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Editors Pick
]Problematics | Meet Gabbar Singh, probability theorist
Published on Aug 07, 2023 12:42 PM IST
How likely are Gabbar Singh's men to survive his partly loaded revolver? A mathematical perspective
Problematics | What to wear to be allowed into a club
A club spells out who is allowed in; can you figure out who isn’t? There’s also a fun pun this week
Published on Jul 31, 2023 12:57 PM IST
Problematics | When two people share the same birthday
How many people must you select at random before the probability of two or more common birthdays crosses 50%
Published on Jul 24, 2023 02:32 PM IST
Problematics | Crossing the desert without enough fuel
A puzzle in which you make a long trip across forbidding terrain, but will need more supplies than you can possibly carry.
Published on Jul 17, 2023 12:07 AM IST
Problematics | How to bring equality to two unequal piles
Another party trick with playing cards, and a set of movie anagrams. Which one do you find easier?
Published on Jul 10, 2023 01:14 PM IST
Weird Science | Why our fingers and toes wrinkle when wet
The reason why toes wrinkle is still not fully understood, but it may be related to walking on slippery surfaces like stones in rivers.
Published on Jul 06, 2023 08:33 PM IST
Problematics | The rate of eating a growing food course
The grass keeps growing on a field as cows keep eating it. How many cows can finish it all up in how many days?
Published on Jul 03, 2023 04:27 PM IST
Goodenough’s great contribution: The Li-ion battery
The 2019 Nobel prize winners, Goodenough, Whittingham, and Yoshino's breakthroughs powered the mobile electronics revolution and electric vehicle transition
Published on Jun 29, 2023 03:48 PM IST
Problematics | How to use candles as your timekeeper
The line between a textbook sum and a ‘puzzle’ is not always clear. Here’s an example that may straddle both words.
Updated on Jun 26, 2023 04:10 PM IST
Weird Science | The long and short of an elephant’s trunk
It’s one of the most versatile organs among all mammals exhibiting a rare combination of immense strength and dexterity and holds great inspiration for robotics
Published on Jun 23, 2023 11:18 AM IST
Problematics | Games of deduction before Wordle came
As in Wordle, you use test words to deduce a secret word. What's the hidden word in the example below?
Published on Jun 19, 2023 04:14 PM IST
Problematics | The who’s who of dogs and humans in the park
Who owns the pug and who owns the mastiff? How old is the dog whose owner is 86 years old? Try this Einstein puzzle
Published on Jun 12, 2023 02:16 PM IST
WEIRD SCIENCE: Yes, AI can read your mind (a little bit)
For one, it depends on how we train AI to associate a thought with the electrical activity that the thought generates. Two, your consent is everything
Published on Jun 06, 2023 08:07 PM IST
Problematics | Catch me if you can, with luck or skill
Probability puzzles sometimes appear more complex than they actually are. This one is deceptively simple.
Published on Jun 05, 2023 03:16 PM IST
Problematics | Vizag to Kolkata, via an equilateral triangle
A point lies inside an equilateral triangle. If you know the distance of the point from each of the three vertices, what is the side of the triangle?
Published on May 29, 2023 04:43 PM IST
Problematics | Go with or against the flow and keep it simple
Here's a puzzle that's not as difficult as it may seem. Can you solve it with calculations on relative velocity? Or is there a simpler way?
Updated on May 22, 2023 02:24 PM IST
WEIRD SCIENCE | Did you know robots can’t use their hands the way humans do?
Bio-engineering is yet to solve for dexterity for robots. Sure, science fiction predicts the future, and they’ll take over the earth some day. Just not yet.
Published on May 20, 2023 02:13 PM IST
Problematics | A classic remix of old milk in new bottle
What is there more of, milk in the glass of water, or water in the bottle of milk? Try to keep it simple.
Updated on May 15, 2023 04:05 PM IST
Problematics | 6 men from 6 cities: who gets the job?
This one belongs to a family that we call Einstein puzzles. I have adapted my 1993 original just a little bit, for 2023 readers.
Updated on May 08, 2023 05:45 PM IST
Problematics | How to multiply, and why it works
This week, we try a different multiplication method and a puzzle including substitution and addition. Good luck!
Published on May 01, 2023 01:59 PM IST
Problematics | Cat-and-mouse games and betting strategies
A puzzle made from a Russian original, involving cats and mice, and another from betting at a casino, involving wins and losses. Good luck!
Published on Apr 24, 2023 03:34 PM IST
Problematics | A magic square, but not the kind everyone knows
This week, we have a one-of-its-kind magic square and a math problem. Good luck!
Updated on Apr 17, 2023 04:48 PM IST
Problematics | Games people play with sets of matches
This week, I bring you two puzzles: One involves a game from the past and the other, a sneak peek into a part of my day. Good luck!
Updated on Apr 10, 2023 06:02 PM IST
The market for Picassos may be about to turn
After a long bull run, the man and the artist are being re-evaluated
Updated on Apr 06, 2023 05:46 PM IST
The Economist
Problematics | A trick that works, an equation that doesn’t
This week, we bring to you a party trick with a (slightly) lengthy description and a strange equation of 1s and 0s. Good luck!
Published on Apr 03, 2023 12:35 PM IST
Problematics | Swimmers’ meetings and Asimov’s pretty numbers
This week, we have challenging puzzles, one involving speed and distance and the other, a list by Isaac Asimov, giving both our puzzles a touch of unusualness. Good luck!
Published on Mar 27, 2023 02:12 PM IST
Problematics | A password to puzzles with Jamie Lee Curtis
On December 19, 2022, I invited you to crack my password to the account where I store my puzzles. Since you did, I had to change my password for security reasons — and I used JAMIE LC for inspiration. Here are #Week30's puzzles.
Updated on Mar 20, 2023 01:44 PM IST
Problematics | Rubik’s colours and Pythagorean triples
This week's puzzles include a mischievous child, a Rubik's cube, and the Pythagorean triangle. Good luck!
Published on Mar 15, 2023 10:12 AM IST
Problematics | In the name of Einstein, match the following
Creating a full-length Einstein puzzle, I found, can be an exhausting but ultimately rewarding exercise. Here you go.
Published on Mar 06, 2023 03:54 PM IST
Problematics | The price of mixing apples and oranges
It may be fine to compare apples with oranges, but you should be wary about mixing the two, except perhaps in a fruit salad. Here’s why.
Updated on Feb 28, 2023 08:45 AM IST
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