Thursday 28 February 2013

28/02/2013 - Coin Jumping (***)

This puzzle is rated 2 star (hard).

Description


Layout 10 coins in a row.

Coins must jump two places and over exactly two coins each time (either one coin in each of the two spaces it is jumping or over two coins in one place and zero coins in the other place).  This rule has been shown above.

Puzzle
Using the rules given above end with 5 stacks of 2 coins.

Check the solutions page for the correct answer. 

Wednesday 27 February 2013

27/02/2013 - Three Cups (*)

This puzzle is rated 1 star (easy).

Description


Three cups are placed on a table, with the outer two facing up and the middle one facing down.

Puzzle
Flipping two cups each move, make three moves to have all the cups facing up.

Check the solutions page for the correct answer.

Tuesday 26 February 2013

26/02/2013 - Your ABC (***)

This puzzle is rated 3 star (hard).

Description


A nice bit of algebra this one.

ABCD x E = DCBA

Puzzle
Work out what A, B, C, D and E are for the above equation to work.

Check the Solutions page for the correct answer.

Monday 25 February 2013

25/02/2013 - Cards (*)

This puzzle is rated 1 star (easy).

Description


This is a classic puzzle.  You need to know there are 4 lots of 13 different types of card in a standard 52 card deck.

Puzzle
In two decks of cards, what is the least amount of cards you must take to be guaranteed at least one four-of-a-kind?

Check the solutions page for the correct answer.

Sunday 24 February 2013

24/02/2013 - Missing Numbers 1 (**)

This puzzle is rated 2 star (medium).

Description

This is just a straight algebra questions, but there is an easier way to work it out.

835X + XY2 = Y14Y

Puzzle
Work out X and Y.

Check the solutions page for the correct answer.

Saturday 23 February 2013

23/02/2013 - Bad Shop (*)

This puzzle is rated 1 star (easy).

Description


George was buying a set of garden furniture, which costs $70.

He gave the attendant what he thought were two $50 notes, but actually handed over two $100 notes.

The attendant was sleepy and didn't notice either, so he gave George what he thought were three $10 notes, but actually handed over three $50 notes.


Puzzle
Who ended up better off than they should?

Check the solution page for the correct answer.

Friday 22 February 2013

22/02/2013 - Sharing Sandwiches (***)

This puzzle is rated 3 star (hard).

Description


Fred, Bill and Gary went for a hike.  Fred took 5 sandwiches, Bill took 3 sandwiches and Gary took none.

When they sat down to eat Fred cut each of his sandwiches into 3 equal parts.  Bill also cut his sandwiches into 3 equal parts.

Fred, Bill and Gary each ate 8 sandwich parts, but because Gary was feeling guilty he gave Fred and Bill 1 pound for each sandwich part he ate.

Puzzle
How should the £8 be split between Fred and Bill?

Check the solutions page for the correct answer.

Thursday 21 February 2013

21/02/2013 - Golden Payment (**)

This puzzle is rated 2 star (medium).

Description


You have a solid gold bar, marked into 7 equal parts.

You need to pay an employee each day for one week. 


He charges exactly 1/7 of the gold bar per day. 

You are only allowed to make 2 cuts into the bar (and this is gold so don’t even think about “folding” the bar). 

Puzzle
How can you make the cuts to pay your worker one gold piece every day?

Check the solutions page for the correct answer.

Wednesday 20 February 2013

20/02/2013 - Toads and Toadstools (***)

This puzzle is rated 3 star (hard).

Description


Here is a class puzzle.

Two white toads and two black toads are sat on toadstools (that can only fit one toad on each).  There are 8 toadstools arranged in a square (3 by 3, with the middle empty), as shown above.  The white toads are sat in the corners at the top and the black toads in the corners at the bottom.

The toads want to swap places, but they can only jump according to the rules of a knight in chess (that is 2 squares up or down and one to side, or two squares to the side and one square up or down).

Puzzle
Swap the toads positions in as few moves as possible.

Check the solutions page for the correct answer.


Tuesday 19 February 2013

19/02/2013 - How Many Triangles 2 (**)

This puzzle is rated 2 star (medium).

Description




Make sure you can clearly see the image shown above.

Puzzle
How many triangles are there in the shape shown above?

Check the solutions page for the correct answer.


Monday 18 February 2013

18/02/2013 - Missing Number (**)

This puzzle is rated 2 star (medium).

Description


The above 4 triangles are completed by using the same rules.

Puzzle
What is the missing number from the centre of the forth triangle?

Check the solutions page for the correct answer.

Sunday 17 February 2013

17/02/2013 - 53 Steps (**)

This puzzle is rated 2 star (medium).

Description


Construct the grid above exactly.

Puzzle
Move from the highlight number 5 in the bottom left to the highlight number 4 in the top right, so that the sum of all the squares you land on equal 53.

You can only move horizontally and vertically, not diagonally.

Check the solution for the correct answer answer

Saturday 16 February 2013

16/02/2013 - When? 1 (*)

This puzzle is rated 2 star (easy).


Description
Three days ago, yesterday was the day before Sunday.

Puzzle
What day will it be tomorrow?

Check the solutions page for the correct answer

Friday 15 February 2013

15/02/2013 - Birthday Cake (**)

This puzzle is rated 2 star (medium).

Description


There is a round sponge birthday cake and eight hungry birthday guests.

Puzzle
Slice the cake with only 3 cuts, to create 8 even parts (exactly).

Check the solutions page for the correct answer.

Thursday 14 February 2013

14/02/2013 - Valentines (**)

This puzzle is rated 2 star (medium).

Description



A nice little equation for St Valentine's Day.

Puzzle
Solve:
9x + 7i < 4x + 21u +5x

Check out the solutions page for the correct answer.

Wednesday 13 February 2013

13/02/2013 - Wolves (*)

This puzzle is rated 1 star (easy).

Description



Six wolves kill six lambs in six minutes.

Puzzle
How many wolves does it take to kill sixty lambs in sixty minutes?

Check the solutions page for the correct answer.

Tuesday 12 February 2013

12/02/2013 - Carriages (**)

This puzzle is rated 2 star (medium).

Description


Mr and Mrs Green, Mr and Mrs Brown and Mr and Mrs White sit in a railway carriage.

There are three seats on each side of the carriage, with a door on one side.

No man sits next to, or opposite, his wife.

No man sits next to another man.

Mr Green is neither next to, nor opposite, Mrs Brown.

Mr White is not by the door.

Puzzle
Where is each person sitting?

Check the solutions page for the correct

Monday 11 February 2013

11/02/2013 - Number Circle (*)

This puzzle is rated 1 star (medium).

Description


Copy the diagram above.

Puzzle
Place the numbers 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 in the circles so that no number is next to a number that is one more or one less than itself.

Check the solutions page for the correct answer.

Sunday 10 February 2013

10/02/2013 - Even Triangle (*)

This puzzle is rated 1 star (easy).

Description


Construct the triangle above.

Puzzle
Put the numbers 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 and 13 in to the triangle so that all of the sides are equal to each other.

Check the solutions page for the correct answer.

Saturday 9 February 2013

09/02/2013 - Trains (**)

This puzzle is rated 2 star (medium).

Description



The red engine is behind the yellow engine.
The yellow engine is behind the green engine.
The blue engine is between the purple engine and the red engine.
The orange engine is last.

Puzzle
Put the engines in order.

Check the solutions page for the correct answer.

Friday 8 February 2013

08/02/2013 - Dominoes 1 (*)

This puzzle is rated 1 star (easy).

Description



Use above and imagine (or use) 4 dominoes labelled 3:4, 5:3, 4:2 and 3:2.

Puzzle
Place the dominoes 3:4, 5:3, 4:2 and 3:2 onto the grid above, so that each side has numbers summing to 10.

Check the solutions page for the correct answer.

Thursday 7 February 2013

07/02/2013 - A Dozen Apples (***)

This puzzle is rated 3 star (hard).

Description



It was the day before Christmas, and a shopkeeper was feeling rather generous, so he said to his assistant:

“Today you may sell these apples for a pound a dozen less than they were. That will mean that customers will get one more apple for a pound.”

Puzzle
What were the old and new prices for a dozen apples?

Check the solutions page for the correct answer.

Wednesday 6 February 2013

06/02/2013 - How Many Triangles 1 (**)

This puzzle is rated 2 star (medium).

Description


Make sure you can clearly see the image shown above.

Puzzle
How many triangles are there in the shape shown above?

Check the solutions page for the correct answer.

Tuesday 5 February 2013

05/02/2013 - From A to B (***)

This puzzle is rated 3 star (hard).

Description


A bike travels downhill at 20 mph (miles per hour), on the level (flat road) at  15 mph, and uphill at only 12 mph. The bike takes 4 hours to travel from town A to town B. The return trip takes 4 hours and 40 minutes. 

Puzzle
Find the distance between the two towns.

Check the solutions page for the correct answer.

Monday 4 February 2013

04/02/2013 - Got Any Change? (**)

This puzzle is rated 2 star (medium).

Description

British coin change comes in various amounts.  Less than the pound coin (which is equal to 100 pence) there is the 1 pence piece, the 2 pence piece, the 5 pence piece, the 10 pence piece, the twenty pence piece and the fifty pence piece.

Puzzle

What's the most amount of money you can have, with all of your coins being less than a 1 pound coin, so that you DON’T have change of £1, i.e. you can't have 2 fifty pence pieces because they equal 1 pound.

Check the solutions page for the correct answer.

Sunday 3 February 2013

03/02/2013 - Fifteen (*)

This puzzle is rated 1 star (easy)

Description


Write down the numbers 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9.

Puzzle
How many ways can you add 3 of the number 0 to 9 (inclusive) to make 15?

Check the solutions page for the correct solution.

Saturday 2 February 2013

02/02/2013 - It Equals 1 (***)

This puzzle is rated 2 star (medium).

Description


Use the fraction layout shown above, where there is one digit "over" two others.

Puzzle
Using the numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9 construct three fractions were one digit is over two others (e.g. 1/23) so that when the three fractions are added together equal 1.

You must use each number once and once only.

Check the solutions page for the correct answer.

Friday 1 February 2013

01/02/2013 - Spoke II (**)

This puzzle is rated 2 star (medium).

Description
Draw the spoke diagram as shown below, placing the number 7 in the top circle.
 

Puzzle
Using the numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6, place one number in each circle so the every three numbers on a straight line equal each other.

Check the solutions page for the correct answer.