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Puzzle 5 


Yesterday I went for a short bicycle ride around the local lakes. As the weather was very hot, I rode in shorter stages than I'd normally ride.

In Stage One, I rode half of the overall distance.

Stage Two saw half of the remaining distance plus 35 metres covered.

Stage Three covered three-quarters of the remaining distance.

Stage Four completed half of the remaining distance, plus 75 metres.

Stage Five completed the journey with a final burst of 150 metres.

How far did I cycle in total?

Puzzle Copyright © Kevin Stone

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Puzzle 6 


Consider an arrow in flight towards a target.

At any given moment of time, a snapshot could be taken of this arrow. In this snapshot, the arrow would not be moving. Let us now take another snapshot, leaving a very small gap of time between them. Again, the arrow is stationary. We can keep taking snapshots for each moment of time, each of which shows the arrow to be stationary. Therefore the overall effect is that the arrow never moves, however it still hits the target!

Where lies the flaw in the logic?

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Puzzle 7 


What is the minimum number of queens required on a chessboard such that all squares are attacked?

Queen On C3

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Puzzle 8 


Tommy: "How old are you, mamma?"

Mamma: "Let me think, Tommy. Well, our three ages add up to exactly seventy years."

Tommy: "That's a lot, isn't it? And how old are you, papa?"

Papa: "Just six times as old as you, my son."

Tommy: "Shall I ever be half as old as you, papa?"

Papa: "Yes, Tommy; and when that happens our three ages will add up to exactly twice as much as to-day."

Tommy: "And supposing I was born before you, papa; and supposing mamma had forgot all about it, and hadn't been at home when I came; and supposing--"

Mamma: "Supposing, Tommy, we talk about bed. Come along, darling. You'll have a headache."

Now, if Tommy had been some years older he might have calculated the exact ages of his parents from the information they had given him. Can you find out the exact age of mamma?

Mamma's Age, Amusements In Mathematics, Henry Ernest Dudeney.

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