A farmer has chickens and cows. Counting heads, there are 15. Counting legs, there are 42. How many chickens does the farmer have?
9
If all 15 were chickens, there would be 30 legs. Each cow adds 2 extra legs (4 instead of 2). 42 - 30 = 12 extra legs. 12 / 2 = 6 cows. 15 - 6 = 9 chickens.
About this riddle
Math riddles hide a calculation inside a short story. Pull out the numbers, work out what is being asked, and watch for a trick such as a unit change.
Difficulty: Medium. More like this: Math riddles with answers or try Target 24 for a different kind of puzzle.
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