Puzzle Sum 16
What two animals do these sums spell?
SOLUTION
PANTS + TRAP – STRAP + HERD + APPLE – DAPPLE = PANTHER
HIP + POP + EAR – PEAR + POTATO + EMU – TOE + SCOT – COT = HIPPOPOTAMUS
Difficulty: Easy
Samuel Loyd (1841 – 1911), born in Philadelphia and raised in New York City, was an American chess player, chess composer, puzzle author, and recreational mathematician. As a chess composer, he authored a number of chess problems, often with interesting themes. At his peak, Loyd was one of the best chess players in the US and was ranked 15th in the world, according to chessmetrics.com.
Mastermind
You must find a 3-digit number. You know that:
- 682 shares one digit with the number, and it is well placed;
- 614 shares one digit with the number, but it is wrongly placed;
- 296 shares two digits with the number, but they are wrongly placed.
What is the number?
SOLUTION
The first and second clues imply that the 6 is not a part of the number. The third clue then implies that 2 and 9 are parts of the number. Now the first clue implies that 2 is the last digit of the number, and the third clue implies that 9 is the first digit of the number. Finally, the second clue implies that 4 is the second digit of the number. Therefore, the number is 942.
The Bank Robber
Harry Ape robbed a bank yesterday and has been hiding in the bitterly cold forest. Max Mouse found Harry’s clothes near a hole in the pond ice. Why does Slylock Fox believe that Harry is nearby?
SOLUTION
Slylock thinks Harry fell through the ice, and after climbing out of the water, took off his wet clothes due to the frigid temperatures. The sleuth suspects the ape is nearby because the wet clothes are still unfrozen.
Puzzle Sum 15
What two fish do these sums spell?
SOLUTION
HERON – ON + RING = HERRING
SHEAR – EAR + LAD – L = SHAD
Puzzle Sum 13
What state does this sum spell?
SOLUTION
WISP + EAR – PEAR + CONVENT – VENT + SINGER + MAN – GERMAN = WISCONSIN
Teardrop Maze
Enter through the tip and find your way to the shine of this teardrop.
SOLUTION
The solution is shown below.
Ball Thrower
How can you throw a ball and have it come back to you, even though the ball is not attached to anything, doesn’t bounce off anything and nobody catches it and throws it back to you?
SOLUTION
Throw it straight up in the air.