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Part 1: Think laterally!
A teacher once wrote the following Roman numerals on a blackboard:
The teacher asked the children, “How can I change this so that the meaning is not 9, but 6, by only putting my pen down once, making one character, and lifting the pen?”
Find the character that the teacher will write on the board. Now, convert it to the number of the position it holds in the alphabet (A=1, B=2, etc.). Then, take that number and subtract 3. Take this answer and divide it by 2. That final answer will give you your first value called A!
Part 2: Sudoku
Look at the following Sudoku puzzle (then print it out):
The number in row 1 and column 3, plus (add) the number in row 5 and column 5, minus (subtract) the number in row 8 and column 4.
The answer will be the value B.
Part 3: Induction Puzzle
Three Masters of Logic (Alan, Brad and Chris) wanted to find out who among them was the wisest. They blindfolded each other and each put on either a black or a white hat (they don’t know which) out of a bag of hats (the contents of the bag won’t be of concern in this puzzle). They take their blindfolds off and decide that, if one sees at least one black hat, one should raise one’s hand. The man who guesses the color of their hat on his head first, wins. And so it was said, and so it was done. When they took a random hat and took their blindfolds off, all three men raised their hands as the rules required, and sat in silence pondering. Finally, Chris said: "I know the color of my hat."
What is the color of his hat? (Take note: Nobody is lying about what hats they see) Black is the number 1 and white is the number 2. The number you have chosen would be C
Part 4: Logic
A blind man (or if you are very PC, an individual with a visual disability!) has a drawer full of only black and white socks. He knows there are exactly 100 socks in the drawer, 50 black and 50 white ones, all mixed together.
The man wants to give his son a black sock when he visits him (for whatever reason you can think of!). What is the minimum number of socks he must take to his son's house, before he can be sure he has at least one black sock? Remember this number! (PS. Nobody can help him and he can't be sure which ones are black and which are white!)
The next day, the blind man wants only one pair of socks of the same color to give his daughter, regardless if black or white. What is the minimum number of socks (not pairs) he should take to be assured that he has at least one pair in his hand? Remember this number too!
Take the first answer you worked out, then divide that by the second answer you worked out (e.g. 132 socks / 11 socks = 12). This will give a number with two digits. Add the digits together as if they are two separate numbers (e.g. if the number is 12, then 1 + 2 = 3). This new number is the value D.
Part 5: Rebus puzzles
Solve the lateral thinking (Rebus) puzzles below:
Find the year that the place represented by the puzzle above was first discovered by an explorer, according to HowStuffWorks. Go to HowStuffWorks and search for "History of" followed by the name of the place, e.g. "History of Geoland". The last digit of the year of discovery will be your value E.
If, for example, the year is 2028, then E would be "8" which is the last digit.
Find the year this famous comedy film was made, according to Wikipedia. The last digit, divided by 2, gives you F.
For example, if it was made in 2034, the last digit (4) divided by 2 would give you an answer of "2".
Get the year this hymn was first published on Wikipedia. The last digit of the year, minus 1, is equal to your value G.
For example, if it was published in 2043, then the last digit (3) minus 1 would give you the answer "2".
Take a look at either of the images above (either one will give you the same answer). If you’re South African, you will find the top picture easier to understand. If you are American, the bottom one will be easier. If you are neither, well, there is always Google or phone-a-friend!
In both of the images, there are two pictures next to each other. They form the name of a popular website in some way. Find the year in which this website was established, according to Wikipedia. Then count up all the digits in the number of the year and this gives you your last value H.
For example, say it was established in the year 3210. Add all the digits, 3 + 2 + 1 + 0, which equals 6. Then H would be 6.
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