How Smart Are You? 3 Quick Questions to Test Your IQ

Are you interested in testing your intelligence without enduring a lengthy IQ test? Look no further. There is a concise IQ challenge comprising just three challenging questions, known as the cognitive reflection test, which was featured in a research paper issued in 2005 by MIT professor Shane Frederick.
Despite over 3,000 participants from diverse backgrounds attempting the test, merely 17 percent managed to complete it.These three questions stumped 83 percent of the participants. Well! If you think you are a genius and accept dare to give the correct answers then check out the questions below;
1. The total cost of a bat and ball is $1.10. The bat costs $1 more than the ball. What is the cost of the ball?
2. Five machines can produce 5 widgets in 5 minutes. How long would it take for 100 machines to produce 100 widgets?
3. In a lake, there is a patch of lily pads that doubles in size every day. It takes 48 days for the patch to cover the entire lake. How many days would it take for the patch to cover half the lake?
People put in substantial effort but guessed it wrong. The incorrect answers given by people were:

Now, let's check out the correct answers to these challenging questions and their explanation;
1. 5 cents
Explanation: Let's assume the ball's cost is x. If the bat costs $1 more than the ball, its cost would be x + 1. Substituting these values into the equation (x + x + 1 = $1.10) yields 2x + 1 = 1.10. Solving for x, we find x = 0.05, indicating the ball costs 5 cents. Consequently, the bat costs $1.05.
2. 5 minutes
Explanation: It takes 5 machines 5 minutes to produce 5 widgets, which means each machine takes 5 minutes to produce 1 widget. When 100 machines work together, each producing widgets in 5 minutes, the result is 100 widgets in 5 minutes.
3. 47 days
Explanation: If a patch of lily pads in a lake doubles in size every day and takes 48 days to cover the entire lake, it would take 47 days for the patch to cover half the lake, given the exponential growth pattern.