Thinking Outside the Lines

I like this kind of stuff because you have to think a little differently to find the answers. Sometimes a change of perspective does us all good.

Try to solve this riddle yourself before you scroll down for the answer.

A woman leaves her house and walks 500 miles north, 500 miles west, and 500 miles south to arrive back home. When she gets there she sees a bear. What colour is the bear?

Can you solve this before you scroll down?

 

Here it comes...

The answer to the riddle:

I bet you didn't expect the question about the bear. Well, the answer is white, and here's why: to arrive home on that route, the walker's 500 miles west has to circle the globe, and the only place where the world is narrow enough for this itinerary is at the top. So the woman is somewhere in the Arctic and the bear is a polar bear. Sure, it's a little far-fetched but, hey, it's a riddle.

Next: The Transfer of Curves