Featuring the unique "ScienceToday" monthly magazine published by Times of India, during 1966-1991.

Tuesday, October 30, 2007

Pyramid

P 30




                                        *
                                     *   *
                                   *   *   *
                                 *   *   *  *

Arrange the ten stars like a pyramid, as above. Now, by moving only 3 stars, can you invert the pyramid ?

Break.....

I am sorry that, due to personal absence from my work place,  I couldn't post the puzzles on the last two days (28 th and 29 th October).
Those two puzzles will be posted in a day or two. Thanks all.
Prasanna.

Today's puzzle

P 29

Three business men – Mehta, Joshi, and Patil – all live in the Dadar-Matunga region of Bombay. Three Railway men of similar names live in the same area. The businessman Joshi and the Guard live at Matunga. Patil and the stoker live at Dadar, and Mehta and the motorman live halfway between Dadar and Matunga. The Guard’s namesake earns Rs. 1 Lakh per month and the motorman earns exactly onethird of the businessman living nearest to him. Finally the Railman Mehta beats the stoker at bridge. What is the motorman’s name ?

Saturday, October 27, 2007

Number series

P28
The following digits are arranged in a particular order. You are required to find the basis for this order ?
8-5-4-9-1-7-6-3-2-0

Friday, October 26, 2007

Today's puzzle

P 27
Another puzzle from Henry Earnest Dudeney !



A rope is passed over a pulley. There’s a rope at one end and a monkey at the other. On both sides, the length of the rope is the same. The rope weighs 4 ounces per foot. The total age of the monkey and its mother is 4 years. The monkey weighs as many kg as its mother is years old. The monkey’s mother is twice as old as the monkey was when the monkey’s mother was half as old as the monkey will be when the monkey is three times as old as the monkey’s mother was when the monkey’s mother was three times as old as the monkey. The weight of the rope and the weight at the end was half as much again as the difference in weight between the weight of the weight and the weight and the weight of the monkey.
What was the length of the rope ?

Thursday, October 25, 2007

Smoking is injurious to health

P26
Rattled by the recent Cancer scare, a friend of mine , a chain smoker, decided to giveup smoking.
“ I’ll smoke the 29 cigarettes I am left with, and never touch another”. However, old habits you know.... Our friend soon found that 3 cigarette butts and a bit of adhesive tape , intelligently put together, could produce one very smokable and hard-to-resist cigarette. How many did our friend manage to smoke before he exhausted his supply ?
"Cigarette smoking is injurious to health "

Are you aware that , there are many excellant articles in ST, on Cancer, Cigarettes, and such health issues. In case you are interested, please ask for the articles.

Wednesday, October 24, 2007

Today's puzzle

Today, we have a very simple puzzle. Here it is !

P 25
Archaeologists have discovered , at one of their excavation sites, what seems to be the gravestone of a fairly important person. It seems he was born on 4 th July 30 BC and he died on the 4th July 30 AD. May his soul rest in peace. Yeah, how old was he when he died ?

Tuesday, October 23, 2007

Brain Teasers

January 1970 issue of ST is very important to us. Why ? Please read on ….

“ The lonesome PUZZLE OF THE MONTH is gone ! Starting with this issue, ….. its BRAIN TEASERS !! "

The teasers will be of various kinds; some mathematical, some logical, some on geometry,…. So, we continue with the series “A puzzle a day”. Please try your brain at these puzzles. Please post your answers, if you get !!

Henry Earnest Dudeny

P22

The famed puzzler, Henry Earnest Dudeny claimed to have found this four hundred year old epitaph in a cemetery.
Two grand-mothers, with their two grand-daughters;
Two husbands, with their two wives;
Two fathers, with their two daughters;
Two mothers, with their two sons;
Two maidens, with their two mothers;
Two sisters, with their two brothers;
Yet only six in all lie buried here;
All born legitimate, from incest clear.

How might this happen ?

Monday, October 22, 2007

Army's gun problem

P21

This is an Army problem . But, anybody can solve it. Do it in 5 minutes.
The Army had offered a large price for the design of a rapid fire gun. Soon enough, an inventor came with a gun which when once loaded would fire 60 shots at the rate of a shot a minute. The experts put the gun to test and found that it fired 60 shots an hour. The gun was rejected, as it did not fulfill the promised condition. The inventor protested, but the experts would not relent. Were the experts right?

Sunday, October 21, 2007

Puzzles

P 20
An obese man is advised by his doctor to limit his calorie intake to an accurate 300 per day. Each fruit listed below with its calorie value, costs one rupee a piece. The man can afford to spend only Rs.20 per week.
Fruit      Pine apple   Mango   Papaya   Peach   Apple   Guava   Banana
Calorie  175                150         125          100       75           50         25
Plan out a weekly dieting programme for him
(i) Without repetition of any combination of two or more fruits
(ii) Allowing him to enjoy at least two fruits of each type in the entire week.
(iii) Allowing him to taste at least two different varieties, but not allowing him to take more than a total of three fruits on any day.


P 19  
 0769
There are three temples in a village. Each temple has an adjoining well. There is also a garden nearby. One morning the priest came to offer flowers to the three deities. He collected some flowers from the garden and dropped them in the first well ; the flowers doubled. He offered some to the first deity, then moved to the second temple and dropped the remaining flowers in the well there. The flowers trebled. He offered some to the second deity and moving to the third temple, dropped the rest in to the well. This time the flowers quadrupled. He offered all the flowers to the third deity. Each deity had received the same number of flowers and in the end the priest had no flowers left.
How many flowers did he pluck from the garden and how many did each deity receive ?

Friday, October 19, 2007

Funny clock !

P 18  191007

This happens to be a funny clock. The minute-hand moves in the regular, clock-wise direction, but the hour-hand moves in the anti-clock-wise direction. The movements are otherwise normal, i.e. the minute hand takes 60 minutes to cover 360 degrees and the hour hand takes 12 hours.
Find graphically the points of time they will meet in a 12 hour cycle, starting exactly at a time when both have coincided at 12. The timings of coincidence will be read as in any normal clock, set simultaneously at 12.

Thursday, October 18, 2007

Operations Research

P 17    181007

Here is a problem for Operations Research !. In the ground floor of a four-storey house, an electrical repair-man found the ends of 11 wires in a bunch (they all looked alike) .On the top floor was the other bunch of 11. His problem: to find out which end above belonged to which end below.
He could, of course, either short-circuit the wires at either spot by twisting ends at random, or test for a closed circuit by a continuity tester. But to avoid the needless stair climbing involved, he sat down on the top floor with a pencil and paper and soon worked out the most efficient possible method of labeling the wires.
What was his method?

Wednesday, October 17, 2007

Puzzle of the day

P 16

Mr. Ramakrishnan had gone to cash a cheque in his bank. The absent-minded teller misread the figures and interchanged the rupees and paise and gave him rupees instead of paise and paise instead of rupees. On his way back, Mr.Ramakrishnan brought a stamp for twenty paise. When he reached his home he found that he had with him an amount exactly twice as much as his original cheque.
What was the amount of the cheque?

Tuesday, October 16, 2007

Reporter's problem

P15

It was the funeral of the old millionaire Sukhiram. His six direct descendants had all come to the funeral (each being a son, grandson or greatgrandson of the old man). A reporter spoke to each of them and came away with these six statements:
(i) Sukhiram was my father. Dukhiram is not my son. I have no grandsons
(ii) I am Jetharam’s uncle. Chelaram and Khusiram are brothers. Dukhiram is my uncle
(iii) I have no brothers, Khusiram is my great uncle, Sitaram is my father
(iv) I am Jayaram. Sukhiram was my grandfather. Dukhiram is Sitaram’s son
(v) I am Dukhiram, Jayaram is my uncle Sitatram is my brother
(v) Sitaram and Jayaram are brothers. Jetharam is my grandson. Khusiram is my brother.
The old man Sukhiram always spoke the truth; this virtue was kept up by the next generation. But any grandson of Sukhiram makes one false statement in three. And any great grand son makes only one true statement in three.
The preporter has to draw the family tree. Can you help him?
[Hint: A son of Sukhiram has no uncles. Having deduced whether (iii) has a brother, you can work out whether Khusiram has a son. Then find out what relation Dukhiram is to Sukhiram and which speaker he is.]

Monday, October 15, 2007

Problem of ages

P 14    0567 Br Tsr 151007

A man is the same age as his wife with the digits reversed. One eleventh of the sum of their age equals the difference in their ages. How old are they, assuming the man is elder ?

Saturday, October 13, 2007

Princess and suitors

P 13
A pretty but clever princess wished to find a match for herself. She had received many proposals but had rejected them all because none of the suitors was intelligent. However, she got so tired of people coming with claims of clever deeds that she devised a test for her suitors. In a room of her palace she placed two boxes, both identical in shape and colour. In one box she kept a sword, in the other, a golden ring.
A prospective suitor could select either of these boxes. If it contained the sword he would be beheaded, but if it contained the ring. The princess would marry him. Before selecting the box, the suitor would be allowed to ask her only one question, which she would answer. The princess was known for speaking the truth only on alternate days; on other days she was a liar.
We know a suitor did marry her. What was the question that he asked?

Dog and rabbit



P12
0567 131007
There is a rectangular field with sides 80 and 60 metres. A dog at A spots a rabbit at B and starts chasing it at the same moment that the rabbit begins to run away. The rabbit runs at 20 kmph straight on to its burrow at the other end of the field at C. The dog knows he cannot catch the rabbit if he goes to B and then to C and takes a diagonal course keeping his quarry in sight and always running directly towards it. Since the dog’s speed is 25 kmph, at what point along BC will he catch the rabbit ?

( Fig Dog and Rabbit).

Friday, October 12, 2007

Once more ...

Smile please...



How about a new series ??  "a smile a day"  Or " a laugh a day" ????
OK, we'll decide..  Here is a cartoon .. Please enjoy..  and have a smile please  !

Today's puzzle

P11      0667  111007
A man visits his friend and says, “if you will lend me the amount of money I have in my pocket, I will pay you the Rs. 10 I already owe you”. The friend obliges, and is paid the previous debt. The man then visits a second friend from whom he succeeds in borrowing an amount of money equal to that in his pocket, and pays him Rs. 10 for an already outstanding debt. This procedure he repeats on two more occasions and having paid two more outstanding debts of Rs. 10 each , leaves with nothing in his pocket. What is the total amount he now owes his four friends ?

Thursday, October 11, 2007

Puzzle : Mathematical

P 10     0567 Br Tsr 111007

Here is a mathematical one. Please attempt and post your answer

Twice a fraction plus half that fraction times that fraction equals that fraction. Identify the fraction ?

Wednesday, October 10, 2007

Brain Teasers

P 09    0567 BrTsr 101007

A shop keeper has a weighing scale and four weights. If nothing in his shop weighs more than 40 kg, and he can weigh every single kilogram from 1 to 40 with these four weights, how much does each weight weigh ?

Tuesday, October 9, 2007

Solution to Puzzles

How about posting solutions to the puzzles ? If you feel that you need the solutions too, I can post them. However, I want you to think over the puzzle and attempt to solve. Its a fact that most of these puzzles are simple, and that you may not need anyone to tell you its solutions. However, if you really need the solutions, I shall start posting them. But after two or three days ! Is that Ok ?  What do you say ??

And now, Puzzle of the day !

P8
0667  091007

A man visits his friend and says, “if you will lend me the amount of money I have in my pocket, I will pay you the Rs. 10 I already owe you”. The friend obliges, and is paid the previous debt. The man then visits a second friend from whom he succeeds in borrowing an amount of money equal to that in his pocket, and pays him Rs. 10 for an already outstanding debt. This procedure he repeats on two more occasions and having paid two more outstanding debts of Rs. 10 each , leaves with nothing in his pocket. What is the total amount he now owes his four friends ?

Monday, October 8, 2007

Puzzle : Shooting stars

P7   0467 081007

Two shooting stars are approaching almost directly towards each other. One is traveling at 50000 mph and the other at 70000 mph. They start from points in the sky 19231 miles apart. How far apart will they be one minute before they are due to pass each other ?

Sunday, October 7, 2007

Puzzle : The smart thief

P6 0367 071007

A thief went inside a church to steal the bell ropes. The two bell ropes passed through holes in the high boarded ceiling and he wanted to take nearly the complete lengths of the two ropes. He had only a pocket knife with him. How did he do it ? No ladders, no other gadgets, etc.. are available. You may think that he might steal one rope and slide down the other. But how did he cutoff nearly the whole lengths of both without falling ?

Saturday, October 6, 2007

Collection of ST - a Status Report

My collection of “Science Today”.

As I had mentioned earlier, my collection of “ScienceToday” is unique. I believe, this is the ONLY collection of this precious magazine. Even ‘Times of India ‘ themselves won’t have this !!

Recently, I made a thorough inspection of my treasure – the complete collection of Science Today. Here is a summary report on this treasure : useful data, statistics and condition.

1.     Started in July 1966 ( Vol.1, No. 1 )
2.     Volumes are numbered as 1 (1966-76), 2 (1967-68) etc. upto Vol. 12 (1977-78). Each volume has 12 issues.
3.    Issues are NOT published in Sept and Oct 1968 (Reason not known ! ).
4.    Vol 12. (from July 1978 to December 1979 )
5.    July, August, and September 1979 issues are NOT published. Vol 13 has 15 issues ( else it would have 18 issues).
6.    Vol. 14 (1980) to Vol. 24 (1990).
7.    Among this, issues of Oct 80, Feb 83, July 83, and April 1990 are NOT published.
8.    Last issue is October 1991 ( Vol 25).
9.    August and September 1991 issues are combined into one.
10.  Size of magazine changed (to bigger size) in March 1977.
11.  April 1988 : Renamed to “2001 (incorporating Science Today) “

Number of months ( from July 1966 to Oct 1991 ) : 306
Total number of issues published : 295
Number of issues NOT published : 11


Number of issues in my collection      : 282
Number of issues NOT available in my collection : 13


Issues NOT available :
         July, August 1966
         January 1967
         August 1968
         February 1969
         March 1972
         January, March 1973
         March, May 1979
         March 1990
         January, February 1991
                                                         (Total 13 issues are NOT available ).



Condition :
Volumes 1 to 12 and 14 to 16 are bound (Hard cover).
All other volumes are NOT bound and issues are available separately as it is.
All issues, including bound volumes, are in excellent condition, except for the following.
Cover sheets missing for 3 issues.
Scribbling (with pen) on a few pages. No mutilation of contents.
Rubber stamps / signature on a few pages No mutilation of contents

A railway puzzle



P5   0966 061007
Two railway coaches, A and B, stand on a circular track with an overhead bridge between them. An engine rests on a siding. The bridge will allow only the engine to pass beneath it. Interchnage the position of A and B, ( Bring B to A’s position and A to B’s position ).

{ Please see figure above.    Enlarge the figure, if required. )

Friday, October 5, 2007

A puzzle a day ... For non-violence.

"The best way to defeat terrorism is through non-violence".

I think, terrorism and violence are the same. Violence, in any form, is terrorism.

"Gandhiji's principle of non-violence is relevant even today" - A press report says, quoting a VVIP. But the truth is that  
Gandhiji's principle of nonviolence is relevent always, and for ever

The best way to defeat violence (and so terrorism) is through creating positive thoughts in the mind of everyone. This is possible only through a scientific approach.
One of the methods of creating positive thoughts in the mind is through humour and concentration.  
You know, puzzles are an excellant method to concentrate. 
Therefore, puzzles can give you concentration, pleasure, calmness, and mental health.
So... Puzzles are a method of defeating violence (terrorism).
Shall we send "a puzzle a day" to all the terrorists? That, I am sure, would bring in world peace.

Puzzle..Raipur to Rampur !

Here is the fourth puzzle. A very simple logical one.

P4 0267 05Oct07
There is a road from Hajpur to Rampur. Virpur is at just half the way between Hajpur and Rampur. Raipur is just as far from Hajpur as it is from Virpur and Virpur is as far from Raipur as it is from Rampur. If it is 20 KM from Hajpur to Raipur, how far is Raipur from Rampur ?

All the best !

Thursday, October 4, 2007

Puzzle of the day

Here is the third one. A very simple mathematical puzzle.
P3 1266 04Oct07

Ajith, a villager, went to his neighbor Kasim, to borrow 4 litres of kerosene. He took a container with him. Kasim had a stock of a full bottle of 8 litres of kerosene. He agreed to share half of what he had. But they didn’t know how to share. Kasim had two empty bottles of 5 litres and 3 litres each respectively, with him. There were no other measures or other bottles, but had to divide the oil exactly into two equal parts. How could they do it ?

Wednesday, October 3, 2007

Puzzles : Solution to Terrorism and Violence

You now know that "A puzzle a day" series is ON. But have you thought about the significance of starting the puzzle on October 2 ? As you rightly guessed it, its "Gandhi Jayanthi" , a day for peace and non-violence in the world.  Today, I think violence, in its all forms, do trouble all of us, the world over. 
The only solution to this problem is teaching and practice of non-violence, the Gandhian principle. 
Our first puzzle is intentionally chosen. This logical problem ( I hope you had read and tried it !! ) is very meaningful (not alone interesting).
The missionary, in the hands of the cruel tribal people, is really in danger, for sure. He will be killed in one of the two methods.  But, the Chieftain, 
to show his smartness (or clever ?)  puts a question to him.
He didn't mean to offer an escape route.
Read the question, it's very clear. The cruel Chieftain must be laughing. 
But, the Missionary, tackling the question in a very intelligent manner, escaped. His answer was such that, he could not be killed.
The Chieftain had no other way, but to let the Missionary free !
See,  this is an excellant case of how intelligence outsmarted the cruelty (terrorism or violence).
The morale of the story is that, intelligence applied well (that's godly! ) can counteract all the evils of the world.
Let's all act intelligently well (that's also Gandhism) to make this world a heaven. A world without violence.
That's the answer to the puzzle of terrorism and violence.

Puzzle No. 2

P2. 1166
03Oct07

Here is the second puzzle ...

An explorer decided to go hunting one day into the thick forests. He started from his camp, walked 15 KM due South. But he could not find anything to hunt. He turned right and walked 15 KM due West. The lucky man could find a bear, and shot it. Slinging the heavy beast on his shoulders, the man started for his camp. After walking 15 Km due north, he reached his camp. What was the color of the bear ?

Tuesday, October 2, 2007

A PUZZLE A DAY

“A puzzle a day“
Some of my students, last day,  suggested me to post PUZZLES here. I thank them for a wonderful suggestion. Yeah, I decided to start posting puzzles here. Puzzles, like jokes, are certainly a pill for a healthy mind. Puzzles are a good pastime too. Therefore, I am very happy to initiate a new series here !!!
“A puzzle a day“

My objective of this series is to give YOU, all visitors to this place, HAPPINESS ! Happiness by keeping engaged for sometime; thinking ( and so exercising your brain) ; and deriving pleasure out of the results.

Puzzles can keep you healthy, since you are exercising your brain (intellect) and your mind. Puzzles are stress busters too ! A healthy mind in a healthy body only can make you really healthy.

Puzzles can make you wealthy, as they are good resources for all intellectual activities. They help you take good decisions, may be good business decisions too ! Good decisions make you wealthy !

Puzzles make you happy, as they are like jokes. They are stress relievers; they make you smile, laugh, and gets you the thrill of achievement.

So, I think, “a puzzle a day “ programme is worth in every dimension. Let me reframe my objective :
Let everyone say : A puzzle a day keeps me healthy wealthy and happy !

But what’s YOUR role ? I request ALL to post the answers and discussions (as comments) here. I’ll keep a track of who answers first, and award points. Who knows, someday we all may be able to institute a prize for the top scorer !

OK ? Let’s start right here. Oh before that , I must tell you that what I present here are based on puzzles published by “ScienceToday”. Thanks ST !!

The first one in the series :
**
P1.
A missionary, who was touring an island, was captured by the primitives of that island. An elaborate ceremony was on, headed by the Chief, and was to be concluded by killing the slave. The Chieftain came, and told the missionary :
“You have a choice as to the manner of your death. You can make a statement. If you are telling the truth you will be roasted. If it’s a lie, you will be cut to pieces.”
The missionary made a statement, and did live to tell this tale. What was his statement ?
**

Post your answer here.
Prasanna