Eastaway Rob - Mindbenders and Brainteasers: Where Maths Meets Creative Thinking

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INTRODUCTION

Whats the point of a puzzle? For some, it is the enjoyment of working at a challenge and coming up with an answer. For others, looking up the solutions is at least as much fun as attempting the puzzles themselves. This is because the best puzzles often have surprising short cuts or unexpected twists in their solutions. In that respect, the solution to a good puzzle is like the punchline to a good joke.

This collection of puzzles includes many of our favourites. Weve deliberately included a few that are old favourites, because we know that many people like to be reminded of the classics. The majority of the puzzles, however, will be unfamiliar to most readers.

Many of the puzzles can be solved after only a few moments thought though sometimes the ones that seem simplest are the ones with the biggest traps. A few will require some serious thinking and some paper and pencil work, and these have been marked with a star.

Wed like to thank Jeremy Robson and Charlotte Howard for encouraging us to put together this new compilation, based on the books Brainteasers by David Wells and Mindbenders by Rob Eastaway and David Wells, originally published by Guinness.

* Puzzles with an asterisk are the ones most likely to require some serious pen and paper work.

THE AARDVARK AND THE ZEBRA

The Illustrated Encyclopaedia comes in two volumes, each of them about two inches thick. The books are sitting on the shelf next to each other, with AM on the left and NZ on the right. Josh has bookmarked the entries for aardvark and zebra. Roughly how far apart are the two bookmarks?

ROLLING WITH MONEY

Sue was fiddling with two 10p coins, rolling one of them round the other. Martin came over. You see these two identical coins? said Sue. I am going to keep the one on the right still while I roll the one on the left round it without it slipping or sliding. What do you think will happen to the Queens head when it gets to the other side?

The head will be upside down, of course! Martin replied. Sue smiled smugly. What is the correct answer?

A WORD QUIZ

Ive got a strange list of words here, said Sam, and apparently there is one missing.

Let me have a look at the list, said Nicky.

CWM

FJORD

BANKS

VEXT

GLYPH

A cwm and a fjord are both something to do with valleys, arent they? And I suppose valleys have banks. What about glyph and vext though? Nicky asked.

Apparently a glyph is a mark like a hieroglyph, and vext is an ancient spelling of vexed.

Well Im none the wiser, said Nicky.

Nor me, said Sam.

Can you solve this quiz by finding the missing word?

TAKING THE BISCUIT

Tom had been meddling with his mothers biscuit tins while she was out. One of the tins contained only Digestive biscuits, another contained only Rich Tea biscuits, and the third contained a mixture. He had carefully taken off all the labels and replaced them so that each label was on the wrong tin.

When his mother returned, Tom confessed what he had done. She reached into one tin and removed a single biscuit. From that she could deduce exactly where all the labels ought to go. Which tin did she open?

PAST THE POSTMASTER

Mr Jones wanted to send a snooker cue by parcel post, but he was disappointed. The postmaster told him that it was a little over two metres in length, and that no parcel over 1.5 metres in length, width or depth could be accepted. Mr Jones was not stumped for long. He went away and wrapped it carefully, brought it back, and the postmaster accepted it for posting. He didnt have to shorten the cue. Indeed, it was just as long as before he had wrapped it. How did he get it past the postmaster?

A MOVING PROBLEM

This picture represents a cherry and a glass. Of course, you could put the cherry in the glass by picking it up and moving it, but that would be too easy. Your challenge is to put the cherry in the glass by moving only two matches.

CHRISTMAS CARD MYSTERY

Last December the Crown & Greyhound pub was selling its own Christmas cards. Cards were sold separately and in theory you could ask for whatever number of cards you wanted. Among other combinations, many customers bought multiples of five cards: lots bought 5; some bought 15; and several bought 20. What seems odd, though, is that nobody at all bought 10 cards. Apart from coincidence, can you think of a simple explanation for this?

A KNOT OR NOT A KNOT?

Martin had found a length of old rope. Grab the other end and pull, he said to Sue.

Dont be silly, she replied. It may turn into a knot.

No it wont, said Martin.

How do you know? asked Sue.

Bet you! said Martin.

Was Martin right? Does the tangle of rope knot if you pull the ends?

TYPEWRITER TROUBLE*

Dear Mum,

Thanks for sending me your old electronic typewriter. Its great except for a strange little problem with the daisy wheel. Every time I type the letter z ju tubsut up hp gvooz. K owuv igv kv hkzhg zlir M gsqi lsqi.

Psxw sj pszj,

Xzk

Who sent the letter?

BUS QUIZ

On the town buses, all of the fares are either 1 or 70p. Yesterday, Mrs P put 1 on the tray and the driver gave her a 1 ticket. Then Mrs Q put 1 on the tray, and the driver asked her do you want a 70p or 1 ticket?. The driver had never seen either of the women before, so why the different treatment?

WATER TEASER

The family were picnicking not far from the river bank at the spot marked X. Maria had gone to fetch some water in a can, but had forgotten her task and wandered off to pick some wild flowers at Y.

Wheres the water? cried out Mrs Watson. I cant make tea without water! Maria immediately put down her flowers and ran to the river bank, filled the can with water, and ran back to her mother. If Maria took the shortest route from Y to the river bank, then back from the river bank to X, where on the river bank did she fill her can?