Odd riddle

[thecoolnessrune]

A spy is sent to the other camp by it's comerades to check out if there is anyway to sneak into the fortress. Near the fortress there is a bush so the spy hides in it and wait to see what happens. After a while a soldier walks to the gates and a guard aims his gun at him while shouting "6!". The guard replies "3!" And the soldier is let in the fortress.
After a while another soldier comes up to the camp and now the guard shouts, while pointing his gun "12!" The soldier answers with "6!" and is also let through
Another while later again a soldier arives at the gates and while the guard again points his gun he shouts "18!" The soldier answers with "9!" And again no trouble.
Moro Takoma: Ahhh" the spy says "This'll be a pieceof cake" He walks from his hideout, kills one of the enemy soldiers, takes his armor and walks to the gate. The guard points his gun at him and shouts "10!" And the answer of the spy is "5!" The next moment the liveless eyes of the spy are looking at the mud before the encampment, he was shot and killed. What should the answer have been?

I thought and thought about it but nothing I can come up with makes sense. What about you guys?

EDIT: Updated in last post. It wasn't 12 or 8.

 

[bGIveNs33]

three?

edit: reasoning behind three because twelve has six letters eighteen has nine etc. etc.

 

[BoomerD]

12

 

[Jhill]

It's because the dumb ass guard couldn't figure out what half of 10 was.

 

[Chronoshock]

I'm guessing it either has to do with the word itself (how the number is spelled, pronounced, etc) or perhaps its some other mathematical operation. One possibility is that you append the numbers together to make it divisible by 9 (63, 126, 189 are all divisible by 9) and so for 10 he should say 8?

 

[thecoolnessrune]

May I ask why you guys think that is the answer? It's just something the professor gave us that we need to have an answer for by tomorrow. He's been known however to give "there isn't a right answer" riddles before. So I thought maybe this was one of them. But I'm trying all the same.

 

[Adn4n]

Does the exclamation point signify a factorial?

 

[thecoolnessrune]

Originally posted by: Chronoshock
I'm guessing it either has to do with the word itself (how the number is spelled, pronounced, etc) or perhaps its some other mathematical operation. One possibility is that you append the numbers together to make it divisible by 9 (63, 126, 189 are all divisible by 9) and so for 10 he should say 8?

i had thought abotu this and this was my conclusion too.. but i wanted other thoughts as well..

Glad I'm not the only one who thinks that way..

 

[Syringer]

nm

 

[Chiropteran]

Originally posted by: bGIveNs33
three?

edit: reasoning behind three because twelve has six letters eighteen has nine etc. etc.

Uh, eighteen has 8 letters, not 9.

 

[KillerCharlie]

Originally posted by: bGIveNs33
three?

edit: reasoning behind three because twelve has six letters eighteen has nine etc. etc.

Eighteen has 8 letters.

 

[bGIveNs33]

Originally posted by: Chiropteran

Originally posted by: bGIveNs33
three?

edit: reasoning behind three because twelve has six letters eighteen has nine etc. etc.

Uh, eighteen has 8 letters, not 9.

touche.

 

[thecoolnessrune]

Originally posted by: Adn4n
Does the exclamation point signify a factorial?

That would have made 6! 720 though.. so I don't see how that would work with 3! being 27..

 

[Savarak]

nvm

 

[Adn4n]

I'm well aware what the factorials come out to be, I was merely thinking it could be part of the riddle.

 

[Jhill]

Maybe he just forgot to take off his uniform? And the guard just saw he was an enemy?

 

[thecoolnessrune]

Originally posted by: Jhill
Maybe he just forgot to take off his uniform? And the guard just saw he was an enemy?

Lol, he's a psych professor in his other classes so perhaps that would genuinely be the case?

Maybe he just wants to piss everyone off XD

 

[shortylickens]

Guys, seriously, we all know what the answer is.

42.

 

[spidey07]

Looks like it could have something to do with how many factors. So the answer should be 4.

 

[thecoolnessrune]

Originally posted by: spidey07
Looks like it could have something to do with how many factors. So the answer should be 4.

Oi.. nvm.. I need a soda and aint thinking straight..

 

[heathertre]

I think it's 12. If you look at the pattern of the answer number is 3, 6, 9 so the next number would be 12.

 

[KK]

42

 

[heathertre]

Originally posted by: KK
42

:thumbsup:

 

[Turin39789]

furries

 

[Mo0o]

Originally posted by: heathertre
I think it's 12. If you look at the pattern of the answer number is 3, 6, 9 so the next number would be 12.

but the soldiers coming in have no idea what has or hasn't been called out so they have no idea what their position in the progression of 3,6,9... would be unless theres no math involved and its just dumb memorizing