Turning Back The Sands of Time

Time and Space
Part Four

In our continued quest for elegance in solutions to time and space puzzles we revisit the sand timers with a video and more time lines, explaining just how to get the most elegant of solutions.

Breaking the Space Time Continuum

Time and Space
Part Three

We're breaking out the sand timers and the jugs again as we search for increasingly well composed solutions to measuring puzzles. Then we attempt the theoretically impossible when we try to break the space-time continuum, with toast.

Word Addicts

Word Mechanics
Part Five

We're back onto word puzzles for today's exercise, and exercise is what it's all about. Well, it's about the meanings and properties of words - which will prove good practice for when we delve into the dangerous and mysterious world of cryptic crosswords.

A Sandy Situation

Time and Space
Part Two

Today it's a day on the sand - and it's still not all it promises. The second cousin of the jugs problem is all about timing. You are generally presented with sand glasses of known duration, or candles of known burn time, and asked to measure a specific length of time.

A Pair of Jugs

Time and Space
Part One

I'm sorry, but you knew there was going to be smut when you entered into this little student-teacher arrangement and this set of puzzles is too good an opportunity to miss.

Of course I'm speaking not about any part of the female anatomy, but one of the oldest and most varied puzzle sets there is - measuring puzzles. 

Accepting the Impossible

Puzzling Parables
Part Two

In our second puzzling parable we look at two puzzles that require that we throw off the shackles of what is achievable; our second lesson is 'accept the impossible.

By this I of course mean that you should accept that the circumstances in the puzzle are impossible to reach by usual means, and start working on the unusual.

Deciding What's Important

Puzzling Parables
Part One

In this festive series I aim to introduce you to Logic and Lateral Thinking puzzles by getting you to accept the three certainties of puzzling. I have written a little story about each of these truths and I call them the Puzzling Parables.

The Mechanics of Words

Word Mechanics
Part Four

We haven't quite finished with looking at words for words sake, but today's post is also about how words work. Don't be frightened off by the word mechanics, we aren't doing mechanics puzzles for a good while yet; although we will be looking at them. I just really thought it was important, after the last post, to get you minds working with a whole string of puzzles, and word mechanics is definitely the way to do this.