Puzzles Editor Kabir Firaque is the author of the weekly column Problematics. A journalist for three decades, he also writes about science and mathematics.
Articles by Kabir Firaque
Problematics | Meet Gabbar Singh, probability theorist
How likely are Gabbar Singh's men to survive his partly loaded revolver? A mathematical perspective
Published on Aug 07, 2023 12:42 PM IST
Weird Science | Wriggling worms and the state between life and death
Cryptobiosis, first observed in 1702, is when an organism can power down for a millennium, survive harsh conditions, and then come 'alive' at the right time
Published on Aug 04, 2023 08:59 PM IST
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
Now I Get It: Why the Hat and Spectre have been making news
They can tile an indefinite plane without repeating a pattern. The search for such shapes began in the 1960s. Why does any of this matter? Find out.
Updated on Jul 29, 2023 03:49 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
Weird Science | It is indeed time to worry about the Upside Down
The ground beneath our feet is heating up and causing its own kind of climate change. But there’s a silver lining
Published on Jul 22, 2023 09:56 AM IST
J Robert Oppenheimer, and the science behind the nuclear bomb
J Robert Oppenheimer is known as the father of the atomic bomb. A science backgrounder on the making of the bomb
Updated on Jul 22, 2023 12:35 AM IST
Kabir Firaque, New Delhi
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
Much ado about green hydrogen
It's touted to be the next big source of energy. The Centre already has a mission in place, and a Union minister recently promoted the idea. An explainer
Updated on Jul 12, 2023 08:22 PM 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
How the periodic table pushed scientific discovery
The periodic table is not just the story of discoveries aided by better technological innovations, it’s also the story of sheer genius
Updated on Jun 05, 2023 09:02 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
The chemistry behind hooch tragedies
The body breaks alcohol down into different compounds. Methanol, used to prepare hooch, gets converted into toxic compounds
Updated on May 24, 2023 12:29 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
Amid Gyanvapi dispute, how carbon dating works, and when it doesn’t
Radiocarbon dating may work on cement if there's organic material inside it. For rock, there are other processes, with limitations
Updated on May 19, 2023 02:10 PM IST
Kabir Firaque, New Delhi
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
Human diversity captured in new reference ‘pangenome’
The human reference genome has just got an upgrade: it is now a “pangenome” to represent more diversity between various individuals and populations.
Updated on May 11, 2023 03:30 PM IST
Kabir Firaque, New Delhi
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
‘Not a victim’: Rosalind Franklin’s role in solving the mystery of DNA structure
Popular narrative sees her as a scientist whose data was stolen. But she must be remembered as an equal contributor, write researchers revisiting her story
Updated on May 08, 2023 05:06 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
