CategoryMathematics
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 ›
Home Ownership: Madness Over 30-Year Mortgages
It is tempting to put borrowing and investment decisions in separate mental buckets, but they are intimately related
Monday Micro Softy 53: Kicking In the Door
To solve this puzzle, you will need to sharpen your abductive reasoning skills
Monday Micro Softy 52: Elon Musk Parody Asks: Are You a Genius?
The puzzle comes from a parody X account but it is a genuine stumper
Monday Micro Softy 51: A Tale of Two Auto Mechanics
I recognized the two mechanics when I went to the garage…
Monday Micro Softy 50: Cutting Through the Cornbread
How did Yuri Senior cut the cornbread into eight identical portions using only three straight cuts?
Monday Micro Softy 46: Three Loving Brothers in New York State
Why did Mario, who was just trying to economize on Uber trips, end up visiting Luigi five times as often as he visited Bob?
Monday Micro Softy 45: Can Tony Beat the Fast-Food Curfew?
An early curfew on fast food service motivated a boy to exercise more vigorously. But how fast was he pedaling?
Micro Softy 44: Pete’s Pill Problem
Pete, alone on a desert island, accidentally scattered the pills he must take in the correct order. He has only a few numbers to work with to reconstruct his instructions
Micro Softy 43: The Bookkeeper’s Trick
How could division by 9 explain what happens when numbers in a sum are inadvertently transposed?
Monday Micro Softy 42: Bacteria Multiply by Dividing
But our puzzlers must solve this math question without doing either. And no calculators allowed.
Monday Micro Softy 41: King David’s Sons’ Puzzling Inheritance
Solomon must figure out how to divide an oddly shaped piece of land equally among his brothers and himself
Is AI Truly Creative? Here Is the Ultimate Test
People use the term “creative” in different ways. We need to define it rigorously and use a test based on that agreed definition
Monday Micro Softy 37: A Unique Baseball Game
Something was missing from the game played on June 30, 1997, that occured in every MLB game for decades before
Monday Micro Softy 36: A Glass Half Empty? Half Full? Too Big?
The professors on a research expedition must make sure that each glass of rationed water is exactly half fullHere’s our thirst-quenching Micro Softy for this week. Three professors were on a trip through the Sahara Desert. They had an NSF grant to study the sleep patterns of the Saharan Grasshopper (Heteracris littoralis). They brought exactly enough drinking water with them to last for four days. To stay hydrated, each was allowed a half glass of water every hour during each sixteen-hour workday. The professors shared the water glass shown in the picture. To make sure the water lasted the entire four days, the professors made sure each portion of water filled the glass exactly halfway. There were no markings on the glass. How can they do this? We’ll give an answer next Monday right here on MindMatters.ai. Solution Read More ›
Monday Micro Softy 35: A House With a View
A billionaire, used to getting what he wants, demands a house where all the walls' windows offer a view in the same direction
Micro Softy 34: Two Poles and a Wire
Given the measurements, how far apart must the poles be to make sure the power line does not touch the ground?
Monday Micro Softy 33: How Fast Can a Person Age?
Can a person go from being five this year to being seven next year?