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.

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?

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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?

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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?

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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.

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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?

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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?

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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?

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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?

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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.

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.

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.

29/01/2013 - Guess My Number (*)

This puzzle is rated 1-star (easy).

Description

1. I am a three digit number.
2. I am divisible by 5.
3. My digits add up to 8.
4. The tens digit is smaller than hundreds digit.
5. I am less than 300.

Puzzle
Find the number from the above clues.

Check the solutions page for the correct answer.

15/01/2013 - Spoke (*)

This puzzle is rated 1 star (easy).

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

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

Check the solutions page for the correct answer.

12/01/2013 - Die Hard Jugs (*)

This puzzle is rated 1 star (easy).

Description

This puzzle is taken from the film Die Hard With A Vengeance, where the characters John McClane and Zeus Carver open a briefcase only to discover that in doing so they have armed a powerful bomb. It will explode in a matter of minutes unless they can disarm it. Inside the briefcase there is a scale. They have at their disposal two jugs, like the ones shown above.  1 jug can hold exactly 5 litres of water and the other exactly 3 litres of water.  The water can be obtained from a nearby fountain.

Puzzle
Fill the 5 litre jug with exactly 4 litres of water.

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01/01/2013 - Tents (*)

Welcome to the first "Daily Maths Puzzle".

This puzzle is rated 1 star (easy)..

Description
If...
TEE = 4
TEN = 6
NEST = 10

When each letter is worth a positive integer* number of points and the points are added up to make the shown total.

Puzzle
Work out... the total value for TENTS.
TENTS = ?

*Integer = whole number

Check the solutions page for the correct answer.