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puzzles

Insights puzzle

Seeking Mathematical Truth in Counterfeit Coin Puzzles

By Pradeep Mutalik
July 29, 2022
Read Later

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
Read Later

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
Read Later

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
Read Later

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
Read Later

Learn the magic and math of how to win games when your opponent goes first.

Blurry figures representing quantum officers are arranged in a grid against a black background.
mathematical physics

Euler’s 243-Year-Old ‘Impossible’ Puzzle Gets a Quantum Solution

By Daniel Garisto
January 10, 2022
Read Later

A surprising new solution to Leonhard Euler’s famous “36 officers puzzle” offers a novel way of encoding quantum information.

Insights puzzle

Why <em>e</em>, the Transcendental Math Constant, Is Just the Best

By Pradeep Mutalik
November 24, 2021
Read Later

The solution to our puzzle about Euler’s number explains why e pops up in situations that involve optimality.

Insights puzzle

Where Transcendental Numbers Hide in Everyday Math

By Pradeep Mutalik
October 27, 2021
Read Later

The transcendental number π is as familiar as it is ubiquitous, but how does Euler’s number e transcend the ordinary?

Insights puzzle

Math Can, in Theory, Help You Escape a Hungry Bear

By Pradeep Mutalik
August 25, 2021
Read Later

How readers used their geometry skills to survive a dangerous puzzle.


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