Thursday, April 30, 2009

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Apr 26): I Thought NPR Always Did Word Problems

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Apr 26): I Thought NPR Always Did Word Problems:
Q: If 5=4, 7=5, 8=1 and 26=9, what does 12 equal?
It appears that Will has given us a rare puzzle involving numbers. Have fun figuring it out. I'll give you one clue: 23,041=500

Edit: My first thought was that the answer was the number of letters in the number when spelled out in English. FIVE has 4 letters, SEVEN has 5 letters, TWENTY-SIX has 9 letters. But the puzzle creator deliberately threw us a curve ball with EIGHT which is 1, not 5.

Okay, back to the drawing board. As I hinted in the title, this is still related to words and isn't purely mathematical. If you look closely at the English spelling of each number, you'll see there are ROMAN NUMERALS hidden inside.
fIVe = 4
seVen = 5
eIght = 1
twenty-sIX = 9
A: tweLVe = 55
And spelling out 23,041 in English --> twenty-three thousanD forty-one = 500.

Thursday, April 23, 2009

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Apr 19): Periodically Mixed Up

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Apr 19): Periodically Mixed Up:
Q: Take the phrase 'more corruptness.' Rearrange these 15 letters to name a popular magazine. Tip: It's a magazine this phrase definitely does not apply to, so it's more of an 'anti-gram' than an anagram!
I suppose if you are involved in "more corruptness" you'd want to keep a lid on things.

Edit: My hint was "Keep a Lid on Things" which is a song by the Candian folk rock band the "Crash Test Dummies". The magazine in question is well-known for its annual April edition where they test and review new cars.
A: CONSUMER REPORTS

Thursday, April 16, 2009

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Apr 12): Easter Puzzle

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Apr 12): Easter Puzzle:
Q: Think of the name of a country. Change its first letter to a 'D,' and then read the word backward. The result will be a creature that lives in that country. What's the country and what's the creature?
Hopping off to church, no time to provide a hint. Discuss this among yourselves.

Edit: This clue was a bit of a misdirection. In my comments I talked about a flurry of activity and mentioned a winter storm which should make you think of a BLIZZARD. That has the B from the country and sounds like the creature.
A: BRAZIL --> LIZARD

Thursday, April 09, 2009

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Apr 5): Keep It Short

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Apr 5): Keep It Short:
Q: Think of a four-letter word with a short 'A' sound, and specifically the 'A' is the second letter. Switch the third and fourth letters and you'll get a new word, also with a short 'A' sound. The two words go together to make a phrase that names something that existed from 1982 to 2000. What is it?
Hint: The answer is something that still exists in some places today but the most famous version existed from 1982 to 2000.

Edit: Will was obviously thinking of the Broadway version of this.
A: CATS CAST

Thursday, April 02, 2009

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Mar 29): Just add Z

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Mar 29): Just add Z:
Q: Name a country somewhere in the world. Insert a 'Z.' The result can be broken up into 3 consecutive words. The first word is a popular brand name. The second word is something this product uses, and the third word is the kind of product it is. What's the country?
I just like saying the name of the capital...

Edit: Antananarivo.
A: MADAGASCAR --> MAZDA, GAS, CAR