What goes up and down without moving? Riddles have never been my strong point, but this one caught my eye. I’ll give you a few seconds to ponder your answer.

First, how does one go about answering such a riddle? The “without moving” part states the major restriction. So we set that condition first and then look for any compliant answer which fulfills the “up and down” requirement.

The answer could be something that is fixed in one place. It could be something that spans the “up” and “down” from its current position. Could it be something abstract like air or emotions that do not have a tangible physical manifestation, and therefore do not appear to be moving?

Time’s up. Did you make a guess yet?

I often draw a blank when it comes to riddle questions. When in doubt, ask the Internet. Paging Google…

What goes up and down without moving?

There are several possible answers. Please have a look and then feel free to discuss them in your comment. Other suggestions are welcome also.

The Sun:

On the Riddlesbrainteasers.com forum, several people suggested that the sun goes up and down without moving. Why doesn’t it move? Because the earth is moving around it, giving us the illusion that it is circling our world. We are moving in relation to the sun, so it appears to go “up and down” each day without actually needing to move. Of course, the sun is not stationary (it does rotate and move through space), but it does not need to do so to create the perception (from our vantage point on earth) of going up and down.

Info Source: RiddlesBrainTeasers

A Flight of Stairs:

What goes up and down without moving? ResearchManiacs believes that the best answer is a flight of stairs. It does not move. And it connects up with down. Yet this is slightly disingenuous because the stairs themselves do not GO up and down. Only people walking up and down the stairs travel between these altitudes and they are moving in order to accomplish this.

Info Source: ResearchManiacs

The Carpet on the Stairs:

Similarly, something laid over the surface of the stairs could be said to be going up and down without actually moving. A carpet fits this definition. Even a person laying down (uncomfortably) on the stairs and spanning several steps could be said to be going up and down without any motion. I’ll credit the Teacherneedhelp.com site for the carpet idea.

Info Source: TeacherNeedHelp

People on an Escalator:

Though I have not seen this mentioned elsewhere, an escalator is an obvious variation on the staircase. Escalators are moving stairs. So the staircase no longer complies with the “without moving” condition. But what about the people on it? They are travelling up or down without moving their own bodies to get there.

Temperature:

Temperature plunges high and low without movement. However, to track this, one needs a thermometer. Up and down is exactly what a thermometer shows.

There must be other possible answers for this riddle. Do you have any good ideas?

And while we are on the subject of riddles, here is another really fun one: The pesky problem of two doors