Arts: Puzzle solving: some tricks of the trade

This, and its companion blog with answers, are all about lateral thinking. Tackle the problems first, then read the second blog.

The wolf, the goat and the cabbage

This simple puzzle occurs in many forms. They all involve a situation where a carnivore, a herbivore and some plant material must be carried across a river in a small boat.

Always start with “there has to be an answer: what is it, or how could it begin?”

Here is the puzzle: a girl has to get a hen, a fox and a basket of grain over a river in a small boat that can only carry one item at a time.

First, she takes the hen across, leaving the fox with the grain.

Next, she takes the grain across, and brings the hen back.

Next, she takes the fox across and leaves it with the grain.

Last, she brings the hen across. Easy!

The explorers’ short walk

Two explorers saw a bear trying to get into their supply dump. Knowing the dump was bear-proof, they left, hoping the bear would go away. They walked one kilometre south, one kilometre east, and one kilometre north. They were then back at the supply dump and the bear was still there, so one of them shot it. What colour was the bear?

This is an old one: remember there is always enough information to reach an answer. No hints: use your search engine. Or play with it.

The puzzle of the lost pets

This is a simpler version of The puzzle of the performers (which is at the end of this chapter). Who owned what, and where was it lost?

1. Three pets, including a budgerigar and a wombat have been lost.

2. The pet lost in the garden is owned by Alastair.

3. Brianna does not own a wombat.

4. Callum’s pet was lost in the bush.

5. The kiwi was not lost in the bush or in the park.

The hole through the sphere

This looks much harder, until you are shown the easy answer. I think I came across this one in Scientific American. In my "Arts years", I alwasys read this journal each month, always starting with Martin Gardner's mathematical games section.

A cylindrical hole, 6 cm long is drilled through the centre of a steel sphere. What is the volume of steel left? Yes, there is an answer: try to get it first, knowing that there is enough information there to crack it, then check the notes for a lesson in cunning.

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