There are 4 people, lets call them Ramesh, Mahesh, Suresh and Jitesh. They are on a trek and it is already dark. They need to cross a bridge to reach a rest house on the other side. The bridge is flimsy and can only take two people at any given time. Also, since it is dark, they need a candle to cross the bridge and there is only one candle amongst the four of them. They also have different speeds with which they can cross the bridge – Ramesh can cross the bridge in 1 minute, Mahesh in 2 minutes, Suresh in 5 minutes and Jitesh in 10 minutes.

What is the shortest amount of time in which they can cross the bridge, and how?

Source: From a friend’s daughter (same one who gave me the 5 pirates puzzle)

Age Group: 8 years+ but good for adults as well