Problem solving

Image: Photo: Shutterstock Graphics: Vicky LetaThis week’s puzzle is difficult. Not because it has an exceedingly complicated solution, but because the idea that underlies it is deep and ingenious. I only know of one method to solve it, but I’m curious whether alternative approaches exist. Feel free to spitball half-baked ideas in the comments. You might find working together on solutions an enriching experience. But also, your life depends on it.Prepping the Sandworm Scenes in Dune: Part TwoDid you miss last week’s…

Every few months, a math problem goes viral on social media. Disappointingly often, it lacks mathematical meat. It seems over half of them boil down to the order of operations. Some tweet will get thousands of likes claiming that the Internet is divided over an arithmetic problem like: what does 6÷2(1+2) equal? It’s fine if people don’t remember how to evaluate expressions like this. But it’s not so interesting when you just have to Google the order of operations and follow the instructions (it equals 9).“Even AI Rappers…

Image: Photo: Shutterstock Graphics: GizmodoHere’s a mind-blowing geography fact: The northernmost part of Brazil is closer to Canada than it is to the southernmost part of Brazil. Facts like this partly speak to truly unusual geographical features of Earth (like Brazil’s massive land area) but also to how warped our perception can be of our own home. We’ve grown so accustomed to seeing 2D rectangular maps in classrooms, on Risk boards, and on Sporcle quizzes, that we sometimes forget how disfigured they are. We live on a…

Sooner or later, something’s going to go wrong with your tech—and that’s when you’ve got a choice to make. As with all the jobs that need doing around the home, either you call the professionals in and pay for help, or you attempt to do the required fix yourself for free. There are pros and cons to both options, but the barrier to do-it-yourself tech support is lower than you might think.If you’re just getting started with do-it-yourself tech troubleshooting, we hope this is a useful guide. Alternatively, if there are…