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Pradeep Mutalik

Puzzle Columnist

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Insights puzzle

The Math Behind Wordle Guesses

By Pradeep Mutalik
December 2, 2022
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Wordle is a word game. But you can use math to optimize your chances of winning (without cheating).

Insights puzzle

The Many Ways to Win at Wordle (Without Cheating)

By Pradeep Mutalik
October 25, 2022
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Solve these puzzle questions to level up your Wordle game.

Insights puzzle

How Star Trek’s Lieutenant Uhura Overcame Astronomical Odds

By Pradeep Mutalik
September 30, 2022
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Readers rescued a Star Trek crew from a probabilistic predicament armed only with the power of mathematical reasoning.

Insights puzzle

Help Star Trek’s Lieutenant Uhura Overcome Astronomical Odds

By Pradeep Mutalik
August 18, 2022
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In honor of the actor and activist Nichelle Nichols, this month’s puzzle imagines a Star Trek adventure in which her character, Lieutenant Uhura, faces a life-and-death conundrum.

Insights puzzle

Seeking Mathematical Truth in Counterfeit Coin Puzzles

By Pradeep Mutalik
July 29, 2022
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Readers balanced logical reasoning and mathematical insights to find phony coins with a double-pan balance scale.

a human figure stacks gold coins on an equally balanced scale
Insights puzzle

How to Weigh Truth With a Balance Scale and Math

By Pradeep Mutalik
June 27, 2022
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In recreational mathematics, the balance scale is an endless source of puzzles that require precise and elaborate logic and teach the fundamentals of generalization.

A red-headed man in a purple suit runs alongside a white rabbit against a bright teal background. Large white numbers are falling out of his top hat.
Insights puzzle

The Secret Math Behind Mind-Reading Magic Tricks

By Pradeep Mutalik
May 27, 2022
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Four puzzle solutions reveal different ways to divine someone’s hidden number with impossibly little information.

A red-headed man in a purple suit runs alongside a white rabbit against a bright teal background. Large white numbers are falling out of his top hat.
Insights puzzle

Think of a Number. How Do Math Magicians Know What It Is?

By Pradeep Mutalik
May 4, 2022
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Mathematical magic can seem like mind reading. Your job is to reveal the secret behind these four tricks.

Insights puzzle

The Secrets of Zugzwang in Chess, Math and Pizzas

By Pradeep Mutalik
April 8, 2022
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Learn the magic and math of how to win games when your opponent goes first.


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About the author

Pradeep Mutalik is a medical research scientist at the Yale Center for Medical Informatics and a lifelong puzzle enthusiast. He has published work in neurophysiology, animal behavior, artificial intelligence, radiology and consciousness. He wrote puzzle columns for The New York Times from 2009 to 2012 and curated the Enigma Cafe at the National Museum of Mathematics from 2012 to 2013.
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