Puzzle 9
Using all of the letters A to Z, each once only, complete these common words. There are currently 3 different answers, can you find them all?
--ust
-ue-n
o-o-e
--and
-a-er
id-o-
-uc-y
e-i-t
hea--
tou--
-rie-
-ry-t
h-m-n
Puzzle Copyright © Kevin Stone
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Hint
The first word begins with the letter J.
Answers
--ust = joust (JO)
-ue-n = queen (QE)
o-o-e = ozone (ZN)
--and = brand (BR)
-a-er = water (WT)
id-o- = idiom (IM)
-uc-y = lucky (LK)
e-i-t = exist (XS)
hea-- = heavy (VY)
tou-- = tough (GH)
-rie- = fried (FD)
-ry-t = crypt (CP)
h-m-n = human (UA)
Alternative Answers
Joust, queen, ozone, brand, wafer, idiom, lucky, exist, heavy, tough, tried, crypt, human.
Joust, queen, ozone, bland, wafer, idiot, mucky, exist, heavy, tough, drier, crypt, human.
Can you find another?
Puzzle 10
Gymnastics Gala - Logic Puzzles
During a recent gymnastics gala, four athletes competed in three events, the vault, the beam, and the floor.
Chris came third on the floor.
The athlete who came second in the vault won the beam event.
The athlete who came second on the beam won the floor.
Emery beat Alex in every event.
The athlete who won the vault came second on the floor.
Billie came last in the vault.
Can you determine who finished where in each event?
Puzzle Copyright © Kevin Stone
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Hint
Could Alex have come first or second in any event?
Answer
Vault Beam Floor
#1 Emery Chris Billie
#2 Chris Billie Emery
#3 Alex Emery Chris
#4 Billie Alex Alex
Reasoning
By (1), Chris came third on the floor. By (6), Billie came last in the vault.
Vault Beam Floor
#1
#2
#3 Chris
#4 Billie
By (2), the athlete who came second in the vault won the beam event, let's mark these as X.
By (3), the athlete who came second on the beam won the floor, let's mark these as Y.
By (5), the athlete who won the vault came second on the floor, let's mark these as Z.
Vault Beam Floor
#1 Z X Y
#2 X Y Z
#3 Chris
#4 Billie
By (4), Emery beat Alex in every event, therefore Alex can't have won any event, nor come second (because of X, Y, and Z). So, Alex came third on the vault, and last on the floor.
Vault Beam Floor
#1 Z X Y
#2 X Y Z
#3 Alex Chris
#4 Billie Alex
Looking at the vault, Z can't be Chris because Z came second on the floor (but we know Chris came last). So, Z must be Emery, and X is Chris.
Vault Beam Floor
#1 Emery Chris Y
#2 Chris Y Emery
#3 Alex Chris
#4 Billie Alex
Looking at the floor, Y is Billie.
Vault Beam Floor
#1 Emery Chris Billie
#2 Chris Billie Emery
#3 Alex Chris
#4 Billie Alex
By (4), Emery beat Alex on the beam.
Vault Beam Floor
#1 Emery Chris Billie
#2 Chris Billie Emery
#3 Alex Emery Chris
#4 Billie Alex Alex
Puzzle 11
Within the BrainBashers school, the science department has three disciplines.
In total, 280 students study chemistry, 254 students study physics, and 280 students study biology.
In total, 97 students study chemistry and physics, 138 students study physics and biology, and 152 students study chemistry and biology.
73 students study all three disciplines.
Can you determine how many students there are in the science department? The answer is not 814.
Puzzle Copyright © Kevin Stone
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Hint
How many students study chemistry and physics, but not biology?
Answer
500 students.
Reasoning
The answer is more easily seen if three intersecting circles are drawn, and the numbers inside each section are worked out.
We know that 73 students study all three disciplines, which allows us to work out the numbers.
97 students study chemistry and physics, so 97 – 73 = 24 study just chemistry and physics.
138 students study physics and biology, so 138 – 73 = 65 study just physics and biology.
152 students study chemistry and biology, so 152 – 73 = 79 study just chemistry and biology.
280 students study chemistry, so 280 – 73 – 24 – 79 = 104 study just chemistry.
254 students study physics, so 254 – 73 – 24 – 65 = 92 study just physics.
280 students study biology, 280 – 73 – 65 – 79 = 63 study just biology.
For a total of: 104 + 92 + 63 + 24 + 65 + 79 + 73 = 500 students.
Puzzle 12
How many squares, of any size, are on a board divided up into 6 squares by 6 squares?
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Hint
How many 1x1 squares are there?
Answer
91 squares.
Reasoning
Squares of size:
1 x 1 = 36
2 x 2 = 25
3 x 3 = 16
4 x 4 = 9
5 x 5 = 4
6 x 6 = 1
Total = 36 + 25 + 16 + 9 + 4 + 1 = 91.
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