Perth Skyline, April 2007
The following are a number of puzzles presented for your entertainment. Feel free to submit any puzzles that you think are interesting, my email address can be found here. If appropriate I will include them here. The main requirement for any puzzles listed here is they should not require any advanced mathematical skills. If you find yourself writing equations for any of the puzzles you are probably approaching it the wrong way. (There are only a couple of exceptions below) The puzzles below are approximately in order of increased difficulty although it is only my own personal impression. To answer your next question, no, answers are not provided to most of the problems. The whole point of a good puzzle is for it to prey on your mind until you solve it. If you are REALLY desperate I will reveal answers if you beg or for a small inducement (eg: beer, chocolates, postcard).
For more information on the counterfeit coin problem see this contribution by Juan Domínguez Montes.
"I can't understand why people are frightened of new ideas, I'm frightened of the old ones". John Cage
Holographic display anyone? (QuickTime Movie)
Slicing a torus
How many ways can a torus be cut (with a single plane) so that the
resulting cross sections are perfect circles?
The ribbed sphere
Do plans and elevations describe unique geometry?
Fun calculus
How's your high school calculus?
A bucket that holds paint but can't be painted!
A computer once beat me at chess, but it was no match for me at kick boxing. Emo Philips
Common misconception regarding a cube
Most people are poor at visualising even the simplest geometry.
Designing the golf ball pyramid puzzle
For your penance, say five Hail Marys and one loud BLAH! Spike Milligan
A good way to threaten somebody is to light a stick of dynamite. Then you call the guy and hold the burning fuse up to the phone. "Hear that?" you say. "That's dynamite, baby."
101 uses for the NZ skytower
Auckland built a casino (sigh!) and then a tower....but what is it good for?
Heaven is hotter than hell
Basic thermodynamics and the bible.
Make Waves not Water
If you are female and don't have a sense of humour then perhaps you shouldn't
read this. I guess you're sure to read it now!
Two headed turtle
Found in the turtle zoo, Chinese Garden, Singapore, June 2007
Maybe in order to understand mankind, we have to look at the word itself: "Mankind". Basically, it's made up of two separate words - "mank" and "ind". What do these words mean ? It's a mystery, and that's why so is mankind.
Birth assistance patent
Believe it or not, this patent is for real!
A giant rocking horse
The silliest thing I saw during my 1996/97 Xmas break.
Contrary to what most people say, the most dangerous animal in the world is not the lion or the tiger or even the elephant. It's a shark riding on an elephant's back, just trampling and eating everything they see.
Astro-photography
"And still they gazed and the wonder grew, That one small head could carry all he (she) knew." Oliver Goldsmith
Travel related
Auckland (Harrah Casino) Skytower
A photo gallery during the construction of the Skytower in Auckland
built during 1996. Contains images from the top during and after
the construction as well as the 101
uses for the Skytower.
Auckland Albert Park Air Raid Shelters
These pages illustrate an interesting feature of Auckland history, unknown to
many Aucklanders there is a maze of tunnels under a central city park,
namely Albert Park. The original maps of the tunnels (1942) are presented
at user selectable scales and with links to contemporary features.
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Perth Skyline, April 2007 |
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