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.

25/03/2013 - When? 2 (**)

This puzzle is rated 2 star (medium).

Description

Nine days ago, the day before yesterday was three weeks before a party.

Puzzle
If it is Sunday, what day of the week is the party on?

Check the solutions page for the correct answer.

21/03/2012 - Countdown (**)

This puzzle is rated 2 star (medium).

Description
Here in the UK there is a TV programme called "Countdown".  Countdown is primarily about creating words from randomly chosen letters, but there is a couple of rounds based around numeracy.  Basically the contestant picks a random set of numbers and using only the numbers a maximum of 1 time and the operations add, subtract, multiply and divide he has to make a total.

Sometimes these are hard to get...

Puzzle
Using the rules of Countdown outlined above to make 446 using the numbers 100, 6, 2, 8, 9 and 5.

Check the solutions page for the correct answer.

20/03/2013 - Dominoes 2 (**)

This puzzle is rated 2 star (medium).

Description

Use above and imagine (or use) 4 dominoes labelled 6:6, 6:2, 2:5, 3:1, 1:5, 4:6, 5:6, 3:3 and 2:1.

Puzzle
Place the dominoes 6:6, 6:2, 2:5, 3:1, 1:5, 4:6, 5:6, 3:3 and 2:1, so that the correct numbers are covered by the dominoes.

Check the solutions page for the correct answer.

19/03/2013 - Alphamaths (**)

This puzzle is rated 2 star (medium).

Description

 

Decription

1. A is one-third of C and one-quarter of G
2. G is ten lower than H
3. H is double the value of F, but four lower than B
4. B is six higher than D
5. D is double the value of E
6. the value of E is lower than G

Puzzle
From the following six clues, find the values of the letters A to H. Each letter contains a different whole number in the range 1-30.

Check the solutions page for the correct answer.

18/03/2013 - Strawberry Picking (*)

This puzzle is rated 1 star (easy).

Description

A gardener planted a row of 10 strawberry plants in his garden, setting them exactly 1 m apart.

Each plant produced just one strawberry.

When picking time came, the stupid gardener placed a basket 1 m from the end of the row, and then proceeded to pick and carry each strawberry to the basket one by one.

Puzzle
How far did the gardener have to walk when picking his strawberries?

Check the solutions page for the correct solution.

17/03/2013 - Four Times Table (*)

This puzzle is rated 1 star (easy).

Description

For this puzzle you need to know your 4 times table.

The sequence is 4 + 8 + 12 + 16, etc (adding multiples of 4).  Giving totals of 4, 12, 24, 40, etc.

Puzzle
What is the first number past 200 that you reach?

Check the solutions page for the correct answer.

16/03/2013 - Sponsored Walk (**)

This puzzle is rated 2 star (medium).

Description

Harry recently went on a Sponsored Walk to raise funds for new equipment at the local Hospital.  His sponsor form looked like this:

Sponsor's Name	Amount Per km	Total
Fat Freda	10p
Dim Jim	15p
Tall Tanya		£3
Silly Cilla	5p
C.U.Jimmy	5p
Albert Bodge		£2.50
Roland Heap	20p
Nice Nigel		£4.50
Merlin Shriek	20p
Carol Singer	25p

Altogether Harry collected £22.00 from his sponsors. 

Puzzle
How far did he walk?

Check the solutions page for the correct answer.

15/03/2013 - Alpha-numbers (*)

This puzzle is rated 2 star (easy).

Description

Write out the numbers 1 to 20 (inclusive) in order, as words.

Puzzle
When placing these numbers in alphabetical order, how many numbers remain in their original position?

Check the solutions page for the correct answer.

13/03/2013 - Old News (***)

This puzzle is rated 3 star (hard)

Description

A newspaper is printed on 8 large sheets of paper that are laid on top of each other and folded in half. 

This means that the newspaper has 32 pages altogether.
The first sheet contains pages 1, 2, 31 and 32.

Puzzle
I pick up a sheet containing page 25. What are the other pages that this sheet contains?

Check the solutions page for the correct answer.

12/03/2013 - How Many Triangles 3 (**)

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.

07/03/2013 - True Number (**)

This puzzle is rated 2 star (medium).

Description

I am thinking of a 6-digit number. The sum of the digits is 43. 

And only two of the following three statements about the number are true: 

1. It's a square number,
2. It's a cube number, and
3. The number is under 500000.

Puzzle
What is the number?

Check the solutions page for the correct answer.

06/03/2013 - Four 4s (10-19) (**)

This puzzle is rated 2 star (medium).

Description

During this puzzle you can only use the following mathematical functions:

• Addition
• Subtraction
• Multiplication
• Division
• Decimal point
• Square-root
• Brackets
• Power (e.g. 4 to the power 4 is 4 x 4 x 4 x 4 = 256)
• The number of 4 exactlyf 4 times.
  

Puzzle
Using only the mathematical functions and the number 4 (EXACTLY 4 times) construct the numbers from 10 to 19.

Check the solutions page for the correct answer.

05/03/2013 - Adding It Wrong! (**)

This puzzle is rated 2 star (medium).

Description

This is an additional table that seems to follow a different pattern.

Puzzle
Work out the missing number.

Check the solutions page for the correct answer.

04/03/2013 - How Much? (**)

This puzzle is rated 2 star (medium).

Description

Brian was about to pay £12 for a number of cakes, but then the baker decided two throw two extra ones in for free, because they were so little.

By adding the two extra cakes the cakes now cost one pound a dozen less than when Brian was about to pay.

Puzzle 
Tell now how many eggs she received for her twelve cents?

Check the solutions page for the correct answer.

03/03/2013 - Weighing the Baby (***)

This puzzle is rated 3 star (hard).

Description

A the mother weighs 100 pounds more than the combined weight of the baby and the dog, and the dog weighs 60 percent less than the baby?

Puzzle
How much does the baby weigh?

Check the solutions page for the correct answer.

02/03/2013 - Missing Numbers 2 (**)

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.

X72 + 3Y8 = 47Z


Puzzle
Work out X, Y and Z.

Check the solutions page for the correct answer.

01/03/2013 - What Symbol? (*)

This puzzle is rated 1 star (easy).

Description

Write out the numbers seven and eight, with a space between them.

Puzzle
What mathematical symbol can you put between the seven and the eight, to get a number bigger than seven but smaller than eight?

Check the solutions page for the correct answer.

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. 

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

31/01/2013 - Zero (**)

This puzzle is rated 2 star (medium).

Description

Create a triangle with 4 squares on each side (9 squares in total) like the one shown above.

Puzzle
Put the number -4, -3, -2, -1, 0, 1, 2, 3 and 4 into the squares so that each side equals 0.

Check the solutions page for the correct solution.