Larry N. Campbell

Pesky Puzzlers – 2026

IMPORTANT NOTE:

To submit solutions, it is best to EITHER reply to one of the current mailings OR e-mail them directly to larrycampbell@missouristate.edu.

PP 26.4: Do any or all:

  1. Simplify: (2 + 0 + 2 + 6)2 – (2 – 0 – 2 – 6)2 + 20 – 26
  2. A board 2.5 meters long is divided into ten equal pieces. How long – in centimeters – is each piece?
  3. How many distinct rearrangements are there of the word “MATH”?
  4. Find the product of the first five even whole numbers.
  5. Which of the following best describes the Greatest Common Divisor of two positive integers?  a)  always even  b)  always odd  c)  never prime  d) none of these.
  6. NEW for Pi Day! Here are 3 ‘values’ for Pi: 3.14, 22/7, π . Arrange them in order from smallest to largest. (Use = between any two, if appropriate.)
  7. ONGOING – Can’t Miss Fun!! Find your own Puzzler(s), Brain Teaser(s), Riddle(s), etc. Then submit it/them with the answers and you’ll get credit for this Puzzler! (And, if I use yours here in the future, you’ll be acknowledged.)

Some Previous Puzzlers – and Solutions

(Always feel free to inquire for more details on solutions)

PP 26.3: Do any or all:

  1. (Suggested by Richard Barger, husband of our good friend Rita – may she rest in peace.) An orchestra of 120 players takes 40 minutes to play Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony.  How long would it take for 60 players to play the symphony? It’ll still take 40 minutes. 🙂
  2. Find a fraction (not a decimal) between 1/98 and 1/99.  (There are multiple – indeed  infinite – correct answers.) 197/19404 is one of an infinite number of correct answers. (Inquire for a quick two-step method to get this.)
  3. (Suggested by ‘Uncle’ Ted Sasscer) Each Individual letter represents a number. Can you solve this? GLORY + TO + OUR = JESUS 79652 + 46 + 615 = 80313 
  4. Find the only two-digit integer that is between a perfect square and a perfect cube. (Hint: It’s actually less than 36.) 26

PP 26.2: Do any or all:

  1. How many times must one roll a six-sided die to ensure that at least one face comes up twice? Seven
  2. Which numbers come next?  31, 28, 31, 30, ___, ___  (Easily more than one answer, but explain yours.) 31, 30. (Number of days of the calendar months.) (Other ‘solutions’ possible.)
  3. The heart pumps about 200 liters of blood in one hour.  About how many liters will your heart pump in February 2026? 134,400 liters.
  4. Five books have these thicknesses (in inches): 13/16, ¾, 1 5/16, 7/8, and 1 1/16. Arrange the five books into two piles closest to the same height. Closest arrangement: Stack the two thickest books on one side and the three smaller ones on the other side.

PP 26.1: Do any or all:

  1. (An old one?) From 19, take I away and leave 20.  How can that be done? The old “Roman numerals” trick: Take the I from XIX (19), and you have XX (20).
  2. Which of the integers 1,2,7,8,10 cannot be the difference of two prime numbers?  (Bonus points for explanation.) 7 (Except for 2 & 3, primes cannot be an odd number apart, as that would imply that one of them is even, hence not prime.)
  3. I have 6 coins in my pocket.  Their total cash value is $1.15, and yet I cannot make change for a dollar, a half dollar, a quarter, a dime, or a nickel.  What are my six coins? A half dollar, a quarter, and 4 dimes.
  4. What is the fraction that is halfway between 1/6 and 1/8? 7/48
  5. (Repeated, due to a typo last time.) What number should be removed from the following list so that the average of the remaining numbers is 6.1?   1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11 5