Fiddler on the Proof

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Can You Figure Out How Magna-Tiles Work?
Sure, they have magnets inside. But arranging these magnets so the tiles always stick nicely together is a puzzle-worthy matter.
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Zach Wissner-Gross
17
Where Will the Sorting Hat Put You?
You’re about to be sorted into one of four wizarding houses, but the magical sorting hat never says the same house twice in a row. What are your chances…
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Zach Wissner-Gross
5
What’s the Area of a “Pseudo-Square”?
Does it have four equal sides? Check. Does it have four right angles? Check. Is it a square? Kinda…
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Zach Wissner-Gross
5

October 2024

Can You Solve the Tricky Mathematical Treat?
A large bag of candy contains a few peanut butter cups, while the rest is candy corn. You randomly pick out some peanut butter cups. Can you estimate…
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Zach Wissner-Gross
6
Can You Make the Biggest Bread Bowl?
By boring a cylindrical hole in a hemisphere (or sphere) of bread, how much room can you make for some delicious soup?
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Zach Wissner-Gross
10
Will You Top the Leaderboard?
You’re halfway through your workout on your stationary bike, when you notice your ranking on the leaderboard. Where can you expect to rank by the end of…
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Zach Wissner-Gross
2
How Many Dice Can You Roll the Same?
You’re rolling some dice. Whichever number you wind up having the most of (be it 1s, 2s, or whatever), how many of them can you expect to get on…
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Zach Wissner-Gross
2

September 2024

Can You Win at “Rock, Paper, Scissors, Lizard, Spock?”
You’re playing a dastardly variant of “Rock, Paper, Scissors.” How often will you win outright?
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Zach Wissner-Gross
2
Can You Make a Toilet Paper Roll?
When you unfurl a toilet paper roll, you get a parallelogram of cardboard. If, instead, you furl a parallelogram, what size toilet paper roll can you…
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Zach Wissner-Gross
10
Can You Shut the Box?
Your goal is to flip down six tiles, numbered 1-6. For as many turns as you can, you roll a die and flip down a combination of tiles adding up to the…
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Zach Wissner-Gross
Can You Turn a Right Triangle Into an Isosceles Triangle?
Starting with a 3-4-5 right triangle, make an isosceles triangle by appending a second triangle to one of its sides. How many distinct ways can you do…
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Zach Wissner-Gross
3

August 2024

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