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Your Favorite Math/Logic Riddles?

Posted by Cliff on from the top-10-mind-twisters dept.

shma asks: "Whether you're involved in the Sciences, Mathematics, or Engineering, you undoubtedly enjoy finding simple solutions to seemingly difficult problems. I'm sure you all have a favorite mind-bender, and who better to share it with than the Slashdot community? Post your own problems and try to solve others. Just one request: If you have figured out the solution, link to it in a post, rather than write it out where anyone can see it." What brain benders tickle your fancy? "Here's a sample to consider: You're in a dark room with 50 quarters, 18 of which are heads up. You are allowed to move around the coins or flip some or all of them, if you wish. Problem is, it's too dark to tell what you're moving or flipping (no, you can't figure it out by touch either). Your job is to split the coins into two groups, each of which has the same number of heads up coins. How do you accomplish this?"

5 of 1,965 comments (clear)

  1. Here's a political riddle. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Troll

    What brain benders tickle your fancy?

    Yeah, how did Bush get elected? Even more mind numbing is how he got re-elected. How'd that happen? Seriously, we have a man who is not the least bit curious, managed to squeak through school, managed to run two companies into the ground and yet still get elected as President of the United States where he is proceeding to run the country into the ground. Bush is cutting basic science research of all sorts (unless it is defense or energy related) and is pushing a religious agenda to the detriment of science and science education.

  2. Re:thrice-plus-one-or-half by Jarden · · Score: 0, Troll
    This problem fascinated me through high school, and I eventually ended up going into mathematics partly because of the fun I had exploring its ins and outs.
    Following a similar vein of logic, I deduce that those were the only ins and outs you were getting in high school.
  3. Re:The King and the Chalice (only for Experts!) by brian0918 · · Score: 0, Troll

    "the king can do is to always make sure the chalice is rightside up"

    No, he can't.

  4. Re:The King and the Chalice (only for Experts!) by OverlordQ · · Score: 0, Troll

    Of course not, then everybody would know he's full of shit :)

    --
    Your hair look like poop, Bob! - Wanker.
  5. Re:Petals of the Rose by pfafrich · · Score: 0, Troll

    Well I'm one of those who got it first time, the name entirely gave the solution away, which of the dice looked like petals around a rose?

    --
    There are four sorts of people in the world: fools, lunatics, idiots and morons. - Umberto Eco, Foucaut's pendulum.