Puzzles in Math and Logic 100 New Recreations - Nodrm
Puzzles in Math and Logic 100 New Recreations - Nodrm
Puzzles in Math and Logic 100 New Recreations - Nodrm
MATH AND
LOGIC
PUZZLES IN
MATH AND
LOGIC
BY
AARON J.
FRIEDLAND
NEW YORK
Copyright © 1970 by Aaron J. Friedland.
All rights reserved under Pan American and
International Copyright Conventions.
As you thumb through this volume, you may smile with pleasure
as you come across your favorite puzzle. However, I sincerely
hope that you will be deprived of this experience, as I have
attempted to make this a collection of original puzzles.
There are various ways of classifying mathematical puzzles.
They may be grouped according to the type of mathematics
needed to solve them. Thus, this collection may be divided into
problems in logic such as Nos. 38 and 94, problems involving
probability such as Nos. 10 and 79, problems dealing with the
properties of numbers such as Nos. 4 and 53, geometric dissections
such as Nos. 5 and 24, counter arrangements such as Nos. 67 and
81, and so on over a broad range of categories in formal and re¬
creational mathematics. The puzzles range in difficulty from the
fairly involved logical structure of No. 94 or the combinational
complexities of No. 39, down to the fairly simple reasoning of No.
91 and straightforward calculations of No. 9, with a few “trick”
questions thrown in for good measure. In general they are reason¬
ably difficult and intended to appeal to the serious puzzle solver.
Although not all of the puzzles may be to everyone’s taste, there
are enough different kinds of puzzles on different levels to provide
something for everyone.
I prefer to classify mathematical puzzles in a manner which
does not depend upon the branch of mathematics involved. The
elements (not mutually exclusive) which I seek in a puzzle are
“challenge” and “surprise.” No. 39 is a good example of a
challenge puzzle. There is no formal procedure for arriving at the
solution, but by a combination of insight and perseverance one
can solve the puzzle and feel a sense of accomplishment.
The element of surprise may occur in the method of solution
of a puzzle. Here the enjoyment lies in discovering an unexpectedly
simple method of solving an apparently difficult problem. I do
not think I am revealing too much by stating that No. 2 is an
example of such a puzzle with a surprise approach.
IV PUZZLES IN MATH AND LOGIC
Problem Answer
1. Poker Hands 1 37
2. 100 Digits 1 37
3. The Chess Match 1 38
4. The Professor’s Telephone Number 2 38
5. Houses and Wells 2 39
6. Four Points 3 39
7. The Case of the Curious Cube 3 39
8. Hexagons 4 40
9. An Unusual Number 4 40
10. Tossing Coins 4 40
11. The Chess Game 4 40
12. Father and Son 5 41
13. The Gambler 5 41
14. John’s Cousins 6 41
15. Multiplications 6 41
16. Multiplications 6 41
17. Multiplications 6 41
18. Multiplications 6 41
19. Multiplications 7 42
20. Multiplications 7 42
21. Multiplications 7 42
22. Multiplications 7 42
23. Multiplications 7 42
24. Dissecting the Chessboard 7 42
29. Additions 9 43
Problem Answer
34. Another Curious Cube 11 45
35. The Race for the Division Championship 11 45
36. A Group of Numbers 11 46
37. Two Additions 12 46
38. Regarding Truth and Lies 12 46
39. Five Weights 12 46
40. Fewest Weighings 13 48
41. More Additions 13 48
42. More Additions 13 49
43. More Additions 13 49
44. More Additions 13 49
45. More Additions 49
46. More Additions 13 49
47. More Additions 14 49
48. More Additions 14 49
49. More Additions 14 50
50. More Additions 14 50
51. More Additions 14 50
52. Another Chess Game 14 50
53. The Perfect Square 15 50
54. Object in Motion 16 51
55. Angles 16 51
56. The Better Hand 16 51
57. Pythagorean Parallelepiped 17 51
58. The Two-Tone Cube 17 51
59. The Baseball Season 17 52
60. Roulette 18 53
61. The Number Ring 19 53
62. The Poker Game 19 53
63. More Multiplications 20 53
64. More Multiplications 20 54
65. Area of Annulus 20 54
66. More Truth and Lies 21 54
67. Rows of Bushes 21 55
68. The Tenth Power 21 55
69. Card Trick 22 55
70. Still More Multiplications 22 55
71. Still More Multiplications 22 56
CONTENTS Vll
Problem Answer
72. Still More Multiplications 22 56
73. Still More Multiplications 23 56
74. Still More Multiplications 23 56
75. Still More Multiplications 23 56
76. Still More Multiplications 23 56
77. The Department Store 23 56
78. Half a Chessboard 24 56
79. The Chess Tournament 24 57
80. The Lock 25 57
81. Trees 26 58
82. Reducing the Fraction 26 58
83. Having a Ball 27 58
84. More Baseball 27 59
85. The Solar System 27 59
86. Hexagonal Numbers 27 60
87. Water Pipes 28 60
88. The Investment Counselor 29 62
89. Factors 29 62
90. The Cone 30 62
91. The Philanthropist 30 62
92. Find the Number 30 63
93. Apples 31 63
94. The Three-Way Duel 31 63
95. 7 + 8 = 12 32 64
96. Presidents 32 64
97. The Three-Way Race 32 64
98. Cities 33 64
99. Still More Truth and Lies 33 65
100. Lucky Thirteen 33 65
PUZZLES IN
MATH AND
LOGIC
1
POKER HANDS
Which of the following poker hands is the best? Which is the
worst? Which hands are of equal strength? The game is being
played with an ordinary 52-card pack. There are no wild cards.
(AS means ace of spades, etc.)
(a) AS AH AD KS KH
(b) AS AH AD QS QC
(c) AS AH AD QS QH
(d) AS AH AD 6S 6C
(e) AS AH AD 3S 3C
2
100 DIGITS
100 digits are chosen at random. What is the probability that
there will be at least one pair of numbers, a and b, such that each
digit is used exactly once in forming the two numbers, and such
that a2 — 6? Of course, no number may begin with the digit 0.
3
THE CHESS MATCH
Abner Appleby is scheduled to play a two game chess match
with Barney Blitz. If they are tied after two games, there will be
a play-off, and the first player to win a game thereafter wins the
match. The situation does not look too promising for Abner, since
Barney is the stronger player. Abner can play a daring game,
which he has a 45%, probability of winning and a 55% probability
of losing; or he can play a conservative game, which he has a 90%
probability of drawing and a 10%, probability of losing. Either
way he would wind up ten games behind out of every hundred
played. What is Abner’s best strategy, and what is the probability
of his winning the match?
2 PUZZLES IN MATH AND LOGIC
4
THE PROFESSOR’S TELEPHONE NUMBER
5
HOUSES AND WELLS
Old Zeke left his property to his four sons with instructions
that Abner was to get house A and well a, Barney was to get
house B and well b, Cyrus was to get house C and well c, and
Dagwood was to get house D and well d. Furthermore, each of
the four pieces of land containing a house and a well was to be of
the same size and shape. How was the land divided?
PUZZLES 3
.4
.3
•6
A .
• B
. 5
•2
FOUR POINTS
Billy Jones found that with the three points A, B, and G
arranged as in the above sketch, he could place a fourth point
where it would be closest to any one of the three, next closest to
either of the remaining two, and furthest from the remaining one.
Points 1 through 6 illustrate each possible combination. He ran
into some difficulty when he tried to arrange four points in a
similar manner, so that a fifth point could be placed where it
would be closest to any one of the four, next closest to any of the
remaining three, etc. However, he finally succeeded. How did he
arrange the four points?
1 2 3
7
THE CASE OF THE CURIOUS CUBE
Here are three views of the same cube. How many spots are
there on the bottom face in view 1 (the face opposite the “six”)?
4 PUZZLES IN MATH AND LOGIC
8
HEXAGONS
9
AN UNUSUAL NUMBER
to
TOSSING COINS
(a) Abner, Boris, and Charlie toss a coin 15, 16, and 17 times,
respectively. Which one is least likely to have tossed more heads
than tails?
(b) The same, except that the coins are tossed 15, 17, and 20
times, respectively.
(c) The same, except that the coins are tossed 18, 19, and 20
times, respectively.
11
THE CHESS GAME
12
FATHER AND SON
If Hubert’s age is multiplied by the age of his father, the prod¬
uct is a permutation of the digits in their individual ages. How
old are they?
13
THE GAMBLER
“See that gray-haired chap betting red or black at the roulette
table? ” said George. “ Loves to gamble, but he ran afoul of a witch
doctor who put a curse on him. Now he loses consistently about
80% of the time. Drops about $50,000 a year.”
“ He must be pretty wealthy to be able to afford it,” said Lennie.
“Not really. His wife supports him. That attractive woman at
his right.”
“I’m surprised she doesn’t get fed up and leave him.
“On the contrary, she’s quite happy about it.”
Can you hazard a guess as to why the woman should be so
pleased about her husband’s rotten luck?
6 PUZZLES IN MATH AND LOGIC
14
JOHN’S COUSINS
“This might interest you, professor,” said John. “My age and
the ages of each of my three distant cousins are all prime numbers,
and the sum of our ages is 50.”
“In that case,” said the professor, who knew John’s age, “I
can tell you the ages of your three cousins.”
You do not share the professor’s advantage of knowing John’s
age to start with, but nevertheless, can you tell the ages of his
cousins? (Note that the number 1 is not considered to be a prime).
MULTIPLICATIONS
In Problem 15 through 23, each of the ten digits in the multi¬
plicand, multiplier, and product is different. For all but the last
problem, one of the digits is supplied, and it is up to the reader to
fill in the remaining ones.
XXX
15 XX
xxxxl
xx2
16 XX
xxxxx
XXX
17 XX
3xxxx
XXX
18 x4
xxxxx
PUZZLES 7
5xx
19 , XX
xxxxx
xx6
20 xx
xxxxx
XXX
21 7x
xxxxx
XXX
22 _xx
xxx8x
23
Find another solution which is not based upon any of the given
information in Problems 15 through 22. That is, a solution in
which the last digit in the bottom row is not 1 (because such is
given in Problem 15), the last digit in the top row is not 2 (because
such is given in Problem 16), etc.
24
DISSECTING THE CHESSBOARD
A chessboard may easily be divided into four pieces of the same
size and shape, such that each piece contains the same number of
black and white squares. However, the reader is asked to perform
the dissection in such a way that each piece contains more than
twice as many squares of one color than of the other. The cuts are
to be made in the usual manner along the edges of the squares and
not cutting through any square.
8 PUZZLES IN MATH AND LOGIC
25
FOUL PLAY
The Detroit Tigers and the Bostgn Red Sox in the Eastern
Division of the American League each have 100 wins, 61 losses, and
one game left to play. Yet Boston can clinch the division cham¬
pionship during the regular season, while Detroit at best can wind
up in a tie for first place. How do you account for this obviously
unfair situation?
26
WEATHER REPORT
“Can you tell me what the temperature has been at noon for
the past five days? ” John asked the weatherman.
“I don’t exactly recall,” replied the weatherman, “but I do
remember that the temperature was different each day, and that
the product of the temperatures is 12.”
Assuming that the temperatures are expressed to the nearest
degree, what were the five temperatures?
27
WHAT PRICE LUNCH?
28 /
29
ADDITIONS
The letters a through i stand for the digits 1 through 9 in the
following two additions. Determine which letter stands for which
digit. There are two solutions.
abc adg
def beh
ghi cfi
30
ADDITIONAL ADDITIONS
The letters a through i stand for the digits 1 through 9 in the
following two additions. Determine which letter stands for which
digit.
abc gda
def heb
ghi ifc
31
SQUARE PATTERNS
There are 16 positions that a 2 x 2 square can occupy within
a 5 x 5 array of squares. There are also 16 possible patterns of
black and white squares in a 2 x 2 array. This led Barney Boob
to wonder if it were possible to color the squares in a 5 x 5 array
black or white, so that each possible 2x2 pattern would be
represented. Sammy Sharp has bet him he cannot do it. While
10 PUZZLES IN MATH AND LOGIC
32
A BAG OF MARBLES
33
ELLIPSE
34
ANOTHER CURIOUS CUBE
Here are three views of the same cube. Each letter stands for
a different color. What color is the bottom face in Figure 1 (the
face opposite the one colored A)1
35
THE RACE FOR THE DIVISION CHAMPIONSHIP
Boston and Detroit are the only remaining contenders for the
championship. Each has won 2/3 of its games. However, Boston
has completed its schedule, while Detroit has three games left. If
Detroit were to win two and lose one, it would finish in a tie with
Boston, and have a 50%o probability of winning the play-off and
the championship. However, the team it is playing is slightly
better than average, and instead of a 2/3 (66^-%) probability of
winning, Detroit has only a 66% probability of winning each
game. As a result, the probability of Detroit winning the cham¬
pionship is about
(a) 45% (b) 47% (c) 49% (d) 51%
36
A GROUP OF NUMBERS
Find the largest group of different positive integers less than
100 such that no combination of them added together totals 100.
12 PUZZLES IN MATH AND LOGIC
37
TWO ADDITIONS
ONE ONE
+ ONE + FOUR
TWO FIVE
38
REGARDING TRUTH AND LIES
39
FIVE WEIGHTS
40 ,
FEWEST WEIGHINGS
Prove that the five weights in Problem 39 cannot be identified
in fewer than five weighings.
MORE ADDITIONS
3xx
41 XXX
xxxx
x3x
43 xxx
xxxx
xxx
43 xxx
x3xx
xxx
44 xxx
xx3x
6xx
45 xxx
xxxx
x6x
46 xxx
xxxx
14 PUZZLES IN MATH AND LOGIC
XXX
47 XXX
x6xx
XXX
48 XXX
xx6x
4
xx
49 XXX
xxxx
X
50 4x
XXX
xxxx
X
51 x4
XXX
xxxx
52
ANOTHER CHESS GAME
WHITE: Bert
53
THE PERFECT SQUARE
Little Suzy arranged her numbered blocks to form five numbers,
one of which was a perfect square. She then went to fetch her
father, to see how long it would take him to figure out which
number was the square. When they returned, however, they dis¬
covered that Suzy’s younger brother, Winston, had rearranged the
blocks in the first number and in the second number, and had
walked off with all but the last two blocks in the third number,
all but the last block in the fourth number, and all of the blocks
in the fifth number. This is what the remaining blocks looked like:
(1) 3 5 5 8 7 3 2
(2) 3 0 8 7 8 2 1
(5)
Suzy was crest-fallen, but after looking at the blocks for several
moments her father said, “Never mind, dear, I can tell you which
number was the square.” How did he know?
16 PUZZLES IN MATH AND LOGIC
54
OBJECT IN MOTION
ANGLES
56
THE BETTER HAND
(a) AS AH AD KS KH
(b) AS AH KS KD KC
PUZZLES 17
PYTHAGOREAN PARALLELEPIPED
You are familiar with Pythagorean triangles—integral solu¬
tions of the equation x2 + y2 = z2—such as3,4,5;5,12,13; etc.
The problem now is to find a three-dimensional example—a
rectangular parallelepiped whose edges and diagonal can be ex¬
pressed as integers—i.e., an integral solution of w2 + x + y
= z2. The problem should be solved mentally.
59
THE BASEBALL SEASON
The baseball season is approaching its close with New York,
Detroit, and Washington in first, second, and third place, re¬
spectively. New York is very interested in the outcome of the
18 PUZZLES IN MATH AND LOGIC
60
ROULETTE
Lenny came bursting into the room. “I’ve done it, George!
I’ve developed the perfect system for winning at roulette.”
George was skeptical. “I’ve gone broke on your systems before.”
“No, really,” said Lenny. “Look, I’ll demonstrate. We’ll take
eighteen red and eighteen black cards out of this pack, to repre¬
sent the roulette numbers. We’ll only play the even money bets,
red or black, so the values don’t matter. Let’s also put in two
jokers. That’s the house percentage, the zero and double-zero
which also lose. Now, the system is to assume that the house has
a certain amount of money to start with, say $100, and to always
bet 20% of the house’s money on red. That means you bet $20 to
start with. Then if you win on the first play, you bet $16 the
second time; while if you lose on the first play, you bet $24 the
second time, and so on. On the average, reds, blacks, and zeros
will come up as often in roulette as they do in this pack. Now, just
shuffle the cards, run through the pack, and keep track of your
bets on this sheet of paper.”
Ten minutes later, George played the last card, and completed
his calculation. “Well, I came out $30.94 ahead that time, but
maybe it was just a lucky run of the cards.”
“Shuffle the pack, and try it again,” said Lenny.
Another ten minutes went by. George finished, and said with
some surprise, “I came out $30.94 ahead this time too! Does it
always work out this way? ”
Try running through the pack in the same order again,” said
Lenny, “only this time bet on black instead of red.”
Ten minutes later, George was flabbergasted to get the same
result. “I have to admit that you’ve really got something this
time, Lenny. Come on, let’s get down to Las Vegas and make a
fortune.”
PUZZLES 19
61
THE NUMBER RING
Childless millionaire Linus Loot decided to leave his fortune to
whichever one of his four nephews who could solve the following
puzzle.
62
THE POKER GAME
Professor Flugel was kibitzing at a poker game. Walking around
the table after the hands had been dealt and the betting was about
20 PUZZLES IN MATH AND LOGIC
John: AS KS QS JS 10S
Jim: 9S 9H 9D 9C 2S
Joe: 8S 8H 4S 4C 3D
Jason: 7S 7D KH QH 4D
Jerry: 7H 7C KD QC 4H
The players were all fairly good, and the usual rules were in effect.
At this time, Max walked over to the professor and whispered,
“Who has the worst hand? ” What did the professor whisper back?
MORE MULTIPLICATIONS *
In the following two multiplication problems, each of the ten
digits is different.
63 1 x ah x cde = fghi
64 2 x ab x cde = fghi
Line AB, which is one inch long, is tangent to the inner of two
PUZZLES 21
66
MORE TRUTH AND LIES
In a certain country, there are three types of inhabitants: type
T who always tell the truth; type F who always lie; and type A
who alternately lie and tell the truth. They will answer any ques¬
tion with “Yes” or “No” if one of these answers is possible. If
the question cannot be answered, they will keep silent.
By asking an inhabitant one question, determine which type
he is.
67
ROWS OF BUSHES
To celebrate her sixteenth birthday, Rose Busch decided to
plant sixteen rose bushes in her garden. At first she considered
planting them in a four-by-four square array, which would result
in ten rows of four (four rows, four columns, and two diagonals).
However, she finally decided that it would be more pleasing to
plant the bushes in fifteen rows of four. How did she arrange them?
68
THE TENTH POWER
Wilfred Stump suspects that there is no ten-digit number in
which all the digits are different, which is also a perfect tenth
power. He has programmed a computer to check out every ten¬
digit number in order to verify this. What would be his best way
of simplying the amount of calculation required?
22 PUZZLES IN MATH AND LOGIC
60
CARD TRICK
“I will now demonstrate a remarkable card trick,” said Barney
to his five friends. “Here is a pack of consecutively numbered
cards arranged in order. I would like each of you in turn to give it
a perfect riffle shuffle.” (A perfect riffle shuffle consists of cutting
the pack into halves, and combining them so that the cards in
the halves alternate. The top card in what was formerly the
lower half becomes the top card in the combined pack.)
After each of his five friends completed a perfect riffle shuffle,
Barney turned up the cards one by one, and his friends were
amazed to find that the pack was in the original, order.
Barney then added two cards to the pack, repeated the trick,
and again his friends were surprised at the result.
(a) How many cards were in the original pack?
(b) What were the results when two cards were added to the
pack and the trick repeated?
2xx
VO xx
xxxx
xx3
VI xx
xxxx
x3x
72 XX
xxxx
PUZZLES 23
XXX
75 /
XX
4xxx
XXX
74 XX
xx5x
XXX
75 XX
x6xx
XXX
7S x7
xxxx
r*
THE DEPARTMENT STORE
Professor Flugel and his wife, Henrietta, were strolling through
Bingle’s Department Store. Henrietta stopped for a few minutes
to examine the ladies’ hat display, and she then discovered that
she had become separated from her husband. She was about to
look for him, when she recalled a lecture of his in which he had
demonstrated that if two people are trying to find each other, it is
more efficient if one stands still than if both search. This suited
her and she decided to remain among the hats until her husband
should find her.
However, in spite of the fact that her recollection regarding
efficiency of searches was correct, it turned out that her strategy
was unwise. Can you suggest why?
24 PUZZLES IN MATH AND LOGIC
78
HALF A CHESSBOARD
(a) 0 0 0 Q
0 JJ • 2 8
(bi 0Q00 0 0 0 2
(0 □□HQ □ □ □ 6
(d) [0 0 0 □
00 0 1
In what order were the rows originally arranged, and what was
the number in the original third row (the number factorable by 7)?
79
THE CHESS TOURNAMENT
80
THE LOCK
“I believe you are unfamiliar with the penal system in our
country,” said the warden, as he led the new prisoner to his cell.
“We find that it improves prison morale for each prisoner to have
a chance to end his sentence at any time. In your case, we have
set up a combination lock on your cell door. There are ten dials,
on which you can set up any ten-digit number. If you set up the
right one, the cell door will unlock and you will be free to leave.”
“I see,” said the prisoner. “ Then if I try every possible number,
I’m sure to hit the right one.”
“True,” said the warden, “but even if you were able to change
the numbers at the rate of one per second without rest, it would
still take you a hundred years to hit the right combination. How¬
ever, you could try numbers at random and have a chance of
choosing the right one. Or, you could search for the clue which we
always provide.”
“What sort of clue?”
“Well, it might be almost anything. For example, one of our
prisoners was put in an escape-proof cell and told that he would
be pardoned if he could break out. He was also given permission
to keep any plants he wished in his cell.”
“What became of him? ”
The warden chuckled. “After more than two years, he suddenly
realized that some words may have more than one meaning. He
requested a poison ivy plant. Soon after receiving it, he broke out
—in a rash. Naturally, he received his pardon.”
The warden unlocked the cell and ushered the prisoner in.
“Your cell contains a desk calculator and writing implements.
Good luck.”
26 PUZZLES IN MATH AND LOGIC
81
TREES
How many trees can Farmer Ferd plant on his 100 foot square
field if they are to be no closer than 10 feet apaTt? Neglect the
thickness of the trees, and assume that trees may be planted on
the boundary of the field.
82
REDUCING THE FRACTION
83
HAVING A BALL
Johnny’s daddy has presented him with a solid white ball.
Johnny has painted it black, but has now decided he would rather
have a white ball, with a one-inch black stripe running around it.
The ball is one foot in diameter. Show Daddy how he can cut the
ball into four pieces which can be fitted together to form a white
ball with a one-inch black stripe.
84
MORE BASEBALL
The Detroit Tigers and the New York Yankees have each
played the same number of games so far this season. The Tigers
have a .664 average, and the Yankees have won 70 games. Which
team is ahead?
Note that each team plays 162 games a season, and that the
team’s average is the number of games won divided by the num¬
ber of games played rounded off to three decimal places.
85
THE SOLAR SYSTEM
Which planet is usually closest to the planet Pluto? For pur¬
poses of analysis it may be assumed that the orbits are concentric
circles in a plane, and that each planet has a different constant
angular velocity. For a given position of any planet, each of the
other planets has an equal probability of being at any point on its
orbit.
86
HEXAGONAL NUMBERS
Hexagonal numbers are given by the relation N = 3n2 +
3n + 1 where n is any positive integer. They may be formed by
28 PUZZLES IN MATH AND LOGIC
n 0 1 2
N 1 7 19
87
WATER PIPES
“If I open the cold water valve A, water comes out of the
faucet C at 20 C, said Sam. ‘ ‘ If instead I open the warm water
PUZZLES 29
valve B, water comes out of the faucet at 40°C. The trouble is, I
need water at 60°C.”
“Well, 20 plus 40 is 60, so why not try opening both valves,”
suggested Barney.
Sam did so, and sure enough the water now came out of the
faucet at 60°C. Explain how this could be.
Assume that the system consists of piping with constant flow
resistances, and tanks of water at constant temperatures and
pressures. The flow F and pressure drop AP across a given flow
resistance R are related by AP = RF2. Neglect the variation in
physical properties of water with temperature, and assume all
water temperatures are in the range of 0°C to 100°C.
88
THE INVESTMENT COUNSELOR
“Boss, I have a complaint,” said the young investment coun¬
selor. “Jones and I were hired at the same time, and both of us
have handled about the same number of assignments. They’ve all
been worth about the same, and each required a ‘yes-or-no’
decision. Now, I’ve been keeping track of our recommendations,
and I’ve done pretty well—I’ve been right about 70% of the time.
Jones though knows nothing about investments—he hasn’t made
the right recommendation more than 10% of the time. I know that
you’re as aware of this as I am, and yet you’ve given him a pro¬
motion and a raise, while turning me down. How come? ”
Did the boss have any valid reason for his action?
89
FACTORS
Find two unequal numbers, A and B, such that A + n is a
factor of B + n for all values of n from 0 through 10.
30 PUZZLES IN MATH AND LOGIC
90
THE CONE
A cone (Fig. a) is cut in half axially (Fig. b). A wedge, B, making
equal angles, a, with the axis as shown in Fig. c is cut out of it.
The wedge is removed, and the upper piece, A, is placed on the
lower piece, C, as shown in Fig. d. The question is, along the edge
marked E in Fig. d, does the upper piece protrude past the lower
piece, or does the lower one protrude past the upper?
91
THE PHILANTHROPIST
At the Millionaire’s Club, Oliver Megabuck remarked that in
the current charity campaign to help stamp out athlete’s foot, he
had pledged to match the total of all other contributions. Upon
hearing this, Winston Lucre fainted. Can you guess why?
92
FIND THE NUMBER
n is a number between 0 and 10. For a certain number A, when
the 21 digits in A and An are added, the sum is 1. (If the sum con¬
tains more than one digit, add the digits together, and repeat the
process if necessary until a single digit results.) What is to?
PUZZLES 31
93
APPLES
At harvest time, the orchards of Mr. Macintosh, Mr. Jonathan,
and Mr. Delicious had yielded 314,827 apples, 1,199,533 apples,
and 683,786 apples, respectively. While lunching with Jonathan
the following Sunday, Macintosh mentioned the number of apples
he would have left over if he divided his harvest equally among all
the apple dealers.
“Why don’t you sell those extra apples to me,” suggested
Jonathan, “and then I’ll be able to divide my apples equally
among all the dealers.”
“Sorry,” said Macintosh, “but Mr. Delicious made the same
suggestion for the same reason, and I’ve already accepted his
offer.”
How many apple dealers are there?
94
THE THREE-WAY DUEL
Anderson, Barnes, and Cramer are to fight a gun duel. They
will stand close to one another so that each may kill one of the
others or deliberately miss. The first to fire will be chosen at
random, and they will rotate in the order Anderson, Barnes,
Cramer, each firing one shot at a time. If there is more than one
survivor after a number of rounds, one of the contenders will
be chosen at random and required to shoot one of the others.
Before the duel starts, Anderson may make any statement,
followed by a statement from Barnes, and finally one from
Cramer. They will adhere to the following rules:
(1) A contender may not break any commitment he makes in
his statement.
(2) He will act in his own best interest when it does not conflict
with rule 1.
(3) He will act randomly when it does not conflict with rules 1
and 2.
There are referees to assure that the rules are adhered to. If a
contender commits himself to a choice of actions on a statistical
32 PUZZLES IN MATH AND LOGIC
95
7 + 8-12
SEVEN
EIGHT
TWELVE
96
PRESIDENTS
“Here is an odd item, Professor Flugel,” said Tom, looking up
from his newspaper. “It says here that three of the first five presi¬
dents of the United States died on the Fourth of July. I wonder
what the odds are against a coincidence like that.”
“I’m not sure,” replied the professor, “but I’m willing to give
ten-to-one odds I can name one of the three who died on that
date.”
Assuming that the professor had no prior knowledge of the
dates on which any of the presidents died, was he justified in
offering such odds?
9¥
THE THREE-WAY RACE
Boston, Detroit, and New York are tied for first place, with one
game left in the season. In the last game, Boston is to play
Detroit, and New York is to play Cleveland. If there is a tie for
PUZZLES 33
first place at the end of the regular season, there will be a single
game play-off.
New York has a 55% probability of beating Cleveland, and a
55% probability of beating Boston or Detroit in a play-off.
Detroit has a 45% probability of beating Boston, and a 45%
probability of beating New York in a play-off. Compare New
York’s and Detroit’s chances of winning the division champion¬
ship.
98
CITIES
If the city of Aardvosk is 9000 miles from Baltimore, and
Baltimore is 9000 miles from the city of Crupnik, what is the
probability that Crupnik is closer to Aardvosk than to Baltimore?
99
STILL MORE TRUTH AND LIES
On one of his journeys Professor Flugel visited the country
Aristotelia, where every inhabitant answers any question if he
possibly can, but the answer may be either the truth or a lie,
depending on his mood at the time.
Upon meeting any inhabitant, the professor was able to deter¬
mine the fellow’s name by asking him one question. What was it?
too
LUCKY THIRTEEN
This final problem is dedicated to those who find themselves
unable to solve any puzzle, no matter how simple it appears.
Find a number, N, which has the following characteristics:
(a) N13 has the same final digit as N.
(b) The sum of the digits of N13 is equal to the sum of the digits
of N31. (If the sum contains more than one digit, add the digits
together, and repeat the process if necessary until a single digit
results.)
(c) N13 — N is divisible by 13.
.
'
■
SOLUTIONS
1. POKER HANDS
Hand (d) is the best, hand (a) is the worst, and hands (b) and
(e) are equal in strength.
If the hands could occur during the .same deal, then of course
(a) would be best, (b) and (c) would be equal, and (e) would be
worst. However, as the hands cannot occur on the same deal, their
values must be based on their probabilities of winning. Each of the
full houses can be beaten by the same number of four-of-a-kinds,
but by different numbers of straight flushes. For example,
hand (a) can be beaten by 7 straight flushes in spades, 7 in hearts,
8 in diamonds, and 10 in clubs, for a total of 32; while hand (d)
can be beaten by 3 in spades, 8 in hearts, 8 in diamonds, and 5 in
clubs, for a total of 24. A complete tabulation follows:
S H D C Total
KS KH, or 2S 2H 7 7 8 10 32
KS KC, or 2S 2C 7 8 8 8 31
QS QH, or 3S 3H 6 6 8 10 30
QS QC, or 3S 3C 6 8 8 7 29
JS JH, or 4S 4H 5 5 8 10 28
JS JC, or 4S 4C 5 8 8 6 27
10S 10H, or 5S 5H 4 4 8 10 26
10S 10C, or 5S 5C 4 8 8 5 25
9S 9H, or 6S 6H 3 3 8 10 24
9S 9C, or 6S 6C 3 8 8 5 24
8S 8H, or 7S 7H 3 3 8 10 24
8S 8C, or 7S 7C 3 8 8 5 24
2. 100 DIGITS
The probability is zero. If a number has n digits, then its
square has either 2n or In— 1 digits. Therefore, a number plus
its square has either 3n or 3n — 1 digits. Since 100 is of the form
3w + l, it is impossible to form a number and its square using
exactly 100 digits.
38 PUZZLES IN MATH AND LOGIC
(daring)
W
.45
(conserv.)
0 •L
9X 45 1X.45
= .405 = .045
Wins match Total: .2925 Loses match
(daring)
W-
.45x2925 .55x 2925
f=.1 31 625 = 160875
Wins match Loses match
Overall probability
.536625 .463375
Wins match Loses match
98999019801989901 = 9 x 10998910891099989.
SOLUTIONS 39
6. FOUR POINTS
The face opposite the “six ” must show two spots. An expanded
view of the cube is shown below.
o o o
o o o
8. HEXAGONS
Once it is realized that the hexagon need not be convex, it is
easy to find any number of solutions similar to the one shown
below.
.
9 AN UNUSUAL NUMBER
A number which is a square, cube, and fifth power must also
bea2x3x5 = 30th power. 330 is somewhat greater than two
hundred trillion, so that the solution must be 230 which is equal
to 1,073,741,824.
.
11 THE CHESS GAME
Since chess is played with a white square at each player’s near
right corner of the board, the players must be at the left and right
SOLUTIONS 41
MULTIPLICATIONS
927
15 63
58401
402
16 39
15678
715
17 46
32890
297
18 54
16038
42 PUZZLES IN MATH AND LOGIC
594
19 27
16038
396
20 45
17820
345
21 78
26910
367
22 52
19084
495
23 36
17820
29. ADDITIONS
The two solutions are
146 157
583 482
729 639
and
718 729
236 135
954 864
44 PUZZLES IN MATH AND LOGIC
/
n — k k
n 0
There are a total of n{n + l)/2 purple marbles in all of the above
combinations, each of which has an equal probability, 2/n(» + 1),
of being picked first, if the first one picked is specified as being
purple. Thus, the probability that the first marble came from the
bag with a given number, k, of purples is 2k\n(n + 1). After the
first one is picked, there are k — 1 purples among the n — 1
marbles left in the bag, and the probability of the second pick
being purple is (k — 1)/(» — 1). The probability that the first
purple marble came from that bag and that the second marble
was also purple is the product of the individual probabilities,
2k(k — 1 )ln(n + l)(n — 1). The overall probability for all of the
possible combinations is
n oui. _ i\ 2(l/3)(w - l)n(n + 1) _ 2
+ 1)(» — 1) n(n + l)(?t — 1) 3
33. ELLIPSE
The largest (and only) ellipse is the border of the pond which
encloses an area of fifty square feet. The other two ovals are not
ellipses.
games to lose the championship. The case of the tie results in equal
probabilities of .222156 of Detroit winning or losing the play-off.
Therefore, the overall probability of Detroit winning the cham¬
pionship is .509652.
286 286
286 3210
572 3496
1. ABvsCD
2. AC vs BD
3. AD vs BC
SOLUTIONS 47
Therefore, A — 5 and E — 4.
The next two weighings are
4. B vs C
5. E vs BC
Assume that, say, B is found to be heavier than C in the fourth
weighing. Then from the result of the final weighing
B = 2 3 3
C = 1 1 2
D = 3 2 1
II. None of the first three weighings balance, and there is one
weight (e.g., A) which is always on the lighter side; i.e.,
Therefore, A = 1 and E = 2.
The next weighing is
4. B vs C
Assume that, say, B is found to be heavier than C. The final
weighing is
5. B vs AD
and the result is
B-AD
5 4
3 3
4 5
48 PUZZLES IN MATH AND LOGIC
1. AB-CD 3.
5. E vs BD
and the result is
MORE ADDITIONS
347
41 859
1206
SOLUTIONS 49
437
42 589
1026
426
43 879
1305
246
44 789
1035
624
45 879
1503
264
46 789
l053
743
47 859
1602
473
48 589
1062
50 PUZZLES IN MATH AND LOGIC
4
49 35
987
1026
3
50 45
978
1026
3
51 74
985
1062
The key to this problem lies in considering the moves that could
have led to the position shown. Black could not have just moved
his king. If the king had moved from any other square, it would
already have been in check prior to white’s previous move. He
could not have moved his bishop or the three pawns on their
starting squares. Black’s pawn on B4 could not have moved from
B3 because white would have been in check, and could not have
arrived by capturing a piece. The only possible move black could
have made is P(B2)-B4. Therefore, white wins by P x P (en
passant), mate.
This eliminates the first four numbers, and so the perfect square
must have been the completely missing fifth number.
55. ANGLES
Archie made angle B first, and constructed angle A three times
as large.
.
60 ROULETTE
The catch is that for cases where the number of wins and losses
do not match, then the amount of money that would be lost in
the event of an appreciable excess number of losses would be
greater than the amount which would be won in the event of an
equivalent excess number of wins. If all possible outcomes of a
given number of plays are considered, the average results in the
house collecting its usual percentage. The “system” could have
used percentages other than 20%. If 100% had been used, it would
have been the well-known system of doubling your bet whenever
you lose.
.
61 THE NUMBER RING
The four solutions are:
(a) 1 3 5 7 9 11 2 4 6 8 10
(b) 1 4 7 10 2 5 8 11 3 6 9
(c) 1 5 9 2 6 10 3 7 11 4 8
(d) 1 6 11 5 10 4 9 3 8 2 7
MORE MULTIPLICATIONS
63 1 x 26 x 345 = 8970
54 PUZZLES IN MATH AND LOGIC
64 2 x 14 x 307 = 8596
The center of the circle and points A and B form a right tri-
angle. Let r1 = radius of inner circle and r2 = radius of outer
circle. From the Pythagorean Theorem, r22 — rx2 = 1. The area
of the annular region is 7r(r22 - rx2). Since the term in parentheses
equals unity, the area of the annular region is n square inches.
297
70 18
5346
56 PUZZLES IN MATH AND LOGIC
483
71 12
5796
138
72 42
5796
157
73 28
4396
186
74 39
7254
159
75 48
7632
198
76 27
5346
While she was waiting for him to find her in the hat department,
he was following the same reasoning and waiting for her to find
him in the book department.
The original order of the rows was (d), (a), (b), (c), and the
number originally in the third row was 26382629.
SOLUTIONS 57
.
79 THE CHESS TOURNAMENT
Clutz has a 32.4% probability of winning the tournament, com¬
pared with Alesky’s 28% probability of winning. This paradoxical
result is proved by the following tabulation:
* i 1
2
1
2 0 1 i i 4 (.9) (.8) (.45) = .324
(* means wins p^y-off)
.
81 TREES
The following arrangement shows how, by a combination of
square and equilateral triangular spacings, the farmer can plant
128 trees in his field.
.
82 REDUCING THE FRACTION
There are two solutions:
1666666666 1 nr 1999999999 1
6666666664 ~ 4 9999999995 = ~5
.
83 HAVING A BALL
The solution is shown below. Cross-sections through the center
of the sphere are shown, and the cuts are symmetrical about the
vertical axis of the sphere.
SOLUTIONS 59
The above sketch shows Pluto, Mercury’s orbit, and the orbit
of any intermediate planet, e.g., Earth. Consider Pluto as station¬
ary. Pluto’s angular velocity may then be subtracted from that
of each of the other planets.
Draw line PS between Pluto (P) and the sun (S), and TS
perpendicular to PS. Consider two short equal segments of Mer¬
cury’s orbit, Ax and Ax', respectively, equally distant from TS.
Arc A' is longer than arc A.
Let E be the circumference of Earth’s orbit. During the time
that Mercury is at Ax', Earth is further from Pluto if it is on A'
E - A'; i.e., the probability is A'/E that it is
and closer if it is on
further from Pluto and (E - A')IE that it is closer. Similarly,
during the time that Mercury is at Ax, the probability is (E — A)/E
that Earth is further from Pluto, and A/E that it is closer. There¬
fore, during the time that Mercury is either at Ax or Ax', the
(A' + E - A)/2E that Earth is further from Pluto,
probability is
and (E — A' + A)/2E that it is closer. Since A' is longer than A,
there is a greater probability that Earth is further than Mercury
from Pluto than that it is closer during the time that Mercury is
within the segments Ax and Ax'.
Since Mercury’s orbit may be completely subdivided into pairs
of equal segments such as Ax and Ax', and since any of the other
planets may be substituted for Earth in the above discussion, it is
concluded that Mercury is closer to Pluto more of the time than
is any of the other planets.
The key to this puzzle lies in having the two tanks K and L
in the following sketch at 0°C. If their pressures are such as to give
SOLUTIONS 61
J K L M
P = 0
zero flow from these tanks when both valves are open, then for
any combination of temperatures, pressures and resistances in the
rest of the system, T A + TB = TA,B. The subscripts indicate
which valves are open. The values given in the above sketch are
one example of how the desired solution can be achieved. The
resulting flows and outlet temperatures are shown below.
A open. B dosed
T = 20
A dosed. B open
T = 40
62 PUZZLES IN MATH AND LOGIC
A andB open
T = 60
89. FACTORS
If one of the cuts had been made through the complete cone,
the piece labeled A' would have been identical with A. The cut
forms an ellipse with the major axis extending from e to e'.
Therefore, the edges E of the upper and lower pieces coincide.
Lucre had made the same pledge. As a result, even if one cent
were contributed by a third individual, Megabuck and Lucre
could donate their entire fortunes trying to match the other’s
contribution plus one cent.
SOLUTIONS 63
93. APPLES
The number of dealers must be a divisor of 314,827 + 1,199,533
= 1,514,360, and of 314,827 4- 683,786 = 998,613. The greatest
common divisor of these two numbers is 131. Since 131 is a prime,
there are 131 dealers.
95. 7 + 8 = 12 •
96. PRESIDENTS
If the fifth president were not among those who died on that
date, then the newspaper item would almost certainly have made
the more impressive statement that, “Three of the first four
presidents died on the Fourth of July.” Therefore, Professor
Flugel was reasonably confident that the fifth president, James
Monroe, died on that date.
98. CITIES