Newsletter Archive

Missed our last newsletter? Looking for a way to work your brain? Check out some of the fun math and engineering puzzles we've featured recently in our newsletter, Gears in Motion. Better yet, sign up for our newsletter now, and not only will you get our puzzles delivered right to your inbox, you'll also be the first to hear about what we're doing and what we've got planned next!

Gears in Motion

From Fall, 2016 Gears in Motion

Our challenge comes again from krazydad.com. Krazydad offers free pdf files of mazes and puzzles. Puzzles are free to download, although donations are gratefully accepted.

We had so much fun with the last "slitherlink" puzzle, we decided to try it again. This one comes from the Variety Slitherlinks collection, where things get even more interesting. In a regular slitherlink puzzle, you connect horizontally or vertically adjacent dots to form a meandering path that forms a single loop, without crossing itself, or branching (see the sample tower in our Spring, 2016 issue below). The numbers indicate how many lines surround each cell. Empty cells may be surrounded by any number of lines (from 0 to 3). There is one unique solution, and you should be able to find it without guessing. You may find it helpful to make small x's between dots that cannot be connected.

Fall 2016

From Spring, 2016 Gears in Motion

This time, our challenge comes from krazydad.com. Krazydad offers free pdf files of mazes and puzzles. Puzzles are free to download, although donations are gratefully accepted. This is from the intermediate collection of "slitherlink" puzzles.

In a Slitherlink Puzzle, you connect horizontally or vertically adjacent dots to form a meandering path that forms a single loop, without crossing itself, or branching (see the sample tower).

The numbers indicate how many lines surround each cell. Empty cells may be surrounded by any number of lines (from 0 to 3). There is one unique solution, and you should be able to find it without guessing. You may find it helpful to make small x's between dots that cannot be connected.

This slitherlink comes from the intermediate collection.

Spring 2016

December 2015

From December, 2015 Gears in Motion
Our first challenge is a maze and comes from Games for the Brain (see Teacher Corner for more on this fun website). All you have to do is trace your finger from Start to Finish. Like most mazes, if you reach a dead end (or in this case, a break in the solid, white path), you've got to go back. But going back means going down, as this maze is constructed on the side of a pyramid. How long will it take you to climb to the top?

Our next puzzle comes from the Aims Center for Math and Science Education, and is called The 36 'Picks Puzzle. First, arrange 36 toothpicks in the following pattern:

Then, complete as many of these challenges as you can:

Remove 4 toothpicks to leave 8 small squares.
Move 6 toothpicks to make 14 small squares.
Remove 8 toothpicks to leave 9 small squares.
Remove 4 toothpicks to leave 5 small squares and 4 rectangles.
Move 4 toothpicks to make 1 rectangle and 10 small squares.
Remove 8 toothpicks to leave 5 small squares and 1 large square.