Puzzle 13
What number comes next in the sequence:
11 · 13 · 17 · 31 · 37 · 71 · 73 · 79 · 97 · ?
Puzzle Copyright © Kevin Stone
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Hint
A very tricky puzzle involving prime numbers.
Answer
101.
These are prime numbers, which, when reversed, are also prime.
Puzzle 14
What can go up a chimney down …
… but can't go down a chimney up?
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Hint
You would probably never try this.
Puzzle 15
Billy has twice as many sisters as brothers.
His sister, Frankie, has one more sister than she has brothers.
How many boys and girls are there in the family?
Puzzle Copyright © Kevin Stone
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Hint
The answer isn't very large at all.
Answer
There are four boys and six girls in the family.
If there were B boys, and G girls we know that Billy has twice as many sisters as brothers, so 2 x (b − 1) = g.
And his sister, Frankie, has one more sister than she has brothers, so g − 1 = b + 1.
2(b − 1) = g [1]
g − 1 = b + 1 [2]
Using [1] in [2] gives:
2(b − 1) − 1 = b + 1
Expanding the bracket gives:
2b − 2 − 1 = b + 1
Simplifying the left hand side gives:
2b − 3 = b + 1
Add 3 to each side gives:
2b = b + 4
Subtract b from both sides gives:
b = 4
Using b = 4 in [1] gives:
2(4 − 1) = g
6 = g
Puzzle 16
I have a jar of sweets.
There are 234 red, 26 blue, 67 green and 63 yellow sweets.
What chance do I have of picking a blue one with my eyes shut?
Puzzle Copyright © Kevin Stone
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Hint
How many sweets in total are there?
Answer
1 in 15.
Reasoning
In total, there are 390 sweets in the jar, and 26 of them are blue.
So the chance of picking blue is 26 in 390 = 1 in 15 = 6.66%.