There is nothing like a tactical math puzzle to blow a little joke out of our head. Designed by Twitter user @panbtc, this is a great set of puzzles that manages to combine a simple setup, a strategy and a “must do” solution. You are looking for the width of the rectangle. You know that the length of the shortest side is 8 and it has two circles written on it.
These circles are sensitive, which means they touch at one point. A part of a line parallel to the shortest part of the rectangle passes through this tangent. The length of this section is 6. Then how long will you be next? It may not look like it at first glance, but it has everything you need to solve it.
Okay, here are a few hints if you’re stuck. First, the size of the circles is not an issue to solve this puzzle. You should keep in mind that the segment is made up of two cords. If you have a vertical line that cuts a jug, it will go through the center. And finally, if two circles are tangent, their centers and tangents are included in the same line. Now go ahead, do the math and keep an eye out for the particular infamous triangle.
If you want a complete solution, Press MindYourDecision has you covered and you can check it out here. It is with great pleasure that I introduced today’s puzzle which is already a big topic in Japan. Area Magazine is the creation of Naoki Inaba, one of the world’s most advanced inventors of logic puzzles. He came to the Area Maze after being asked to bring a puzzle to the headmaster of Kramer School in Japan.
The puzzle is very simple to explain: look for the missing value, which is indicated by a question mark in gray. The only math you need to know is that the area of a rectangle is multiplied by the width. Here’s what makes puzzle genius: You’re not allowed to use fractions in solutions. If you had, you could write lots of equations and solve them. Yak, yak, yak all regions mages can be solved using only whole numbers. Here’s a very simple one to guide you if you need help scrolling down.
