Thursday, September 25, 2025

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This Week's Puzzler

The Discovery


Puzzler time. 

This one is not about math. There are no Roman numerals. 

This one is historic and folkloric. Here we go.

It is right around World War II in England.

In a secret laboratory, a small group of scientists is working on a project. They have made a discovery, something that they know will greatly aid in the Allied effort against the Germans. This is big stuff.

This is a huge discovery. Furthermore, they know that their discovery will also benefit mankind for years to come, and could easily turn the tide of the war. 

One of the members of this group is a German scientist that has escaped the clutches of the Nazis. He has turned against them and is working with the good guys. They are working on a project that was abandoned by a Scottish scientist more than 10 years earlier, before WW2. They are on the verge of something big. And finally, after one disappointment after another, they finally have success with their project. 

They know they have something big here, and they apply to the British government for a grant. Now the government, of course, is in the midst of waging war on more than one continent. So the grant that comes through is only 50 pounds. And that just isn't enough. 

The scientists realize the only hope of getting their product, so to speak, involved in the war effort, is to leave England and go to America to get funding there. So, they decide to leave London. But leaving England and going to America is dangerous during the war. In order to make their way safely from Europe to America, they decide to go to a neutral country first, which is Portugal.

They go to Lisbon, where they hope to catch a boat to America, which will be safer than sailing from England. Even though Portugal is a neutral country, Lisbon is a hotbed of spies and saboteurs. The scientists know that if their discovery gets into the wrong hands, it could have dire consequences. So they need to hide it. 

They take their discovery and they hide it on their clothing. The scientists hide their discovery on their clothing, and they make their way to America. And the rest, as they say, is history. 

The puzzler question is, what was this discovery?

Good luck everyone.

Answer the Puzzler »
Remember last week's puzzler?

Roman Sticks and Stuff


Time for the new puzzler. 

This one is short. And it takes a little participation. 

It is best to use matchsticks, but if you don't have those, you can use toothpicks. Or regular sticks, as long as your dog is okay with that. 

Here we go. 

So take your sticks and make a fraction with them. This fraction is going to be Roman numerals.

And the Roman numeral that's the numerator, is 23. So 23 in Roman numerals is XXIII. 

So you're gonna have a bunch of sticks that make up the figure XXIII. 

Then you'll take some sticks to make the line of the fraction. 

Then the denominator of the fraction is going to be Roman numeral 7, which is VII. 

Then, you're going to have an equals sign with sticks, of course. 

And after the equals sign, you're going to have Roman numeral 2, which is II. 

So to recap, you will have the following equation, all made out of sticks. 

XXIII / VII = II 

Which is 23 / 7 = 2. 

Now, obviously this equation is wrong as it is written. 

The puzzler question is a challenge. And that is to move one stick and make the equation correct. 

Hint, inequalities are not allowed. 

You have to move one stick and make the equation correct and true.

Find out here »
Congratulations to this week's
puzzler winner:

Dianne Massey

Congratulations! This correct answer was chosen at random by our Web Lackeys.
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