Why I Drink Tea I personally don’t drink coffee (I know—a college student and artist who doesn’t drink coffee, unbelievable!). I have tried a few times through the years, but every time I do, I always feel pretty bad afterwards. So I’m afraid coffee and […]
“Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up.” –Pablo Picasso My Art courses this spring Last semester I dipped my toes into the realm of printmaking and painting, and I am continuing that this […]
The air is frigid, and snowflakes drift on the wind, draping the landscape in a frosted blanket of white. You sit watching with a warm drink under your nose… Nowhere to go and nothing left to do. You feel boredom creeping its way into your peaceful snow day. “There must be something to keep one’s mind occupied?” you muse, as your eyes scan the surrounding room. Suddenly something catches your eye…”Ah ha! Boredom won’t win this day!” Now you know how you will pass the time….
I’m sure that you probably have done one of these head scratching puzzles as a child in school, and maybe now you are a master at them! I personally love puzzles of all types, and these 3 are some of my favorites from Fantastic Book of Logic Puzzles by Muriel Mandell and Illustrated by Elise Chanowitz. Let’s get started!
After his spaceship landed on Mars, astronaut Jonathan Mark disembarked and approached the first Martian he saw. “Am I headed for the geological dig? He asked.
The Martian rubbed his stomach.
Mark knew that Martians could understand some Earth-talk, but were not able to speak it. And astronaut Mark, like so many Earthlings, could neither speak nor understand Martian gestures. He didn’t know whether rubbing the stomach meant yes or no. But by asking one additional question, Mark was able to find out.
What was that question?
This was astronaut Jose Perez’s fourth visit to Mars and he had learned to speak Martian. He wanted to find his Martian friend Doman, but in order to locate him he had to know what group Doman belonged to. The Three groups in the area were: Uti, Yomi, and Grundi.
The Uti always told the truth.
The Yomi always lied.
The Grundi sometimes told the truth but sometimes lied.
Perez needed information. Three Martians, Aken, Bal, and Cwos, each of whom belonged to a different group, agreed to help him.
He asked each one of them two questions: What group do you belong to? What group does Doman belong to?
What group does Doman belong to?
Jonathan Mark gathered three specimens of Martian plant and animal life to bring back to Earth: a garble, a farfel and a tsientsien. But Mark was worried. His vehicle for local travel was not big enough to hold more than himself and one specimen. Mark knew that garbles will eat farfels if given half a chance, and farfels will eat tsientsien. Garbles, however, don’t eat tsientsien, and tsientsien don’t eat. All the other astronauts were away from the ship.
How could Marl transport the garble, the farfel and the tsientsien one at a time so that they would all be safe?
So what do you think? Did you solve them or were you stumped? Leave your answers to each puzzle in the comments below, and let’s work through them together!
I hope you all enjoyed these 3 little puzzles, and if you would like to see more of these in the future, let us know!
Finding and Fostering Inspiration The sunlight glistens off the pale green river and the cold winter air blows through your car. You are waiting for the ferry, watching curious seagulls scavenging for an early afternoon snack from one of the waiting cars. Taking in […]