins) take the torch and cross the bridge (Total = 13 mins)

Tom (2 mins) comes back with the torch (Total = 15 mins)

Lastly, John (1 min) and Tom (2 mins) cross the bridge carrying the torch (Total = 17 mins)

So John along with his friends is successfully able to cross the bridge in 17 minutes, just before the bridge collapses.