Five friends (you may remember Adam, Beth, Carlos, Dan, and Elise from a fall semester puzzle) go out for dinner together.  They arrive at the restaurant one at a time and sit down around a circular table with five chairs.  The five dishes ordered that evening were Pasta (vegetarian), Quiche, Risotto (vegetarian), Steak, and Tomato soup (vegetarian).  Using the following clues, determine who arrived in what order, what they ate, and where they sat relative to each other (the table is circular, so each person had two neighbors).

• Except for the first person to arrive, each new guest sat down next to at least one previous guest.
• The two women arrived within moments of each other, but they did not sit next to each other.
• Both Dan and the first person to arrive are strictly vegetarian.
• The 2nd and 5th people to arrive ended up sitting next to each other.
• The person who ordered pasta sat next to either the person who ordered risotto or the person who ordered tomato soup, but not both.
• The person who ordered the steak sat to the immediate right of the man who ordered the quiche.
• One of the people sitting next to the 1st to arrive ordered steak.
• Carlos could never understand why the 5th person to arrive liked to put crackers in his tomato soup.
• Adam was 4th to arrive, and did not sit next to Beth or Carlos.

Good luck.  Send answers to usp.blogmatters@gmail.com.

1. You have a balance scale with 2 pans.  If you have 2 identical-looking spheres of different weights, you can find which is heavier with 1 use of the scale (one sphere on each side).  If you have 4 identical-looking spheres, 1 of which is heavier than the others, 2 uses of the scale are necessary to guarantee identifying the heavy one.

Now: You have 9 identical-looking spheres, 1 of which is heavier than the rest (Edit: The other 8 spheres all weigh the same.).  What is the fewest uses of the scale necessary to guarantee the identity of the heavy sphere, and how do you do it?

2. You have a single scale that measures accurately in grams.  You also have 11 stacks of 10 coins each.  One of these stacks is made entirely of counterfeit coins made with a denser base metal (say lead) such that a counterfeit coin weighs 1 gram more than a genuine coin.  If you, as an agent of Standards and Measures, already know by heart the correct weight of a real coin: What is the fewest times you must use the scale to guarantee you know which stack of coins is counterfeit?  And how do you do it?

3.  You have a balance scale with 2 pans.  You also have 6 spheres: 2 red, 2 yellow, and 2 blue.  1 sphere of each color is heavy, and 1 sphere of each color is light.  All the heavy spheres weigh the same as each other, and all the light spheres weigh the same as each other.  What is the fewest times you must use the scale to guarantee you identify all the heavy spheres?  And, of course, how do you do it?

Submit solutions to usp.blogmatters@gmail.com, see rules post below for details.

Each post will be worth 3 points when fully solved.  Points may be spread out over multiple smaller puzzles or may allow for partial credit on a larger puzzle.  Bonus points may or may not make an appearance.

All participants will receive a gold star for their nametag at the Symposium.  The people with the highest earned point totals may also be eligible for “Fabulous Prizes”.  There is no deadline as such for submitting solutions, but ties will be broken based on fastest submission times.

Solutions and sources for puzzles will be posted at the end of the contest, at and after the Symposium.

The contest is open to anyone (USP or otherwise), but you must be in attendance at the Spring Symposium in order to claim a Fabulous Prize.

Submit your solutions to usp.blogmatters@gmail.com.  Please, only one submission per puzzle post.

Also: Spring Puzzle Contest starts tomorrow (Tuesday Jan 16).  Check back for more regular content.

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O FGZT ZIQZ GFT GY ZIT YXFFN ZIOFUL QWGXZ EGRTL (TLHTEOQSSN Q LODHST KTHSQETDTFZ ENHITK SOAT ZIOL GFT) OL ZIQZ GYZTF ZIT SGFUTK ZITN QKT ZIT TQLOTK ZG UTZ KOUIZ ZITN WTEGDT.  ZIT STFUZI OFEKTQLTL EGFZTBZ QFR ZIT OFEORTFET GY EGDDGF VGKRL QFR STZZTKL SOAT “ZIT” QFR “T”. LG O QRRTR Q ZIOKR LTFZTFET YGK ZIT LQAT GY TBQDHST QFR DTZQ-EGDDTFZQKN.

Q & O appear as single letters => can only be I or A

Since three letter words starting with I are uncommon and three letter words starting with A are common, I conclude that Q=A & O=I

We have QFR and QKT, one of which is AND. I believe QFR is a better candidate, since we have ZIT and T. Therefore, F=N & R=D

We can rewrite some of the puzzle more clearly (small letters for the correct letters):

I nGZT ZIaZ GnT GY ZIT YXFFN ZIiFUL aWGXZ EGdTL (TLHTEiaSSN a LiDHST KTHSaETDTFZ ENHITK SiAT ZIiL GnT) iL ZIaZ GYZTF ZIT SGFUTK ZITN aKT ZIT TaLiTK ZG UTZ KiUIZ ZITN WTEGDT.  ZIT STFUZI inEKTaLTL EGnZTBZ and ZIT iFEiRTFET GY EGDDGn VGKRL and STZZTKL SiAT “ZIT” and  “T”. LG i addTd a ZIiKd LTFZTFET YGK ZIT LaAT GY TBaDHST and DTZa-EGDDTnZaKN.

Since there is the word addTd, I believe T =E to form the plausible word “added”. So let’s replace the T as well.

I nGZe ZIaZ Gne GY ZIe YXFFN ZIiFUL aWGXZ EGdeL (eLHeEiaSSN a LiDHSe KeHSaEeDeFZ ENHIeK SiAe ZIiL Gne) iL ZIaZ GYZTF ZIT SGFUeK ZIeN aKe ZIe eaLieK ZG UeZ KiUIZ ZIeN WeEGDe.  ZIe SeFUZI inEKeaLeL EGnZeBZ and ZIe iFEiReFEe GY EGDDGn VGKRL and SeZZeKL SiAe “ZIe” and  “e”. LG i added a eIiKd LeFZeFEe YGK ZIe LaAe GY eBaDHSe and DeZa-EGDDenZaKN.

The word ZIT that keeps appearing has to be the common word “the”, so Z=T and I=H. Continuing this puzzle:

I nGte that Gne GY the YXFFN thiFUL aWGXt EGdeL (eLHeEiaSSN a LiDHSe KeHSaEeDeFtENHIeK SiAe thiL Gne) iL that GYtTF the SGFUeK theN aKe the eaLieK ZG UeZ KiUht theN WeEGDe.  the SeFUth inEKeaLeL EGnteBtand the iFEiReFEe GY EGDDGn VGKRL and SetteKL SiAe “the” and  “e”. LG i added a eIiKd LeFteFEe YGK the LaAe GY eBaDHSe and Deta-EGDDentaKN.

I think now that G=O, because the word Gne has to be one and the word nGte=note, so G=O, continuing:

I note that one oY the YXFFN thiFUL aWoXt EodeL (eLHeEiaSSN a LiDHSe KeHSaEeDeFtENHIeK SiAe thiL one) iL that oYtTF the SoFUeK theN aKe the eaLieK to Uet KiUht theN WeEoDe.  the SeFUth inEKeaLeL EonteBtand the iFEiReFEe oY EGDDon VoKRL and SetteKL SiAe “the” and  “e”. Lo i added a eIiKd LeFteFEe YoK the LaAe oY eBaDHSe and Deta-EoDDentaKN.

And the letter Y=F, since “one of the” makes sense more than any alternatives:

I note that one of the fXFFN thiFUL aWoXt EodeL (eLHeEiaSSN a LiDHSe KeHSaEeDeFtENHIeK SiAe thiL one) iL that ofteF the SoFUeK theN aKe the eaLieK to Uet KiUht theN WeEoDe.  the SeFUth inEKeaLeL EonteBtand the iFEiReFEe of EGDDon VoKRL and SetteKL SiAe “the” and  “e”. Lo i added a eIiKd LeFteFEe foK the LaAe of eBaDHSe and Deta-EoDDentaKN.

And the letter F=N, because of “often”

I note that one of the fXnnN thinUL aWoXt EodeL (eLHeEiaSSN a LiDHSe KeHSaEeDeFt ENHIeK SiAe thiL one) iL that often the SonUeK theN aKe the eaLieK to Uet KiUht theN WeEoDe.  the SenUth inEKeaLeL EonteBtand the inEiRenEe of EGDDon VoKRL and SetteKL SiAe “the” and  “e”. Lo i added a eIiKd LentenEe foK the LaAe of eBaDHSe and Deta-EoDDentaKN.

Since I think (sorta intuitively) that fXnnN thinUL is funny things, I will replace: X=U & N=Y & U=G and L=S (L appears at the end a lot, so it has to be S):

I note that one of the funny things aWout Eodes (esHeEiaSSy a siDHSe KeHSaEeDeFt EyHIeK SiAe this one) is that often the SongeK theyaKe the easieK to get Kight they WeEoDe.  the Sength inEKeases EonteBtand the inEiRenEe of EGDDon VoKRs and SetteKs SiAe “the” and  “e”. So I added a eIiKd sentenEe foK the saAe of eBaDHSe and Deta-EoDDentaKN.

And W=B (about), E=C & K=R (codes, increases), S=L (length), and H=P (especially), D=M (simple, replacement). Let’s see what’s left:

I note that one of the funny things about codes (especially a simple replacement cypher like this one) is that often the longer they are the easier to get right they become.  The length increases context and the incidence of common words and letters like “the” and “e”. So I added a eIird sentence for the sake of example and meta-commentary.

Having some issues with cypher and elird, so I go back and find the words:

ENHITK = CYPHER : I thought cipher was written with an I, not a Y.

ZIOKR = THIRD

AND…text decoded. Fun!!

I note that one of the funny things about codes (especially a simple replacement cypher like this one) is that often the longer they are the easier to get right they become.  The length increases context and the incidence of common words and letters like “the” and “e”. So I added a third sentence for the sake of example and meta-commentary.

cheers,
Tori

I am curious to know how other people try to solve things like this, so if you make an attempt, please share your successes and frustrations in the comments.  Without further ado, here’s the coded message:

O FGZT ZIQZ GFT GY ZIT YXFFN ZIOFUL QWGXZ EGRTL (TLHTEOQSSN Q LODHST KTHSQETDTFZ EOHITK SOAT ZIOL GFT) OL ZIQZ GYZTF ZIT SGFUTK ZITN QKT ZIT TQLOTK ZG UTZ KOUIZ ZITN WTEGDT.  ZIT STFUZI OFEKTQLTL EGFZTBZ QFR ZIT OFEORTFET GY EGDDGF VGKRL QFR STZZTKL SOAT “ZIT” QFR “T”. LG O QRRTR Q ZIOKR LTFZTFET YGK ZIT LQAT GY TBQDHST QFR DTZQ-EGDDTFZQKN.

The punctuation and spacing are correct, but each letter in the code stands for a different letter.  Yes, it’s a bit long, but there’s a reason.  Good luck and happy puzzling!

EDIT! I have been alerted that I misspelled a word! ENHITK (it was inside the parentheses) should be EOHITK.  This has been corrected above.  Very sorry, and credit to Alex Oprea for the correction

Laura: Psychological testing:  patient completes various surveys which then have to be assessed and analyzed to form a cohesive picture of who that person is.

Christine: Health care providers: who they are, what they do, along w/ case study of navigating health care system, including issues such as costs, etc.

Chris W: will run a puzzle contest in the spring with prizes given at symposium.  Or explain phase problem in 7 minutes, a central mathemtatical concept

Jordan: neurolinguistics and the evolution of language:  where it came from w/o empirical evidence.  How do researchers piece this all together?

Ben: fractal puzzles in comp sci class

Ryan: ethics and puzzle of what people say they believe vs. how they act.  Oral histories of people of faith working in farmworker movement.

Meg: Physics is taking complicated problem, breaking into pieces, figuring it out, and putting it back together and the parallels to complications in analyzing Vergil’s Latin poetry.

Ying: how group identity and social norms influence voter turnout and consequences.  Plus riddles during breaks.

Chisom: politics of difference – standing out to fit in, affirmative action, exceptions to laws – creates a mosaic

Hersh: why the global 2008 financial crisis happened and the current European fiscal crisis – understanding it all is a giant puzzle.

Yihan: environmental policy making – how policies form, trade-offs and concessions; linguistics: discourse analysis, given unavoidable assumptions, give-and-take of renegotiating positions.

McKenzie: conflict and environment in Afghanistan: how to solve the peace puzzle of Afghanistan while weaving in the security element of the environment (redefining “human security: – having healthy environment, democracy, etc. beyond demilitarization).

Irene: Martin Gardner puzzles; law students – unsolved mysteries in the justice system – Durham D.A. currently under fire b/c of mishandling cases and judge is dismissing them.  Puzzles of cooperation and trust – do a live prisoner’s dilemma during sympo.  See: Robert Axelrod.  Biology:  why do species cheat on each other?  puzzles of technology: once technology reaches certain level, can piece together bird lineages or DNA sequencing, how to  make sense of genome analysis.  Also: evolution and society – why people are so intractable in certain worldviews?  (for ex: 60% of Americans don’t believe in evolution or climate change) or how science presented to public and to policy makers.

Jenna: patient assessments – how to determine what is wrong, given local resources, whether in a resource-rich environment like Duke or a resource-poor environment such as in rural areas.  What factors, social forces, influence health care decisions, even whether or not to go to a doctor.

Jade: Impact evaluation – how a policy works or not, looking at historical precedent.  Crossword puzzle writing competition or big wall crossword.

Maya: Dance – anatomy for better understanding how to create art, using body as an instrument.

Chris: groundwater pollution in Ethiopia – how households determine how and where they get and use water.

Maggie: transgenic mosquitos to reduce mosquito population, get science to work then get approval of ppl in population to combat dengue or other mosquito vector borne diseases.

Possible Group Topics (to be whittled down):

Putting Puzzles Together

Breaking Puzzles Apart

Puzzles of the Past, Puzzles of the Future

Behavioral Puzzles – Puzzles of Society

Puzzles of Technology

Puzzles of Science and Society

Finding Puzzles

Creating Puzzles

Evading/Avoiding Puzzles

Scientific Puzzles

Solved/Unsolved Puzzles

Living with Puzzles

As part of our efforts to reinvigorate our web presence and in honor of this year’s symposium theme of Puzzles,  I will be posting a series of (what else?) puzzles to the blog over the next few months.  For the moment, the intent will be to share and discuss different puzzle types (so feel free to submit your own favorite puzzles).  But come the new year, if there’s interest, the puzzling will get competitive.  Oh, yes.

For the first puzzle of the series, I want to share (with a certain admission of solipsism) a puzzle type that was one of my first introductions to recreational puzzling.  It’s a kind of logic problem.

Five friends (Adam, Beth, Carlos, Dan, and Elise) have gone to the theatre and are waiting in a single line to buy tickets. You know the following:

1. 1. Dan is waiting immediately behind Beth.
2. 2. Dan got in line sometime before Elise did.
3. 3. Adam and Carlos are next to each other in line, arguing.
4. 4. Adam is third in the line of five.

From that information, tell me in what order are the five friends standing?

Feel free to use the comments.  I will post the answer, as well as my approach to the problem, over the weekend.  Happy Puzzling!

-Christopher Williams

1. Physical Legacies: Preservation and conservation efforts are dedicated to commemorating the heritage of a location. Areas declared to hold historical, environmental or cultural significance are set aside with the goal of keeping them open for future generations to experience, yet most of the time, decisions over physical legacies are anything but clean-cut. The Three Gorges Dam was built over protests that centuries of undocumented history would be lost to flooded land, but to demand preservation of all the artifacts of one of the birthplaces of civilization would effectively paralyze economic progress. In contrast, Costa Rica has made it no secret that it employs a strategy of environmental preservation to sustain a tourism-driven economy. In light of these examples and others, this group will discuss how such initiatives are chosen, executed and managed. How can we reconcile the construction of physical legacies with the need for progress, and what happens when opinions clash over the value of a legacy? How do such places and our perspectives of them continue to evolve?

2. Legacies of Inquiry: Thomas Kuhn argued that science proceeds as a series of paradigms around which inquiry is organized. At the core of each scientific paradigm are untestable assumptions, but around their perimeters are a myriad of testable hypotheses. Further, paradigms have life cycles: they are born, enjoy productive periods, and then are abandoned when new, more useful paradigms emerge. The history of science is the history of these different ways of approaching and testing the world replacing one another. This group will discuss the role of legacies of inquiry in shaping the way we think about the world and create new knowledge. For example, how do current paradigms (e.g. evolution) affect the way we approach problems? For the humanities and social sciences, what is the role of the canon in shaping how we approach questions and do research? When do scientific paradigms or literary canons cease to be useful to the advancement of knowledge?

3. Institutional Legacies: Although the people associated with a given institution will change, the institution itself may retain core ideals, goals, and practices. Duke University, for example, has meaning to its students long after graduation day, and many alumni are willing to donate money in order to maintain Duke’s scholarly (and athletic) presence for generations. An institution like Duke also impacts people who have never set foot on Duke’s campus, and one of an administrator’s most important roles is to control Duke’s institutional footprint. Of course, universities are not our only institutions. This group will be open to discussing corporate culture and impact, industrialization, the legacies of political institutions, and how different types of institutions shape each others’ legacies.

4. Maintaining Legacies: A legacy must only be created once, but it must be maintained in perpetuity. When we encounter groups or organizations, institutions, and even disciplines, we see a living artifact that has been passed down through many generations. As the times change, this legacy has been altered from its original vision many times by many people with different aims. What should take precedence when we work to maintaining a legacy? Whose vision of it should be privileged and why? This group will cover issues from maintaining legacies of previous generations, adjusting legacies to new innovations, and living up to a legacy’s exemplars.