# 53 bicycles: A lateral thinking puzzle **URL:** \ **Category:** Thread Games\ **Created:** [July 9, 2017, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868 "2017-07-09T19:51:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 75
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2017, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/1481 "2017-09-20T02:45:37Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > He wasn’t actually dressed all in white. > > His outfit was partly gold. > > . In the dream, it was pure white. Maybe not in the event that inspired the dream. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2017, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/1482 "2017-09-20T02:48:20Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > This isn’t on the moon, is it? > > I turn 40 next August and if they dropped a feather and hammer on the moon, I managed to make it this far without knowing this. OK, I looked. They _did_ do this on the moon. I had no idea. ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2017, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/1483 "2017-09-20T02:51:58Z")
Okay, I knew about the experiment, and recognised the description, save for one detail. What type of marsh do you find on the moon? ---
**Author:** ![Biotop](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biotop/32/321_2.png) [@Biotop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biotop)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2017, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/1484 "2017-09-20T02:55:17Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > This isn’t on the moon, is it? > > I turn 40 next August and if they dropped a feather and hammer on the moon, I managed to make it this far without knowing this. Yes, you got it. [And the feather is still there, according to NASA.](https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/lunar/apollo_15_feather_drop.html&ved=0ahUKEwiElt-i4LLWAhUJRyYKHY11B5oQFggsMAE&usg=AFQjCNH7goSNUUNNEfTUZMGRsGfgzPgtMg) Most certainly the only feather currently on the moon. In the “Marsh of Decay” (Palus Putredinus) on the edge of the Sea of Showers (Mare Imbrium). ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Mondegreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/91b2a8/32.png) [@Lord\_Mondegreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Mondegreen)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2017, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/1485 "2017-09-20T03:00:34Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > As soon as I saw dropping a hammer and feather, I knew what it was. Now that it has been solved, this was what settled it for me too. If the setup had been “two objects of different mass” I probably would not have twigged. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2017, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/1486 "2017-09-20T03:15:14Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Wait, 1934? I didn’t realize Ouija boards were that old. Checking Wikipedia, it looks like it was invented in 1890, but the article is full of contradictions. > > I still can’t understand how anyone takes them seriously, though. The pointer moves when peoples’ hands are on it-- How is that interpreted as anything other than people moving the pointer? My understanding is that it’s because no one actually feels like they are the one moving it. Apparently it amplifies small movement that everyone has naturally, without requiring any one person to be consciously trying to move it. As for the puzzle: I now do remember hearing about this, but it took **Mahaloth** asking about the moon for me to remember. I only knew one of the objects–the feather–and the marsh thing threw off my imagination. Then I thought about 70s sexploitation when the 1970s were mentioned. For some reason, I associate the moon stuff with the 1960s, despite the fact that it mostly took place after the decade changed. The literal decade and the cultural decade differ in my mind, I guess. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2017, 11:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/1487 "2017-09-20T11:28:28Z")
> [@](#): > > My understanding is that it’s because no one actually feels like they are the one moving it. Yes, but it also only works with two people operating it. So even if I don’t think I’m moving it, you’d think the default assumption would be that the other person is moving it and pulling a prank on me. [Basically, like this](http://www.gocomics.com/calvinandhobbes/1986/12/17). As to the hammer-and-feather puzzle, a better telling would probably have either just left it as “two objects” (don’t mention the masses at all), or “a tool and a part of an animal”. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2017, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/1488 "2017-09-20T14:04:31Z")
\*\*Someone is offering a service that will have to be suspended once the person doing the service becomes too skilled at it. What is the service?\*\* ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2017, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/1489 "2017-09-20T14:28:05Z")
Executioner? Skilled in death by hanging (aka suspension)? ---
**Author:** ![Biotop](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biotop/32/321_2.png) [@Biotop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biotop)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2017, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/1490 "2017-09-20T14:50:10Z")
Window washer on skyscraper? ---
**Author:** ![Thing\_Fish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecb155/32.png) [@Thing\_Fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thing_Fish)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2017, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/1491 "2017-09-20T15:23:35Z")
Psychotherapy? Therapists in training institutes are available at much lower cost than fully trained therapists, but of course the therapy has to end when the trainee graduates. Actually, I guess the same applies to medical students and residents in any field of medicine. So: is the service some sort of medical or psychological treatment? ---
**Author:** ![Thing\_Fish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecb155/32.png) [@Thing\_Fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thing_Fish)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2017, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/1492 "2017-09-20T15:30:32Z")
Does “suspended” in this context mean that the person will have to stop providing the service? If yes to above: That definition of “suspended” usually implies a temporary condition. Is there a possibility that the person might resume providing the service to the original recipient at some time in the future? Also if yes to first question: After suspending the services provided to the original recipient, will the person be able to continue providing the service for other people once he/she becomes sufficiently skilled, or will they have to stop entirely? Does “suspended” in this context refer to the act of elevating or holding in place some physical object? ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2017, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/1493 "2017-09-20T16:40:23Z")
> [@Quartz](#): > > Executioner? Skilled in death by hanging (aka suspension)? No. > [@Biotop](#): > > Window washer on skyscraper? No. > [@Thing\_Fish](#): > > So: is the service some sort of medical or psychological treatment? No. > [@Thing\_Fish](#): > > Does “suspended” in this context refer to the act of elevating or holding in place some physical object? Really NO to everything. It means stopped. I just copied the language from the original puzzle. The word “suspended” is not that relevant. ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2017, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/1494 "2017-09-20T16:42:52Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > \*\*Someone is offering a service that will have to be suspended once the person doing the service becomes too skilled at it. > > What is the service?\*\* Pretty much true of any service. Being too good at it eliminates the need for it. For a while, at least. Is it something to do with medicine? Is it something to do with teaching? ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2017, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/1495 "2017-09-20T16:48:31Z")
Is the person counting cards at a casino? ---
**Author:** ![Knowed\_Out](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/knowed_out/32/7380_2.png) [@Knowed\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knowed_Out)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2017, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/1496 "2017-09-20T17:45:51Z")
Does it involve some sort of destructive act? Does it require training to a basic level, then switching to more advanced training? ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2017, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/1497 "2017-09-20T20:10:20Z")
How about a torturer? I have read that they have to stop after a while otherwise the job gets to their heads. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2017, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/1498 "2017-09-20T20:16:54Z")
> [@Peter\_Morris](#): > > Is it something to do with medicine? > > Is it something to do with teaching? No to both. > [@Telemark](#): > > Is the person counting cards at a casino? No. > [@Knowed\_Out](#): > > Does it involve some sort of destructive act? > > Does it require training to a basic level, then switching to more advanced training? No to both. > [@Quartz](#): > > How about a torturer? I have read that they have to stop after a while otherwise the job gets to their heads. No. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2017, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/1499 "2017-09-20T21:02:58Z")
By the way, if this one kind of sucks, I apologize. I got it off a lateral puzzle podcast. I liked it enough to use it, but it isn’t a normal “situation” type puzzle like I usually prefer. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2017, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/1500 "2017-09-20T21:11:32Z")
Is the person offering the service making a product as part of that service? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868.md?page=74) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868.md?page=76)