A traveller arrives in a small town and decides to get a haircut. There are only two barbershops in town: one on East Street and one on West Street. The East Street barbershop is a mess, and the barber has the worst haircut the traveller has ever seen. The West Street barbershop is neat and clean, and its barber’s hair looks as good as a movie star’s. Which barbershop does the traveller go to for his haircut, and why?
Answer:
The traveller goes to have his hair cut at the barbershop on East Street. He figures that since there are only two barbershops in town the East Street barber must have his hair cut by the West Street barber and vice versa. So if the traveller wants to look as good as the West Street barber (the one with the good haircut), he’d better go to the man who cuts the West Street barber’s hair — the East Street barber. Also, the reason the West Street barbershop is so clean and neat is that it seldom gets customers.
Note: This brain teaser is a classic that has appeared in many books and on many websites. But this particular version was drawn from The New Indian Express (which actually contains several other fun/interesting riddles/brain teasers).