The Puzzle Page is moving from Geocities to Blogspot. Over the next several weeks, all the puzzles found here, along with many new, original puzzles, will be duplicated at the new Puzzle Page at http://puzzlepage.blogspot.com. Be sure to visit the new site for all your puzzle needs.
If you would like to see more of a certain type of puzzle, send a request to the e-mail address listed on the Home page. Also, if you have a favorite puzzle that you don't see here, send me a copy and I'll try to get a solution added to this page.
Mathematics
2 = 1?Here's a way to prove that 2 is equal to 1. See if you can figure out what's wrong with the proof.
4 = 5?This brain teaser demonstrates a way to prove that 4 is equal to 5. It's a bit tricky.
5 times 2 is 7?Can you insert the correct arithmetic operators to make the equation true?
Artful ArithmeticProfessor Egghead has a student who has discovered a new way to compare fractions. Can you discover if the method is valid?
Barrels Full of PelletsIn this classic puzzle you have to find the barrel that holds the odd sized pellets. It's a real stumper and a great way to learn about sets of numbers.
Bobbing for ApplesThere's a very strange number of apples in the grocer's cart; can you figure out how many apples there are and solve this mind bender?
The Disappearing TileCut the triangle into 4 pieces, rearrange the pieces and all of a sudden there's an extra square.
Going to St. IvesIn this old Nursery Rhyme you meet a strange man travelling with a lot of extras. You have to see if you can count all the travellers heading towards St. Ives.
Hobos and CigarsAn industrious hobo can make whole cigars from discarded butts. How many can he make?
How Old Are They Now?Remember all those word problems from highschool algebra class? You know the ones I'm talking about; this person was twice as old as that person was when some other person was only half as old as they could have been... If you liked those, then you'll be sure to like this one, and if you hated those age problems in highschool then you can copy this and send it to all your friends, just to make them frustrated.
I Want CandyDonna's got a problem. She's been buying different amounts of candy for the last three weeks and now wants to buy one pound of four different kinds of candy, but she doesn't know if she has enough money to pay for it all. If you can crack this little puzzle you can consider yourself a very smart person.
Shingles and ApplesA young boy makes a quick decision about selling his father's apples and loses money in the exchange. Figure out where the money went.
Simple AlgebraUse algebra to solve these two equations with two unknown values.
The WatchdogIn this calculus puzzle you have to figure out how much area the watchdog patrols. It's a very difficult brainteaser with a somewhat surprising answer.
Who Gets Paid the Most?See if you can read through the confusing questions and solve which of the four employees earns the highest pay.
Logic Tables
The Dinner PartyIt all started out as a nice dinner between eight people and ended up being a tough nut to crack. Use the clues to figure out who the guests were and where they were seated.
A Cabbage, a Goat, and a TigerThis is the old riddle about a man travelling with a tiger, a goat, and a cabbage. Can you help him get across the river without losing any of his possessions?
AIDS and HIVThis test was given to a class of nursing students to help demonstrate the difficulty in determining risks and tracking sources of infection. There are some implied actions in relation to this subject matter, but there is nothing graphic or explicit. See if you have what it takes to be a medical forensics expert.
Behind the Green DoorThere's a prisoner, a tiger, and two doors to choose. One leads to freedom, the other leads to a nice snack... ...for the tiger.
Crossing the BridgeFour men, one rickety old bridge, and only one flashlight for them all to share. How quickly can you get all four men across the bridge?
Hobos and CigarsThe rails have been riden and the bindle has been tied; how many cigars can the hobo make from discarded butts?
How Can It Be True?See if you can figure out a good explaination for these wacky questions. They're sure to make you think outside the box.
Surgical GlovesThere are plenty of puzzles about surgeons who have to operate on patients but are running low on gloces. This is the first in a series of several variations on a theme.
Surgical Gloves - Part 2This is the second in a series of logistics puzzles. These puzzles have applications in real life where it is necessary to schedule multiple tasks and resources between different operators. Try this out to see if you could make it in the business world as a logistics expert.
Two and a Half BoysHere's a puzzle about a rather odd family arrangement. How can it be?
Victorian Boat RideIf you liked the one about the tiger, the goat, and the cabbage, you'll love this little brainteaser about three couples trying to make their way back home without sacrificing their high moral standards.
Whodunnit?Here's a great brainteaser to introduce young puzzlers to the joy of logic puzzles. Teachers can use this one for their elementary or highschool students.
A Different Kind of SudokuHere's a variation on sudoku. See if you can fill in the 5x5 grid with (x,y) pairs. Be careful! You can't repeat x and y values in any row, column, or diagonal.
Dropdown Puzzle #1Some call them droplines, others call them quotefalls. See if you can figure out the the answer by filling in the squares.
Just a NybbleHere's a unique crossnumber puzzle that's all in binary. It's a great puzzle for students learning about the binary number system and boolean algebra.
Little Pigsby FarmThis little puzzle is a favorite. Read the clues carefully and fill in the squares with the right numbers. It's a crossnumber puzzle that's sure to please everyone who likes brain teasers, but be warned, it's fairly difficult.
A Simple Crossnumber PuzzleHere's a crossword type puzzle for people who aren't very good with words--it's all numbers.
Super Simple SudokuAre you tired of all those tough sudoku puzzles? Do you wish there were easier ones that you could share with younger puzzlers or others who don't have patience for the 9 x 9 sudoku puzzles. These little 4 x 4 squares are sure to please every budding brainbuster fan.
Wordplay
Fathers and SonsRead the clues carefully. Are you sure you know who this man is?
Draw the LineDisect a circle into four equal parts using three lines.
Star Spangled TrianglesHow many triangles can you create when you bisect a 5 point star with one straight line?
Triangles in a CubeThis puzzle will surely delight all of you who like geometry and 3-D spatial relationships. It's not difficult, but may be a bit tricky to picture in your mind's eye.
Patterns
1 to 12 in a CrossFill in the individual squares so that each 4 x 4 square has the same sum.
1 to 19 in a HoneycombSee if you can fill in all the cells with numbers. There's a hitch, though. In this brainteaser you can't let similar sized numbers get too close.
12 I in a FCan you figure out what missing words are represented by the letters I and F. It's a 'fill in the blanks' brain teaser that's appropriate for elementary and high school students, as well as all the rest of us 'old-timers'.
12 N on the F of a CThere's twelve of something on the whatchacallit of a thingamajig. Help a fellow puzzle fan solve this little doozy.
4 plus 5 equal 10?Here's a tricky little stumper that will keep you wondering "How in the world can it be solved?" It's only easy if you know the answer.
5 Pointed StarFind the smallest sum possible along each line.
6 Pointed Magic StarYou'd never believe how many different ways you can arrange the numbers 1 through 12 on a six-pointed star.
8 Pointed Magic StarOne of The Puzzle Page readers sent in a solution to this one, but it's not been posted yet. See if you can solve this one before the solution is made public.
A E F H I K L M NThere are only six more letters in the series, see if you can figure out which ones they are.
Change for a Dollar?In this problem of combinatorics, can you discover all the ways to make change for a dollar when there are restrictions to the number of coins you can use?
M & MHere's a short series that's sure to keep you stumped for quite some time. This brainteaser is tougher than most numeric sequence puzzles.
The Magic KeyringHere's a unique series, or sequence, kind of brain twister. You have keys with numbers on them and you have to arrange them in a special way on a circular keyring. It's a lot tougher than you might think.
Needle in a HaystackIt's like looking for a needle in a haystack. (I can't believe I went there...)
Numeric SeriesSee if you can find the next entry in each of these series. Most are fairly easy.
Pigs in a PenHelp the farmer arrange his pigs in the pens. There's a catch, of course, can you figure out how to solve this puzzle? This is a puzzle that even kindergarten children can enjoy, but still has enough of a twist that older students will have to work on it too.
The Queen's WalkNo one knows if it's the Queen of Hearts or some other queen, but she needs your help to figure out where she can be.
A Sequence of NumbersProfessor Egghead tricked his students with this little sequence of numbers. How good are you at finding the relationship between numbers? Can you solve this mind stumper?
Super Eight Pointed Magic StarIt's not know if this brainteaser even has a solution. If you liked the 6-pointed star and 8-pointed star puzzles, then this one should keep you busy for a very long time.
Walking Through the MallFour friends head off to the mall to just hang out. Can you help them each get to their destination without getting wrapped up?
About Two PoundsThere's a hidden question in this puzzle. This is a difficult cryptogram to solve. Try it, if you dare.
Aliens - 1What can that strange writing be? Could it be the work of sinister Martians? Could it be the latest diary entry from that funny looking guy from Omicron Persei 8? Only you can solve this puzzler and know for sure.
Crypt-o-MathHere's a short collection of math problems where each of the digits has been replaced with a letter. Replace the letters with the right digits to solve the equations.
Cryptic Simple MathFind the message hidden in this array of numbers. This brainteaser should keep you busy for a little while.
Find the Hidden MessageAt first it looks like just a bunch of numbers written out in a large matrix, but there's a lot more there. Figure out what the relatinoship is between the numbers to discover the message hidden inside.
Germanic Runes - 1It's an enigma that's almost as mysterious as the Kensington Rune Stone. See if you have what it takes to read the runes.
Oprowon LumgalmIt looks like it should mean something but the words look very strange. If you're new to simple cyphers, this is a good place to start.
The Red HerringHere's a truly difficult cryptogram. If you enjoyed trying to figure out the Find the Hidden Message puzzle listed above, then you'll be sure to enjoy this one--it's a tough mindbender that should keep you busy for a very long time. It might even be the hardest cryptogram you've ever tried to solve.
Finding Square RootsDid you ever wonder how people used to solve square roots of numbers before there were computers and calculators? Here's a way to use a technique similar to long division that will quickly solve square roots, and all you need is a pencil and paper. It's a bit confusing at first, but once you've completed the process a couple of times it feels much easier.
Remove the TokensThis solitaire game is like the 'Jump the Peg' games where the object is to remove all the pegs one at a time. This brain teaser can be played by puzzlers of any age and demonstrates how movements must be done in steps.
