natalie’s blog

A phonograph record is 12 inches in diameter. The diameter of the unused portion in the center is 3½ inches and the smooth outer band is ¼-inch wide. The grooves containing the music are spaced 30 to the inch. How many inches does the needle move as you play the record from beginning to end?

Name as many sports as you can in which the winning person/team will be going backwards when they win. [there are five]

Volumes I and II of a set of encyclopedias each have â…›-inch covers and 1 inch of pages. The set is arranged in order on a shelf. If a bookworm starts at the first page of Volume I and eats its way through to the last page of Volume II, how many inches does it […]

A triangle is formed by 10 coins. Turn it upside-down by moving only 3 coins.

A brick is placed on one side of a scale and, to balance the scale, ¾ of an identical brick plus a ¾-pound weight are placed on the other side. How many pounds does the brick weigh?

Name as many human body parts as you can that are spelled with 3 letters. [there are ten]

This equation, in Roman numerals, indicates that 6 + 2 = 5. By moving one line, make it a correct equation. VI + II = V

As I mentioned briefly at the end of this post, Dad put together a collection of mind puzzles that we worked in groups to solve at our New Year’s Eve party. We had to work in ten-minute chunks of time between each game session, so there was quite a bit of pressure to think quickly […]