Random Puzzles 

Workings

Hint
The most common word begins with the letter V.

Answers
Common: vacuum, vacuumed, vacuuming, vacuums.

Less common: continuum, continuums, muumuu, muumuus.

Much less common: carduus, carduuses, continuua, duumvir, duumviral, duumvirate, duumvirates, duumviri, duumvirs, individuum, individuums, lituus, lituuses, menstruum, menstruums, mutuum, mutuums, paramenstruum, paramenstruums, residuum, residuums, squush, squushed, squushes, squushier, squushiest, squushing, squushy, triduum, triduums, ultravacuum, ultravacuums, weltanschauung, weltanschauungen, weltanschauungs.

Workings

Hint
Look at the second letter in each word.

Answer
Julie.

The second letters of the names are the vowels (AEIOU) in alphabetical order.

Workings

Hint
How large would the smaller cube be?

Answer
1,352 small cubes.

Reasoning
The original large cube with 16 small cubes along each edge would require 16 x 16 x 16 = 4,096 small cubes.

Removing the outside layer would leave a large cube now with 14 small cubes along each edge (which requires 14 x 14 x 14 = 2,744 small cubes).

It isn't 15 small cubes because you're removing both ends of an edge.

Therefore, you have removed 4,096 − 2,744 = 1,352 small cubes.

Workings

Hint
The first word begins with the letter M.

Answer
Many hands make light work.