Puzzle Definition and 618 Threads

A puzzle is a game, problem, or toy that tests a person's ingenuity or knowledge. In a puzzle, the solver is expected to put pieces together in a logical way, in order to arrive at the correct or fun solution of the puzzle. There are different genres of puzzles, such as crossword puzzles, word-search puzzles, number puzzles, relational puzzles, and logic puzzles.
Puzzles are often created to be a form of entertainment but they can also arise from serious mathematical or logical problems. In such cases, their solution may be a significant contribution to mathematical research.

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  1. S

    Special relativity particle observation puzzle

    Here's a little special relativity puzzle that I found interesting. Say we have two particles initially at rest in a frame O and separated by a distance L. They begin to uniformly accelerate at t=0 in a direction along the line separating them, until they reach a velocity v at some time t...
  2. K

    Energy Violation Puzzle - The use of Negative Buoyancy to run a turbine

    I was just swimming with a floating board for the pool, and came up with a thought. What would happen if you had two tubes one filled with air, and the other one filled with water. If you could somehow get an object less than half the density of water to fall down the tube with the air and go...
  3. T

    Solve Probability Puzzle: 1 in 25 Chance?

    Good mornign folks. I have sought out this forum in hopes to end a continued argument here in teh office. Below I will describe the situation. If you have time or interest in providing some directionit would be greatly appreciated. 25 card deck. 25 different cards. Shuffle then cut then show...
  4. A

    How Fast Does the Dog Run in This Intriguing Math Puzzle?

    "Yes, when I take my dog for a walk," said a mathematical friend, "he frequently supplies me with some interesting puzzle to solve. One day, for example, he waited, as I left the door, to see which way I should go, and when I started he raced along to the end of the road, immediately returning...
  5. rcgldr

    THAN programming - puzzle - learning aid

    An extremely simple and old (1960's) programming language based on an imaginary machine. The machine has two peripherals, at paper tape reader, and a paper tape punch. The character set only includes two characters, Asterisk and Hypen. The CPU has 20 memory locations, which hold instructions...
  6. I

    Simple acceleration puzzle I with,I forgot how to do.

    Homework Statement Two markers M1 & M2're set up a vertical distance h apart. When a steel ball is released from rest from a pt a distance x above M1,it's found that the ball takes time t1 to reach M1 and time t2 to reach M2. Which expression gives the acceleration of the ball...
  7. K

    An Integer Temperature Puzzle

    The other day, Mack was preparing a table consisting of integer Fahrenheit temperatures (F) which yields integer Celsius (C) equivalent upon conversion. He noted that F= 527 gave the corresponding C value as 275 and realized that, he could have simply moved the first digit in F to the end to...
  8. J

    Solving the Two-Cut Rectangular Cake Puzzle

    Warning: I do not know the answer to this one. If this will keep you up at night, do not read on. I was asked this in a job interview a long time ago. They did like my answers, even though they were "wrong". Still here? OK. You are presented with a rectangular cake. Somewhere at an...
  9. P

    Entanglement Puzzle: Exploring Measurement & Simultaneity

    A friend of mine wrote a paper on entanglement, measurement, and simultaneity. the professor provided an interesting question, which he felt demonstrated a violation of special relativity. Of course, this is most likely due to a lack of understanding on the professor's part, but neither I nor...
  10. A

    Solve Trigonometry Puzzle with P, S and H

    Trigonometry "puzzle" If we know the perimeter P of a triangle, a side S of it, and the height H down on the line going through S, then we have uniquely determined the triangle. It is not wholly trivial to derive the expressions for the other two sides in terms of P,S and H.
  11. moe darklight

    Can You Solve This Challenging Letter Placement Puzzle?

    not going to lie... this thing got me pretty frustrated. :bugeye: : you're going to need the picture in the link (print it or copy it on a piece of paper, it's pretty easy to draw. http://aycu37.webshots.com/image/10476/2004406912463755374_rs.jpg - The letters A-P are to be arranged in the...
  12. K

    Solve Chessboard Puzzle: One King, Five Knights & Two Queens

    Consider a conventional 8×8 chessboard. Arrange one King, five Knights and two Queens on it in such a manner that every vacant square is under attack.
  13. T

    Solving for 100x: A Math Puzzle

    Hi, I recall a thingy when you have somthing like x = 0.91919191 then you go 100x = 91.919191 100x - x = 91 When do you use this? It's in conjuction with somthing else... looked in my textbook can't find it. Thanks
  14. S

    Dispersion and Dichroism in Gravitational Fields

    Hi! Following Landau&Lifschitz (L&L) (I´m not a researcher in GTR) it is possible to arrive to a 3D version of Maxwell equations in a GTR-correct form. These equations resembling the ones in a dispersive electric and magnetic material, suggest, at first glance, that there should be a dispersion...
  15. G

    Toni and the Bike: Physics Exam Puzzle

    I'm going through my end of the year exam papers, since I figured I should actually make an effort at school this year, well anyway I'm terrible at physics and this question stumped me. Heres a diagram ( I drew it in MS paint ha, I even included a helmet cause riding bikes without one ain't...
  16. K

    What is the identity of the enigmatic I in this timeless puzzle?

    I begin eternity, And end space, At the end of time, And in every place, Last in life, Second to death, Never alone, Found in your breath, Contained by earth, Water or flame, My grandeur so awesome, Wind dare not tame, Not in your mind, Am in your dreams...
  17. K

    Discovering Pairs of Positive Integers for Divisibility Puzzle

    Determine all possible pairs of positive integers (m, n) for which (n^3 + 27)/(mn - 9) is an integer.
  18. K

    .Solve the Algebra 1 Puzzle: Two Men and Their Ages

    Algebra 1 Help! This is really easy but I just can't seem to get it. Two men were talking about their ages. One said he was 94 years old. "Then," said the younger, "the sum of your age and mine multiplied by the difference will be 8512." How old was the young man. I thought all i...
  19. L

    What Is the Mechanism Behind the Fido Puzzle?

    http://www.digicc.com/fido/ Someone please explain to me how it works.
  20. dontdisturbmycircles

    Puzzle Games for PC: Find Fun & Enjoyable Games for Killing Time

    I am looking for a way to kill some time lately. I enjoy PC games with fairly difficult puzzles. I recently enjoyed "The secrets of Atlantis"... Fairly basic game but a lot of puzzles and quite fun. Does anyone know of any good puzzle type games? I even enjoy games such as Sudoku, so feel free...
  21. Andre

    Is the Superdokey Puzzle the Ultimate Brain Teaser?

    http://home.wanadoo.nl/bijkerk/soduky12.GIF This looks a lot like a very popular pastime puzzle with millions of addicts but it is not, it's a superdokey with one more rule. For the lay persons, the rules of the original game are: http://home.wanadoo.nl/bijkerk/soduky6.GIF 1: In each...
  22. M

    Solve the Factorials Sum Puzzle: Find the Last Two Digits

    Here is a sum from MATHCOUNTS: What are the last two digits in the sum of the factorials of the first 100 positive integers? From 1! to 4! you can add the units digits, since 5! to ... have 0 in their units place. From that I get 13, and I carry over the 1 over to the next column and...
  23. K

    Exam Puzzle: Will it be Disadvantageous for Jane?

    Jane took several exams in math during the academic year with grades such as a,b,c,d,e,f and once she did quite badly. When repeating the poor exam, the teacher offered that instead of the two grades, say f and A, she can have the average of the two grades. Will it be disadvantagenous for...
  24. K

    Solve Weedy Willie's Division Puzzle

    A couple of years back, I came across a nice problem in a puzzle magazine. PROBLEM: Weedy Willie was getting too old to work the land alone so he decided to divide his cornfield between himself and his four sons in proportion to their five work rates. He knew that Rastus, Wig, Twig and Swig...
  25. A

    Solve Abu Kamil's Algebra Puzzle from 9th/10th Century

    "One says that ten is divided into three parts, and if the small one is multiplied by itself and added to the middle one multiplied by itself, it equals the large one multiplied by itself, and when the small is multiplied by the large, it equals the middle multiplied by itself." This is a...
  26. K

    Possible Non-negative Integer Solutions to 3^x + 5^y = 7^z + 1

    Determine all possible non-negative integer solutions to the equation: 3^x + 5^y = 7^z + 1 [ Comment: * I have only been able to derive (x,y,z) = (0,0,0); (1,1,1) as two of the solutions to the given problem. * It can be shown that each of x, y and z must be odd ( whenever x,y and...
  27. K

    What Values of R Yield Multiple Solutions to 2^P-3^Q = R?

    (A) Determine all possible values of R that yields multiple solutions to the equation: 2^P – 3^Q = R; where P, Q and R are all positive integers. (B) Determine all possible values of R that yields multiple solutions to the equation: 2^P – 3^Q = R; where P, Q are positive...
  28. D

    Puzzle On Current Of electricity

    Hi all, In a lighting storm,why do cows get killed more often than chickens?(i'm serious) Any help will be appreciated.
  29. K

    What is the Unique Function Possessing Certain Properties on Positive Integers?

    Consider all functions g from the positive integers to the positive integers such that: (a) For each positive integer p there exists an unique positive integer q such that g(q) = p; (b) For each positive integer q, we have g(q+1) as either 4g(q) -1; or; g(q) -1. Determine the set of...
  30. quasar987

    Convolution and fourier transform puzzle

    My notes (from a physics course) justifies the following equality by invoking the convolution thm: \int_{-\infty}^{+\infty} \chi(\omega)\vec{E}_0(\omega)e^{-i\omega t}d\omega=\int_{-\infty}^{+\infty} \chi(\tau)\vec{E}_0(\tau-t)d\tau From a mathematical standpoint (i.e. without reference to...
  31. marcus

    Penrose: Outrageous Solution to Big Bang Cosmology Puzzle

    Penrose: Before the Big Bang--Outrageous Solution to a Profound Cosmological Puzzle a video of a talk given at Perimeter Institute recently by Sir Roger Penrose Before the Big Bang: an Outrageous Solution to a Profound Cosmological Puzzle go here...
  32. Y

    Solving the Puzzle: Train and Car Speeds

    A train is moving parallel and adjaceent to a highway with a constant speed of 33 m/s, initially a car is 37 m behind the train, traveling in the same direction as the train at 47 m/s and accelerating at 5 m/s^2. What is the speed of the car just as it passes the train? Answer in units of m/s...
  33. Astronuc

    What is the mystery behind the puffy planet HAT-P-1?

    Puffy planet poses pretty puzzle http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/5346998.stm http://www.cfa.harvard.edu/press/pr0624.html http://arxiv.org/abs/astro-ph/0609369 http://www.cfa.harvard.edu/~gbakos/
  34. T

    Solving the Puzzle of the Suspended Brick

    Hi: I have two questions to answer and I,m not sure of the answers. I have looked in textbooks but that didn't help. The first one is: There is a brick hanging from the ceiling by a weak rope. there is another rope atached to the brick which a student is holding. If the second rope is pulled...
  35. P

    What is the Remainder of a 3000-Layer 7 Power Tower Divided by 11?

    Consider an exponential tower of three thousand 7's. What is the remainder when you divide the tower by 11? Note that this notation means 7^(7^7) not (7^7)^7. So it's kinda like the Ackermann Function maybe? The final answer must be given as a single integer in the range 0-10. Anyone got...
  36. P

    Modular Arithmetic and Exponential Towers: Solving the Power Tower Puzzle

    Consider an exponential tower of three thousand 7's. What is the remainder when you divide the tower by 11? Note that this notation means 7^(7^7) not (7^7)^7. So it's kinda like the Ackermann Function maybe? The final answer must be given as a single integer in the range 0-10. Anyone got...
  37. O

    What is the nature of Dark Matter?

    Recently reported observations of the Bullet Cluster of galaxies (see http://www.nasa.gov/centers/marshall/news/news/releases/2006/06-096.html ) claim proof that what I'll call Exotic Dark Matter (EDM) exists. Previously the most direct evidence for lots of some sort of Dark Matter (DM) was, as...
  38. -Job-

    What is the connection between NP-Complete problems and this puzzle game?

    There's a variety of NP-Complete problems like the Clique problem, the Hamiltonian cycle problem, Satisfiability, etc. Recently i discovered a simple puzzle problem that is NP-Complete (the proof involves a straightforward reduction of the Clique problem). Anyway, i built the actual puzzle...
  39. Z

    A Physics Puzzle: When & How High Will the 2 Objects Meet?

    Person A standing on the roof throws a book up vertically at 10m/s. At the same time, another person below that person 12 m throughs a ball at 25 m/s. when will the 2 objects meet and how far above the roof do they meet?-This reminds me of that train question I used to always get in math...
  40. W

    A Puzzle - Algorithm Needed or Involved?

    I am trying to solve a puzzle. How do I find an algorithm (or a formula) behind a series of six two-digit numbers? (The numbers are as follows: 14, 21, 33, 41, 56, 68.) The two-digit numbers, although different from one another, are always the same ones given. Each time they are rearranged...
  41. D

    Optimizing Separation Rate in Rotating Systems

    Hi all, The minute hand of a church clock is twice as long as the hour hand. At what time after mid-night does the end of the minute hand move away from the end of the hour hand at the fastest rate? I totally dun have a clue on how to do this any hints?? By thw way what is linear speed?
  42. J

    Solving a Physics Puzzle: Calculating Rope Tension

    Hey there all of you. I am doing some studying for my final for physics and i have come across this question. I thought it was easy but it is not working that way. The question is. A 4kg block (held by a block) is accelerating down at 3 m/s/s, what is the tension of the rope? So I am...
  43. T

    How Many Combinations for a 9-Button Lock Using 3 Buttons?

    Puzzle question... I am developing an interactive combination lock that involves utilizing a total of 9 buttons to open a door. I am wondering how many combinations there are if the answer requires a certain three to be pushed on? I am not sure how to calculate this, but I am trying to...
  44. N

    Optimizing Turns: Exploring Patterns in Turning Over Hexagonal Mats

    Here my problem to solve: (Could anyone share some insight?) You have seven hexagonal-shaped mats in a line. These mats all have to be turned over, but you can only turn over exactly three at a time. You can choose the three from anywhere in the line. A mat may be turned over on one move...
  45. marcus

    Puzzle: what's the entropy of BH horizon viewed from inside?

    In black hole thermo the famous entropy is that of the event horizon viewed from the outside. does the standpoint of the observer make any difference to the entropy? and in particular does it make any difference to the entropy of the horizon if the observer falls in and is now viewing the...
  46. I

    Calculating Water Pressure: A Puzzle to Solve

    To determine the pressure of water, you would use Force/Area. With a column of water. For example a 4 inch diameter column of water with 24 pounds of water in it. Equation would be 24/12.56637061. Would equal 1.909 psi. But if at the bottom of the column there was a 1 inch diameter tube. Would...
  47. Mk

    New Da-Vinci-Code-movie puzzle, by Google

    According to Google, the puzzles require skill, intellect, and perseverance. Google promises that should anyone answer all 24 puzzles correctly, they will have a chance of winning "untold riches." (oooh) The Google webquests run over a span of 24 days ending May 11th 2006. One new puzzle of the...
  48. L

    Solving a Focal Length Puzzle: Find the Image Location and Size

    A converging lens has a focal length of 25cm. A 1.00cm tall object is placed 15.0cm in front of the lens. Find the image location and size, and describe it. Draw a ray diagram. Ok so I get 1/p + 1/q = 1/f rearranged for q=pf/p-f which equals -37.5, so the object is 37.5cm behind the...
  49. M

    5th puzzle post-the impossible sequence

    :cool: o.k wats missing from the LINE UP... 9,36,225,256,400, _ ,1225,1600 . damm, u got all the others instantly.. hope it isn't the case for this ...its a 3 step solution ...sorta ,nothing too ridiculous ,,and its slightly lateral and mensa ' ry...
  50. M

    Can You Crack This Number Puzzle?

    a number puzzle... tell me a the lowest number for which the number just below it is divisible by 2 ,the one below that 3, below that 4 ,and below that 5 ,and below that 6 .
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