What's up in
Puzzles
Latest Articles
How Many Exoplanets Can You Visit in Quanta’s New Math Game?
Explore a universe of numbers and arithmetic in our new interactive math game, Hyperjumps!
The Math Behind Wordle Guesses
Wordle is a word game. But you can use math to optimize your chances of winning (without cheating).
The Many Ways to Win at Wordle (Without Cheating)
Solve these puzzle questions to level up your Wordle game.
How Star Trek’s Lieutenant Uhura Overcame Astronomical Odds
Readers rescued a Star Trek crew from a probabilistic predicament armed only with the power of mathematical reasoning.
Help Star Trek’s Lieutenant Uhura Overcome Astronomical Odds
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.
Seeking Mathematical Truth in Counterfeit Coin Puzzles
Readers balanced logical reasoning and mathematical insights to find phony coins with a double-pan balance scale.
How to Weigh Truth With a Balance Scale and Math
In recreational mathematics, the balance scale is an endless source of puzzles that require precise and elaborate logic and teach the fundamentals of generalization.
The Secret Math Behind Mind-Reading Magic Tricks
Four puzzle solutions reveal different ways to divine someone’s hidden number with impossibly little information.
Think of a Number. How Do Math Magicians Know What It Is?
Mathematical magic can seem like mind reading. Your job is to reveal the secret behind these four tricks.