Monday Microsofty 79: The Last Digits in Fermat’s Last Theorem
Did Andrew Wiles really prove Fermat’s Last Theorem? Today we offer you a chance to decideAbout last week’s MicroSofty: Think of the probability issue as just a distraction…
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Micro Softy 77: Two Proud Texans
I’m aware of no other state where businesses and citizens proudly fly their state flag.I live in McGregor, Texas, where Elon Musk’s Space X has a testing center, and occasionally, the testing of their rocket engines gently rattles the dishes on the shelves in my home.
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Micro Softy 75: Horology: Not What You Think
Early longcase clocks are known today as grandfather clocks.The 1876 song My Grandfather’s Clock by Henry Clay Work. was about a clock that stopped, short, never to go again when the old man died.
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Micro Softy 74: The Cretan Paradox & Logical Illusions
Around and around we go in a cyclic logical illusion.Optical illusions and audio illusions have no place in reality, neither do logical illusions even though they are used a lot in math proofs.
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Micro Softy 73: The Ups & Downs of Escalator Design
Why are there two down escalators but only a single up escalator for Skylink?You can get to all 72 other Micro Softies and their answers from here. Test your wits against the engineers!
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Micro Softy 72: Necklace Cutting
A golden puzzle in daily payments and clever cuts.Sally tells her landlord she will give him one gold bead every day during the 30-day month.
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Micro Softy 70: The Light Above Your Stairs
The staircase switch: a tiny puzzle hiding in plain sightTo show off my electrician skills, this week’s Micro Softy is about the light switch on your stairs.
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Micro Softy 69: A Bunch of Switches
Where switching theory meets strategyFritz goes in the first day and sees one of the seven switches down and the rest up. He dutifully flips one of the switches.
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Micro Softy 68: An Overcrowded Prison
When every flip counts, can Frenchy find his freedom?Problem: If we get one more prisoner, we have to start doubling up cells which is no good.
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Micro Softy 67: Three Switches and a Song
A mind‑twisting challenge for curious thinkersThe other two switches turn outside lights off and on. Wide Clyde can’t see outside, so he can’t determine which switches control the lights.
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Micro Softy 66: Reducing Repetitive Repetition
The curious loop your calculator didn’t warn you aboutChoose any three-digit number, say 567, and repeat it: 567,567. Divide it by the prime numbers 13, then 11 and then 7.
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Micro Softy 65: Fathers and Sons
A classic riddle that proves numbers aren’t always what they seemTwo fathers and their two sons walked into the Bass Pro Shop in Memphis, Tennessee. Each man bought an AK47 rifle with ammunition and a 75-round drum magazine
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Micro Softy 64: Old Time Phishing?
When prophecy meets profit, only one thing is certain: someone’s being playedA few days later, a second note was received. It read: “In the BAA [now the NBA] finals, the Baltimore Bullets will defeat the Philadelphia Warriors to win the 1948 World Championship in Basketball.”
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Monday Micro Softy 61: Take Five
Crack the beat: a logic puzzle in rhythm and timeThe western scale is based on natural acoustic harmonics from the physics of vibrating strings and resonant acoustics from sound columns.
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Monday Microsofty 60: Here’s a Puzzle From Gunsmoke
Told to “get out of Dodge” after a shooting, a gunslinger does so at a nearly inexplicable time. Can you solve the puzzle?To solve Microsofty 59, recall that direction of air flow is due to pressure — not size. Which tire is under more pressure?
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Monday Microsofty 59: Alfred Hitchcock’s Low-Pressure Tire
Could the tire in the old Hitchcock film really be reinflated in the way shown?The solution to last week’s puzzle is to ask whether the way each of the relationships is created makes any difference.
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Monday Microsofty 58: Is a Famous Bassist His Own Grandfather?
A Rolling Stone bassist can make such a claim but how far can he take it? Is he also his own grandson?We are reversing our usual order and giving the answer to #57 first. Ben could have one of two possible family relationships to me.
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Monday Micro Softy 57: My Mother’s Mother-in-Law
Can you figure out this relativity puzzle?Part of the trick to solving Monday Microsofty 56 is to decide whether or not to give it a high five.
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Monday Micro Softy 55: “It Happens Every Spring”
Baseball, that is. Here’s a puzzle that takes in baseball's favorite season, summerTo solve last week’s puzzle, you don’t need to know the distance. Check the problem again for the number you do need to know.
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Micro Softy 54: A Plane Problem for Aspiring Engineers
The senator is leaving Washington to avoid the governor and their planes are headed in opposite directionsToday’s Micro Softy tests whether you are clever enough with math to code computers or be an engineer. Here’s the story: Senator Kornn did not like Governor Friar. Both were from Texas. When Kornn learned that Governor Friar was visiting Washington, DC, Kornn said “This town’s not big enough for the both of us.” So Kornn decided to leave DC for that period. Kornn and Friar get on planes at the same time. One was at Reagan International Airport in DC and the other was at the Dallas Fort Worth (DFW) Airport. So each was flying to the other’s airport. Both planes took off at the same time. After a while, Kornn looked out of his first-class window and saw Read More ›