It’s the Friday Puzzle!

Erica and John are standing in the same cattle field at the same time. Erica can see the same number of bulls and cows in the field. However, John can see twice as many cows as bulls. How can this be and how many cows and bulls are there in the field?

As ever, please do NOT post your answer but feel free to say if you have solved it and how long it took. Solution on Monday!

Oh, and here is a photo of my good self helping to launch the Edinburgh International Science Festival yesterday, with Festival Director Simon Gage.

 

X-Files, shadows, gymnasts and urine.

The Psychologist (the magazine of the British Psychological Society) have kindly produced this skeptical parody of the X-Files poster to help mark the launch of Paranormality. You can download a full size version of it by clicking here.

Also, I am speaking at the BPS event, Psychology for All, on the 26th March in London. Hope you can make it.

Some more odd images today…..this made me think….

this made me wonder if it was fake….

and this made me feel ill…..

Which is your favourite?

Something wonderful, something mysterious….

Love this….

and wonder if this is fake….

What do you think?

Can you explain this….

Exciting news – the Guardian have just run the first extract from Paranormality here.  There is now quite a debate brewing there, so feel free to go over and join in!

OK, back to the blog……everyone and their dog have been kind enough to send me this lovely video….

Any thoughts on how it was achieved?

It’s the Friday Puzzle…..

You have been captured by small cute puppy.   He has two identical opaque vases, and 100 white beads and 100 black beads.  The puppy will allow you to arrange all of the beads in whatever way you like between the two vases, but neither of the vases can be empty.  The puppy will then close his eyes, put his little paw into one of the vases, rummage around, and remove just one bead.  You have no idea which vase he will choose.

If the puppy chooses a black bead, you will be allowed to stroke his head.  But if he chooses a white bead he will bite you.  How do you arrange the beads to give yourself the best chance of getting a stroke?

As ever, please do NOT post your answers, but feel free to say if you solved it and how long it took.  Solution (and credit for the puzzle) on Monday.

Sign of the times….

Love this sign (sent to me by Emma H and Neda T)….

Four more great ones after the break….

Give me 60 seconds of your time….

…and I will show you 12 amazing things.  I am guest director of the Edinburgh International Science Festival this year, and have made this little video at Edinburgh’s World of Illusions to help promote the festival…. hope that you like it…

Favourite bit?

 

 

 

The rubber band illusion

Tickets for the next Edinburgh Secret Society event go on sale at 10 a.m. today.  Details here.

The other day I made this little video showing the rubber band illusion……

Can you figure it out?  Please do not post your solution but feel free to say if you have solved it!

It’s the Friday Puzzle!

Nice simple one this week. Can you cut this horseshoe into six separate pieces by making just two cuts?

There is both a 2D and 3D solution – can you find them?

As ever, please do NOT post your answers, but feel free to say if you solved it and how long it took. Solution on Monday!

There’s no arm in it….

Following up on yesterdays photos, here are two more that are a tad less rude…

Like?

How to get ahead

Here is a 19 second video that I have made to promote the next Edinburgh Secret Society event – hope that you like it.

In addition, here are three interesting picture…..

Which is your favourite?

 

Give me 26 seconds of your time….

and I will make you go ‘oh….very clever’….

Did I succeed?

It’s the Friday Puzzle!

You are trapped in a prison cell, and the evil guards have set a challenge.  They have written one letter of the alphabet on each of nine pieces of card, and placed the cards in the following order on the floor of your cell:

S  P  A  R  K  L  I  N  G

You have to take away one of the pieces of card, ensuring that the remaining pieces spell a word (and you are not allowed to change the order of the remaining pieces of cardboard), and post it under the door of the cell.  And then you have to repeat the process again and again until there is just one letter left.  In what order should you remove the letters?

As ever, please do NOT post your answers, but feel free to say if you have solved it and how long it took.  Solution on Monday.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Can you explain the magic fish?

First, this lovely headline (via Tim C)

Second, @gregorwright sent me this video of some ‘magic fish’……

Any idea what is going on?

Ever wanted to be a lifecoach?

Yesterday on Twitter I asked people who were facing an important life decision to post their dilemma, and get feedback from other people.

@andywash wrote ‘Should I give up well paid long standing care job to work in music industry as a tour manager?’

So, what do you think?  What would be your advice?  Everyone vote and comment now!