Puzzle 33
A coin collector decides to divide his coin collection between his children.
The eldest gets 1/2 of the collection, the next gets 1/4 of the collection, the next gets 1/5 of the collection, and the youngest gets the remaining 49 coins.
How many coins are in the collection?
Puzzle Copyright © Kevin Stone
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Hint
What do the fractions add up to?
Answer
There are 980 coins in the collection.
Reasoning
Using fractions:
1/2 + 1/4 + 1/5 = 19/20
The remaining 1/20 is 49 coins.
Therefore, the 20/20 must equal 20 lots of 49 = 980.
Alternative Reasoning
Using percentages:
50% + 25% + 20% = 95%
The remaining 5% is 49 coins.
If 5% is 49 coins, 10% is 98 coins, 100% is 980 coins.
Double-Checking
1/2 of 980 is 490
1/4 of 980 is 245
1/5 of 980 is 196
and the remaining 49 coins.
And 490 + 245 + 196 + 49 = 980.
Puzzle 34
Can you find the sum of the second column?
Puzzle Copyright © Kevin Stone
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Answer
14.
Reasoning
The values are: @ = 7, & = 4, $ = 8, # = 3, % = 5.
But…
…you don't have to find the value of every symbol!
The rows add up to 80, which means that the columns must also add up to 80.
24 + ? + 17 + 25 = 80.
? = 14.
Puzzle 35
Can you find the country hidden in the following paragraph:
After many years studying in the field of astrophysics, the boffin landed a plum job with the National Space Agency, where he became a leading figure in the area of quasars.
Puzzle Copyright © Kevin Stone
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Hint
The country spans more than one word.
Answer
Finland.
After many years studying in the field of astrophysics, the bofFIN LANDed a plum job with the National Space Agency, where he became a leading figure in the area of quasars.
Puzzle 36
Which of the shapes is identical to the first one?
There might be more than one.
Puzzle Copyright © Robert A. Hartmann
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Hint
Try to rotate them around in your head, but watch out for mirror images.
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