A Coin Game
Recently, a friend of mine showed me a very interesting game with coins. She asked me to bring three saucers first and she placed them in a line. Then she placed 5 coins of different denominations, one on top of another in the first saucer.
The coins were of the denominations Re 1/-, 50P, 10P, 5P and 25P and she placed the coins in the order of their size—smallest on the top and biggest in the bottom.
She now asked me to transpose these coins to the third saucer observing the conditions that I transpose only one coin at a time, I do not place a bigger on a small one and I use the middle saucer only temporarily observing the first two conditions but that in the end the coins must be in third saucer and in the original order.
‘Oh that’s very simple. This hardly needs much effort’ I said.
I took the 25P coin and put it in the third saucer. Then I kept the 5P coin in the middle saucer. Now I got stuck. I did not know where to put the 10P coin. It was bigger then both!
My friend smiled and said ‘put the 25P coin on top of the 5P coin. Then you can put the 10P coin in the third saucer’.
Mathematical Symbols Puzzles
We all come across many mathematical or numerical puzzles, which are based on the usage of mathematical symbols or notations. At times such puzzles can even be solved by changing the way things are written.
In this post I am presenting 3 such interesting puzzles. Keen observation and simple application of logic is required to solve them. So here you go -
- Make this equation valid with single stroke of pen (i.e. just by adding a line somewhere): 5+5+5 = 550
- Make 120 using 5 zeros. You can use any mathematical notation/symbol
- What mathematical symbol can be put between 5 and 9, to get a number bigger than 5 and smaller
Leave your answers as comment under this post.
Star Puzzle
Here is an interesting challenge for you. The below mentioned puzzle may appear simple at first, but the solution may be little complex.
Programmers can do some coding to get the answer. If you do that, post it as a comment below. You can use 'trial and error' or any other method to get the answer. So here you go...
Sum on Each Line should be 26
A six-pointed star is drawn with six lines and twelve vertices. Arrange the integers 1 through 12, one on each vertex, so that the four integers on each line add to 26.
To Cooperate or Not?
I got this puzzle from IBM website. They have many more mind boggling puzzles out there. Actually they post it on monthly basis and the one given below is the latest puzzle on their site for August 2011.
Tricky Triangle Riddle
A mathematician wanted to teach his children the value of cooperation, so he told them the following:
"I chose a secret triangle for which the lengths of its sides are all integers.
To you my dear son Charlie, I am giving the triangle's perimeter. And to you, my beloved daughter Ariella, I am giving its area.
Since you are both such talented mathematicians, I'm sure that together you can find the lengths of the triangle's sides."
Instead of working together, Charlie and Ariella had the following conversation after their father gave each of them the information he promised.
Charlie: "Alas, I cannot deduce the lengths of the sides from my knowledge of the perimeter."
Ariella: "I do not know the perimeter, but I cannot deduce the lengths of the sides from just knowing the area. Maybe our father is right and we should cooperate after all."
Charlie: "Oh no, no need. Now I know the edges."
Ariella: "Well, now I know them as well."
Can you find the lengths of the triangle's sides and explain the dialog above?
Source: IBM
Solve the Mystery of Missing Dollar
Missing Dollar Riddle
Three friends check into a hotel. They pay $30 to the manager and go to their room. The manager suddenly remembers that the room rate is $25 and gives $5 to the bellboy to return to the people. On the way to the room the bellboy reasons that $5 would be difficult to share among three people so he pockets $2 and gives $1 to each person. Now each person paid $10 and got back $1. So they paid £9 each, totalling $27. The bellboy has $2, totalling $29.
Mind Reading Trick
Mind Reading on Internet!
Recently one of the regular QuickerMaths visitor stumbled upon a website that claims to read your mind using some sort of math trick. He got perplexed that how is it possible? How come every time it gives correct answer? He asked me if I could unravel the secret. Fortunately I could. I am sure many of you would be able expose the trick behind this mind reading game. At least all of you should try.
Regifting Robin
The website is called Regifting Robin. It asks you to pick any 2 digit number and then subtract the digits of the number from your two digit number. Say you pick 37. Then you do 37 - 3 - 7 = 27.
Camel Puzzle
How to cross the desert?
Today, you are facing a unique problem. You have to cross a large desert covering a total distance of 1,000 km. You have a camel and 3,000 bananas. The camel can carry a maximum of 1,000 bananas at any time. For every
kilometer that the camel needs to travel, it eats one banana before it can start moving. What is the maximum number of uneaten bananas that the camel can transport to the other end of the desert?
On the face of it, it seems that you can’t transport even a single banana uneaten to the other end of the desert. However, if that would have been the case, I wouldn’t have posted it on www.QuickerMaths.com and wasted yours and my time. That means you can solve this but you have to use a little lateral thinking. So go ahead and use your grey cells. Please provide detailed explanations with your answer.
Who is behind QuickerMaths?
I am Vineet Patawari - PGDM (IIM Indore), ACA, B.Com(H). My passion for Mathematics, specially Vedic Maths encouraged me to start QuickerMaths
I believe that if trained properly using powerful tools like Vedic Maths, the immense intellect of human mind can be ignited instantly - find out more
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Recent Comments
watchman was paid for awaking not for sleeping so that he can see dreams.. – 05Feb12
as a night watchman he shouldnt have slept at night to get that dream... – 04Feb12
Can u plz give me clarity in ur solution Kaush sir..... – 04Feb12
thanks for these tricks. Are these from the book "quicker maths by m.tyra" ? – 03Feb12
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