I like to get up early and go for long runs on Sunday mornings. I also happen to be a huge fan of NPR’s Weekend Edition, so since that airs at 8, I like to be done with my run at around that time. In any case, I slept in last Sunday and didn’t finish my run until about 8:30 and while I was in the car I got to a hear a bit of the puzzle thing that they do. I typically hate that segment because…well, it’s Sunday and it’s early in the morning and this requires more brain power than I have at that hour.
But on the drive home I heard this puzzle for next week’s show:
A calculator displays a five-digit number. The first four digits are 8735. These digits form a logical sequence. What is the fifth number in the series?
Does anyone have an idea what this is? I had forgotten about the puzzle until about 20 minutes ago and now I can’t get it out of my mind. I typically see patterns quickly and I can’t figure this one out! Anyone?









Comments (5):
I have no idea, but I will guess 4.
You see, I’m thinking it’s 2.
I’ll let you know what I hear on Sunday.
The answer is 5. There are two clues: The authors are Ukranian (so this doesn’t involve English words) and the puzzle does involve a feature of the standard calculator.
Relayman is right. It’s 5.
Well, they are going to announce in a about 40 min. but I think it it 4 because:
5-letter-words in alphabetical order (clue 5 digits)
EIGHT
SEVEN
THREE
4-letter words in alphabetical order
FIVE
FOUR
NINE
ZERO
3-letter words in alphabetical order
ONE
SIX
TWO