Martin illustrated by Jeff SinclairClassic Brainteasers ae op Martin Gardner llustrated by Jeff Sinclair g Sterling Publishing Co., Inc. New YorkLibrary of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Gardner, Martin, 1914— lassic brainteasers / Martin Gardner ; illustrated by Jeff Sinclair. Pp. am. Includes index. ISBN 0-8069-1260-X. 1, Puzzles—Juvenile literature. [1. Puzzles] I. Sinclair, Jeff, ill. IL. Tite. GV1493.G335 1994 793.73—de20 94-17524 19876543 First paperback edition published in 1995 by Sterling Publishing Company, Inc. 387 Park Avenue South, New York, N.Y. 10016 ‘© 1994 by Wood's End, Inc. Some of the puzzles in this volume appeared in slightly different form in The Arrow Book of Brainteasers by Martin Gardner Distributed in Canada by Sterling Publishing % Canadian Manda Group, One Atlantic Avenue, Suite 105 Toronto, Ontario, Canada M6K 3E7 Distributed in Great Britain and Europe by Cassell PLC Wellington House, 125 Strand, London WC2R OBB, England Distributed in Australia by Capricorn Link (Australia) Pty Ltd. P.O, Box 6651, Baulkham Hills, Business Centre, NSW 2153, Australia Manufactured in the United States of America All rights reserved Sterling ISBN 0-8069-1260-X Trade 0-8069-1261-8 PaperContents 1. Warming Up 5 A Wrong Spell * The Great Shoot-Out + A Secret Message * Nose Versus Feet + Hidden Beasts and Insects * Fat Bats and Other Mixed-Up Beasts ¢ Silly Pictures 2. Word for Word 13 Wacky Wordles * Shifty Letters « The Mysterious License * Wilbur's Word * Hidden Proverb * The Puzzling Grocer * The Hidden Names 3. Look Sharp! 21 What's Wrong with These Pictures? * The Alphabet Zoo + The Careless Sign Painter * What Letter? * Jane's Patch- work Quilt ¢ Find the Missing Thief * Find Charley's Car + Napoleon at Home ¢ A Sheer Mistake 4. Tricky Questions 31 Open-and-Shut Case * Two Customers * The Pistol Duel + Name the Product * The Stolen Lugs * Donald Gets His Roller Blades * Who Reads Faster? * Ripping Good Puzzle * A Knotty Problem ¢ Find the Missing Word Cops and Robbers * We Predict! 5. Teasers 41 Professor Egghead’s PROVERBS * Elvira’s Jeans + Name the Word * A Burglary * The Amazing Computer ¢ Pat, the Goalie * Mrs. Perkins’ Pets * The Three Paths * Lost in the Woods * An Odd Trip * Upside-Down Years * Dog Bites Man6. Science and Math Puzzles 51 Dots and Squares * The Hindu Squares * Exploring the Moon * Pepper or Salt? * Knots or Not? * The Triangu- lar Cat ¢ The Startled Astronomer ¢ The Puzzled Inven- tor * Lewis Carroll's SQUARES 7. Find the Mistakes 59 Barbershop * House and Back Yard ¢ Living Room * Landscape * Crazy Timepiece 8. Logic Puzzles 69 How Comes ¢ Slice the Pie * The Clever Postman « Name the Men ¢ The Colored Socks * The Fourth Child * The Clever Prisoner * The Smiths’ Family Tree * The Myste- rious Tracks * Where's the Tiger? * Name the Relation « Heads or Tails? Answers 81 About the Author 95 Index 961. Warming qdA Wrong Spell ABRADACABKA! SAE —— The wizard is doing his best to turn the prince into a frog by pronouncing the magic word. Nothing hap- pens. Can you tell why his spell is not working? Answer on page 82. 6The Great Shoot-Out ith Py > Chester Chimp and Roger Rattlesnake are about to have a gunfight on the main street of Tombstone. Who do you think will win the shoot-out? Answer on page 82. 7A Secret Message Lt | = mi Shown above is a hidden greeting from me to you. Can you decipher it? Answer on page 82. Nose Versus Feet TEACHER: Our nose was made to smell with and our feet were made to run with. Tommy: I must be made all wrong then, because my nose and my feet Can you think of the two missing words? Answer on page 82. 8Hidden Beasts and Insects Hidden in the name of each living thing pictured here is the name of a different living thing. For example, concealed in the name “fox” is the word “ox.” Can you find the animals hidden in the other names? Answers on page 82. BUTTERFLY BULLFROG CROCODILEFat Bats and Other Mixed- Up Beasts Each picture on these pages shows an animal that can be described by two words that rhyme. For example, the first picture is a fat bat, the second is a cryin’ lion. How many of the others can you describe the same way? Answers on page 82. 10Silly Pictures At first these drawings won't look like anything, just funny designs. But study them carefully. Suddenly you'll see them in a different way and the pictures will be clear to you. The poem below each drawing describes the scene. You fill in the missing words. a G oOo 1, An ______ often 2. An Passes through Named Happy Jack A cloud that’s floating Likes to sunbathe In the blue. On his back. DOES 3. On the beach 4.A going Miss Five-by-five Down a hill Loves to do Turned a curve A fancy And took a spill. Answers on page 82.2. Word for Word -.. IN A WORD, YOUR THOUGHTS SIE, 9gWacky Wordles Each word or group of words on these pages is printed so that it stands for a familiar phrase. For example, the first one means “A sock in the eye.’ Now see if you can guess the others! You RHATIRANGER| pRor KEEP IT ENGAGE MENTMAOW SHT TAKE ONE MEAL TAKE ONE MEAL TAKE ONE MEAL TAKE ONE MEAL TAKE ONE MEAL Answers on pages 82-83. 15Shifty Letters BHagy Copy the squares shown directly above and then see if you can arrange them in line to spell the name of an animal. Answer on page 83. The Mysterious License When Mr. Ollie Lee bought a new car, he asked for a license plate (marker) with the number 337 31770. Here’ a picture of it. Can you figure out why he wanted these figures on it?When Wilbur woke up and looked outside, it was snowing. The window was so misty that he could write “snowing” on it with his finger. Just for fun he rubbed out the let- ter “‘n’ which left the word “sowing.” Then he rubbed out another letter, and again it left a word. He kept doing this. Ev- ery time he took away a <5 letter, it left a word. Fi- Z nally, only one letter was left and that was a word, + too! How did Wilbur erase the letters? Answer on page 83.A humorous twist on an old proverb is hidden in this border. See if you “| can read it by starting at the right letter, then taking every other letter as you go twice around the border. Answer on page 83.The Puzzling Grocer This grocer likes to use signs that puzzle his customers. For example, the first sign means that he has peas for sale. Can you figure out the other signs? Each one contains the hidden name of something else the grocer sells. Answers on page 83.The Hidden Names This boy and girl have written some numbers on the blackboard. Can you guess their names? Answers on page 83.What's Wrong with These Pictures?The artist has made a serious error somewhere in each one of these pictures. Can you find the errors? Answers on page 84. 23CC Ee Coho HEEL. 6 Answers on page 84.a - ABILE MONKEYS: Vv. The Careless Sign Painter i The sign painter made a careless mistake on his sign. See if you can correct his error : by changing one of the letters. ot Answer on page 84. What Letter? 14 The three mysterious black shapes represent a letter of the alphabet. Can you guess the letter? Answer on page 84. 254 Janes Patchwork Quilt N When Jane sewed this patchwork quilt, she cleverly worked into it her own name and the names of all her girlfriends. The dotted line shows how to spell J-A-N-E by going from letter to adjoining letter. See if you can spell at least ten other girls’ names in the same manner. You can spell up, down, sideways, or diagonally. Answers on page 84.Find the Missing Thief The map you see below shows the street corners where four policemen are standing. A thief is hidden at one of the numbered intersections where he can’t be seen by any one of the policemen. At which intersection can the thief be found? Answer on page 84.Find Charley's Car Charley drove to town alone. After parking his car, he closed all its windows, got out and locked its doors, and then put a quarter in the parking meter. Which one of the five cars in the picture is Charley's? Answer on page 84.Look carefully at this picture of Napoleon Bonaparte spending a quiet — afternoon at home. things that did not exist in Napoleon's day. Answers on page 84.A Sheer Mistake The artist made a mistake when he drew these scissors. Can you figure out what is wrong? Answer on page 84. 30Open-and-Shut Case Mrs. Higgenbotham has opened the shutters to let in fresh air through the window. The artist has made a curious mistake. Can you spot it? Answer on page 85. Two Customers A person who was unable to hear entered a stationery store to buy a wall pencil sharpener. To make the clerk understand what he wanted, he poked a finger into his left ear and then made a grinding motion around his other ear with his fist. The clerk understood at once. A man who was unable to see now entered the store. How did he make the clerk understand that he wanted to buy a pair of scissors? Answer on page 85. 32The Pistol Duel A century ago, two Frenchmen, Alphonse and Gaston, fought a duel with pistols. Each put a bullet through his opponent's head, yet neither Alphonse nor Gaston died. How could this be? Answer on page 85. Name the Product CUSTOMER: How much is one? CLERK: Thirty cents. CUSTOMER: I'll take fourteen. CLERK: Sixty cents. CUSTOMER: I'll take a hundred and forty-four. CLERK: That will be ninety cents. What on earth is the customer buying? Answer on page 85. 33The Stolen Lugs Mr. Green has removed a flat tire and is putting on the spare. He doesn’t know that a squirrel is stealing the four lugs (nuts) that hold the tire to the axle. After finding the lugs missing, how does Mr. Green manage to attach his spare tire and drive to the nearest service station where he can obtain four more lugs? Answer on page 85. 34Donald Gets His Roller Blades Donald lived with his parents and an older sister in a one- story brick house on the end of Main Street. One afternoon the doorbell rang. Donald opened the door. It was his friend Tommy, who lived across the street. “Let's go skating,” said Tommy. “Okay,” Donald said. “Wait there until I get my roller blades.” Donald ran quickly up the stairs. He got his skates from under the bed in his room on the second floor. Then he ran outside and put them on. He and Tommy spent the rest of the afternoon skating. What's wrong with this story? Answer on page 85.Who Reads ame If it takes Willie 80 minutes to read a short story, and it takes his sister an hour and ten minutes to read the same story, who is the faster reader? Answer on page 85. Ripping Good Puzzle If you were to tear pages 8,9, 48, 53 and 54 out of this book, how many separate sheets of paper would you rip out? Answer on page 85. ») Ay \ A Knotty Proble b, G Can you figure out a way to hold a piece of rope or string, one end in each hand, and tie a knot in the string without letting go of either end? Answer on page 85. 36Find the Missing Word See if you can put the right letters in the blank squares above so that each vertical column is a three- letter word, and the center horizontal row spells the name of a familiar sea animal. Hint: The pictures on the page will help you. Answer on page 85.To play this game, you need two coins of different sizes. The larger one represents the robber. Put Cops it on the thief's picture. and Robbers The smaller coin is the policeman. Put it on the cop’s picture. He is rushing out of the police station to catch the robber. One player moves the smaller coin and the other moves the larger one. Here are the simple rules: 1. The policeman always moves first. After that, players move in turns. 2. Each move is one block only, in any direction. 3. The policeman tries to catch the thief. This is accomplished by moving the smaller coin so that it lands on top of the larger one. 4. The thief tries to keep from getting caught. If he isn't captured in 50 of the policeman’s moves, then he wins. Hint: There is a secret way to catch the thief! If the cop knows it, he can catch the robber every time. But if he doesn't, the thief will never be caught. Try playing the game for a while with a friend. If neither of you discovers the secret, turn to page 86, where the trick is explained. 38We Predict! 1. Write down the name of a country starting with D. 2. Write down the name of an animal starting with the second letter in the country’s name. 3. Write down the color of the animal. 4. Write down the name of an animal starting with the /ast letter of the country’s name. 5. Write down the name of a fruit starting with the last letter in the name of the animal you chose for the fourth step. Now to the answer section. We'll give our prediction of the five words you have written! Answers on page 86. 40) 2 o = 5 THESE RIDDLES REALLY TAK MY BRAIN |!Professor ‘ Egghead’s / gx\\ PROVERBS Professor J. Fortescue Egghead likes to use big /) words and complicated sentences. Here is how the professor would say eight well-known proverbs. See how many you can recognize, and then check Z the answers on page 86. A rotatin, A ig fragm, mineral collec ts ent of ryophytic Plants, 2] Exercise your visual faculties prior to executing a jump. ES ‘UNDER NO CIRCU: SOE A COMPUTE THE NUMBE] INCUBATION. 42+ iduals ‘An excess of individual skilled in the preparation of edibles impairs the quality of thin soup. A FEATHERED BIPED IN THE TERMINAL PART OF THE ARM EQUALS IN VALUE A PAIR OF FEATHERED BIPEDS [IN DENSELY BRANCHED SHRUBBERY, A RECENTLY PURCHASED IMPLEMENT FOR BRUSHING AWAY FLOOR DIRT INVARIABLY EFFACES THE DIRT MOST EFFICIENTLY. ime A timorous heart at no t succeeds in acquiring the beautiful damsel. EVERYTHING IS LEGITIMATE IN MATTERS PERTAINING TO. ARDENT AFFECTION AND ARMED CONFLICT BETWEEN NATIONS, Answers on page 86. 43Elvira’s Jeans After putting on a new pair of jeans, Elvira pushed her right hand all the way down into the left pocket of the pants, and pushed her left hand all the way down in her right pocket. How did she manage that? Answer on page 86. Name the Word »>—_ O=<«Ee The symbols above stand for a familiar four-letter word. What word? Answer on page 86. 44WE'VE BEEN \/_ are Woy ROBBED!.. | tRUING To SIR #!.. The Johnsons have just reported a robbery. All the wife's jewels are missing. “You'll want to check inside for fingerprints,’ Mr. Johnson said to the policeman. “That won't be necessary,’ the policeman replied. “There's been no burglary.” What made the policeman so sure? Answer on page 86. 45The Amazing Computer A store has on sale a computer and word processor small enough to fit in your pocket. It can add, multiply, subtract, divide, and write in all languages. A delete device will correct any error. No electricity is required to operate it. The price? Only a few cents! How can the store make a profit by selling it so cheap? Answer on page 87. Pat, the Goalie Pat, the goalie on Central High’s soccer team, said: “I’m the only player on the team who has a brother who can say truthfully that his father is the only man in town who doesn’t have a son who goes to Central High.” This seems impossible. Can you explain? Answer on page 87. Mrs. Perkins’ Pets All of Mrs. Perkins’ pets are dogs except one, and all her pets are cats except one. How many cats and dogs does she have? Answer on page 87. 46—