PUZZLE CLUb

The Guardian Book of Puzzles

 

The second of Maslanka's books written in his characteristic zany style creating a world of assorted lunatics and fanatics engaged in solving a variety of verbal, arithmetical and logical puzzles scanning a range of difficulties. The 140 puzzles are provided with hints and full solutions to guide the reader.

£4.99 plus p&p

 
'Chris Maslanka's books are not just collections of puzzles made readable by wit and a sense of fun. They are light-hearted fables, written with great literary delicacy, each of them containing something to tease and puzzle us' Evening Standard

 
'So witty.... may remind one of Kafka' Iris Murdoch

 

Examples
  1. Plantpott then told Cruddington about a cave in Outer Monturkia where the explorer Potter had discovered a triangular pattern containing 9 little triangles. He had found that, all in all, taking into account triangles of all sizes, these lines defined 13 different triangles. Deeper into the cave he had found a second such pattern containing 16 little triangles. Taking into account triangles of all sizes, how many triangles does that contain?

 

 
  1. Pembish had made the mistake of admiring one of Carmelle Quantum's more abstract sculptures at an exhibition in old College. The thing arrived at Pembish Hall the very next day in a crate marked 'Unicorn - Handle with care.'

'It's a big cone,' Pembish pointed out as they uncrated it.

'A big con, more like,' grumbled Punnish who had little time for modern art.

'Well this is certainly one "Unicorn" I wish didn't exist,' sighed Pembish. 'But we can't just get rid of it. Its maker may roll up at any time and expect to see it prominently displayed in the grounds.'

*The slant-height is marked S in the diagram.

'Well, if it's staying, I expect you'll be wanting me to paint it with rust-proof paint, then?'
"According to my measurements, the radius of the base is exactly half the slant-height,'* mused Pembish. 'According to my calculations we shall need 173cc of rust-proof paint for the base of the cone, so all we have to do is work out how much we need for the rest of it.'

How could they determine the surface area of the cone without measuring it or knowing the formula for the surface area of a cone? How much paint is needed all in all?

 

The Puzzle Club
11 Wilcher Close
East Hagbourne
DIDCOT
Oxon
OX11 9LU

e-mail maslanka@puzzlemaster.co.uk

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