05/01/2014 - 12th Day (**)

This puzzle is rated 2 star (medium).

Description

Here's another classic puzzle that we've yet to look at.

The Twelve Days of Christmas" is a cumulative song, meaning that each verse is built on top of the previous verses. There are twelve verses, each describing a gift given by "my true love" on one of the twelve days of Christmas.

...and so forth, until the last verse:

On the twelfth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me..

12 Drummers Drumming

11 Pipers Piping

10 Lords-a-Leaping

9 Ladies Dancing

8 Maids-a-Milking

7 Swans-a-Swimming

6 Geese-a-Laying

5 Gold Rings

4 Colly Birds

3 French Hens

2 Turtle Doves

And a Partridge in a Pear Tree.

So, on the first day the true love gave 1 item (a Partridge in a Pear Tree).  On the second day he gave 3 items (2 Turtle Doves and a Partridge in a Pear Tree), summing to 4 items in total!

Puzzle

What is the total sum of all the gifts by the end of the twelfth day?

Check the solutions for the correct answer.

25/12/2013 - Christmas Pudding (*)

This puzzle is rated 1 star (easy).

Description

Father Christmas spends 364 days of the year as a taster of Christmas puddings (which is why he is so round and jolly). Recently he came across a Magic Pudding. 

If you eat some of this pudding, the next thing you say comes out in a magic code.

Father Christmas tried it, liked it, and said:

"IP! IP! IP! XIBU B MPWFMZ QVEEJOH! NFSSZ DISJTUNBT BOE B IBQQZ OFX ZFBS UP ZPV BMM!"

Puzzle
What did Father Christmas Say?

Check the solutions page for the correct answer.

24/12/2013 - Mince Pies (*)

This puzzle is rated 1 star (easy).

Description

Father Christmas has to visit a lot of homes on Christmas Eve when he is out delivering presents. He usually gets a glass of sherry and a mince pie at each house too. 

Now, Father Christmas can manage the sherry, but finds eating all those mince pies quite difficult. So Rudolph helps him out.

Last year Father Christmas finished his rounds with lots of mince pies to spare. He gave 25 million (25 000 000) to Rudolph. 

It takes Rudolph just 10 seconds to eat a mince pie. 

Puzzle
How long did it take Rudolph to eat all 25 million mince pies, without stopping? 

An hour? A day? A week?

Check the solutions page for the correct answer.

03/05/2013 - Triangles and Quadrilaterals (**)

This puzzle is rated 2 star (medium).

Description

A slight change from our "how many triangles" puzzles!

Puzzle
How many triangles and quadrilaterals are there in the above shape.

Check the solutions page for the correct answer.

01/04/2013 - How Many Triangles 4 (**)

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.