A bomb goes off.
Carnage.
One person, only a few feet away, survives! How can this be?

Our Solution:

The person was watching it on TV.

The Puzzle: What 5-digit number has the following features:

If we put the numeral 1 at the beginning, we get a number three times smaller than if we put the numeral 1 at the end of the number.


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The Solution . . .

Using an easy equation: 3(100000 + x) = 10x+1 (Why? Well, adding 100000 puts a 1 at the front of a five-digit number, and multiplying by 10 and adding 1 puts a 1 at the end of a number) Solving this gives: 10x+1 = 3(100000 + x) 10x+1 = 300000 + 3x 10x = 299999 + 3x 7x = 299999 x= 299999/7 = 42857 The answer is 42857.

The Puzzle:

How can I get the answer 24 by only using the numbers 8,8,3,3.

You can use add, subtract, multiply, divide, and parentheses.

Bonus rules: also allowed are logarithms, factorials and roots

(Puzzle supplied by "Steve123")

Our Solution:

1) Supplied by "mathsyperson":
8/(3-(8/3))
= 8/(1/3)
= 24

2) Supplied by "puzzler09" (using bonus rules):
((8 x 3!)/3)+8
= ((8 × 3 × 2 × 1)/3)+8
= (48/3)+8
= (16)+8
= 24

3) Supplied by "Mark" (using bonus rules):
(3!/)*8

4) Supplied by "Daryl S" (using bonus rules):
(8-3)!/(8-3)
( × )!
( + )!
√(8×8×3×3)
8+(8×(3!/3))
((√(8+8) × (3/3))!
√(8+8) × (3+3)
(log base(3!/3) of 8) × 8
((log base(3!/3) of (8+8))!

5) Supplied by "Sunil Prajapati" (using bonus rules):
√(8×8)×√(3×3) which is a variation of √(8×8×3×3) by Daryl S

5 people are standing in a queue for plane tickets in Germany; each one has a name, an age, a favorite TV program, where they live, a hairstyle and a destination.

Names: Bob, Keeley, Rachael, Eilish and Amy
TV programs: The Simpsons, Coronation Street ("Corrie"), Eastenders, Desperate Housewives and Neighbours.
Destinations: France, Australia, England, Africa and Italy
Ages: 14, 21, 46, 52 and 81
Hairstyle: Afro, long, straight, curly and bald
Where they live: A town, a city, a village, a farm and a youth hostel

1. The person in the middle watches Desperate Housewives
2. Bob is the first in the queue
3. The person who watches the Simpsons is next to the person who lives in a youth hostel
4. The person going to Africa is behind Rachael
5. The person who lives in a village is 52
6. The person who is going to Australia has straight hair
7. The person travelling to Africa watches Desperate Housewives
8. The 14-year-old is at the end of the queue
9. Amy watches Eastenders
10. The person heading to Italy has long hair
11. Keeley lives in a village
12. The 46-year-old is bald
13. The fourth in the queue is going to England
14. The people who watch Desperate Housewives and Neighbours are standing next to each other
15. The person who watches Coronation Street stands next to the person with an afro
16. A person next to Rachael has an afro
17. The 21-year-old lives in a youth hostel
18. The person who watches Corrie has long hair
19. The 81-year-old lives on a farm
20. The person who is travelling to France lives in a town
21. Eilish is not next to the person with straight hair

(This puzzle was devised by Zoe Reader, Bourne Grammar School, Bourne, Lincolnshire, in March 2006, and revised by Bob Bundy, phrontister and anonimnystefy of the Math is Fun Forum in June 2012)

Our Solution:

	1	2	3	4	5
Name	Bob	Rachael	Eilish	Keeley	Amy
Favorite TV programme	The Simpsons	Coronation Street	Desperate Housewives	Neighbours	Eastenders
Destination	France	Italy	Africa	England	Australia
Age	46	21	81	52	14
Where they live	Town	Youth Hostel	Farm	Village	City
Hairstyle	Bald	Long	Afro	Curly	Straight

(Solution by Zoe Reader, Bourne Grammar School, Bourne, Lincolnshire, in March 2006, and revised by Bob Bundy, phrontister and anonimnystefy of the Math is Fun Forum in June 2012)

The Puzzle: Eight married couples meet to lend one another some books. Couples have the same surname, employment and car. Each couple has a favourite colour. Furthermore we know the following facts:

1. Daniella Black and her husband work as Shop-Assistants.
2. The book "The Seadog" was brought by a couple who drive a Fiat and love the colour red.
3. Owen and his wife Victoria like the colour brown.
4. Stan Horricks and his wife Hannah like the colour white.
5. Jenny Smith and her husband work as Warehouse Managers and they drive a Wartburg.
6. Monica and her husband Alexander borrowed the book "Grandfather Joseph".
7. Mathew and his wife like the colour pink and brought the book "Mulatka Gabriela".
8. Irene and her husband Oto work as Accountants.
9. The book "We Were Five" was borrowed by a couple driving a Trabant.
10. The Cermaks are both Ticket-Collectors who brought the book "Shed Stoat".
11. Mr and Mrs Kuril are both Doctors who borrowed the book "Slovacko Judge".
12. Paul and his wife like the colour green.
13. Veronica Dvorak and her husband like the colour blue.
14. Rick and his wife brought the book "Slovacko Judge" and they drive a Ziguli.
15. One couple brought the book "Dame Commissar" and borrowed the book "Mulatka Gabriela".
16. The couple who drive a Dacia, love the colour violet.
17. The couple who work as Teachers borrowed the book "Dame Commissar".
18. The couple who work as Agriculturalists drive a Moskvic.
19. Pamela and her husband drive a Renault and brought the book "Grandfather Joseph".
20. Pamela and her husband borrowed the book that Mr and Mrs Zajac brought.
21. Robert and his wife like the colour yellow and borrowed the book "The Modern Comedy".
22. Mr and Mrs Swain work as Shoppers.
23. "The Modern Comedy" was brought by a couple driving a Skoda.

Who likes Violet? And can you find out everything about everyone from this?


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The Solution . . .

Monica and Alexander Cermak like Violet. Names Occupation Car Color Brought Borrowed Daniella and Mathew Black Shop-Assistants Trabant pink "Mulatka Gabriela" "We Were Five" Victoria and Owen Kuril Doctors Skoda brown "The Modern Comedy" "Slovacko Judge" Hannah and Stan Horricks Agriculturalists Moskvic white "Dame Commissar" "Mulatka Gabriela" Jenny and Robert Smith Warehouse Managers Wartburg yellow "We Were Five" "The Modern Comedy" Monica and Alexander Cermak Ticket-Collectors Dacia violet "Shed Stoat" "Grandfather Joseph" Irene a Oto Zajac Accountants Fiat red "The Seadog" "Shed Stoat" Pamela and Paul Swain Shoppers Renault green "Grandfather Joseph" "The Seadog" Veronica and Rick Dvorak Teachers Ziguli blue "Slovacko Judge" "Dame Commissar"

The Puzzle:

Five friends have their gardens next to one another, where they grow three kinds of crops: fruits (apple, pear, nut, cherry), vegetables (carrot, parsley, gourd, onion) and flowers (aster, rose, tulip, lily).

1. They grow 12 different varieties.
2. Everybody grows exactly 4 different varieties
3. Each variety is at least in one garden.
4. Only one variety is in 4 gardens.
5. Only in one garden are all 3 kinds of crops.
6. Only in one garden are all 4 varieties of one kind of crops.
7. Pear is only in the two border gardens.
8. Paul's garden is in the middle with no lily.
9. Aster grower doesn't grow vegetables.
10. Rose growers don't grow parsley.
11. Nuts grower has also gourd and parsley.
12. In the first garden are apples and cherries.
13. Only in two gardens are cherries.
14. Sam has onions and cherries.
15. Luke grows exactly two kinds of fruit.
16. Tulip is only in two gardens.
17. Apple is in a single garden.
18. Only in one garden next to Zick's is parsley.
19. Sam's garden is not on the border.
20. Hank grows neither vegetables nor asters.
21. Paul has exactly three kinds of vegetable.

Who has which garden and what is grown where?

Our Solution:

Hank:	pear	apple	cherry	rose
Sam:	cherry	onion	rose	tulip
Paul:	carrot	gourd	onion	rose
Zick:	aster	rose	tulip	lily
Luke:	pear	nut	gourd	parsley