what goes up and never comes down

jomslae

2 min read

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16-04-2025

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What goes up but never comes down? This classic riddle has a playful nature, inviting multiple interpretations and answers. While the most common answer is age, let's explore the various possibilities, delving into the science, the metaphorical, and the simply fun.

The Most Common Answer: Age

The most widely accepted answer to the riddle "What goes up but never comes down?" is age. As we live, our age increases, constantly moving upward on the numerical scale. It never decreases; we don't get younger. This is a simple, straightforward, and perfectly valid solution.

Scientific Explorations: Altitude and Pressure

Thinking scientifically, we could consider things related to altitude and pressure.

• A rocket's trajectory: A rocket might initially ascend, reaching a certain altitude before its trajectory changes. However, the initial upward movement fits the riddle. The rocket's eventual descent doesn't invalidate the initial upward motion.

• Air pressure at higher altitudes: As you ascend in altitude, air pressure decreases. This decrease is a continuous upward trend, albeit a negative one, relative to sea level pressure. While not the most intuitive answer, it holds a scientific basis.

Metaphorical Interpretations: Knowledge and Value

Beyond the literal, we can explore metaphorical interpretations.

• Knowledge: As we learn and gain knowledge, our understanding increases – it goes “up.” This increase generally continues throughout life, making knowledge a strong contender for this riddle.

• Value (sometimes): The value of certain collectibles like rare stamps or art can increase over time, seemingly "going up." However, this isn’t always a guaranteed upward trend, so it's a less consistent answer than others.

Other Creative Answers (and why they might not fit)

Several other answers have been proposed, but they often bend the meaning of "goes up" or "never comes down."

• The sun: The sun appears to rise each day and "go up," but it's more about the Earth's rotation. It doesn't literally ascend and stay permanently "up."

• A hot air balloon: While a hot air balloon goes up, it eventually comes down.

The key is the enduring nature of the upward trend. The answer needs to consistently and perpetually increase.

Why This Riddle is Enduring

The riddle's enduring appeal lies in its simplicity and multiple interpretations. Its open-endedness encourages creative thinking and conversation. It highlights the diverse ways we can perceive and understand the world around us, from the literal to the abstract.

The ambiguity of the wording allows multiple valid solutions, depending on the context and perspective. Whether you choose age, a scientific concept, or a more abstract idea, the riddle offers a fun mental exercise that sparks discussion and reveals different ways of thinking.

So, next time someone asks, "What goes up but never comes down?" you have several engaging and thoughtful answers to offer.