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Brain Game: Math Square #109

Sandy Wood — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 12:30:59 +0000

Monday Monday, so good to me… Enjoy a new Monday Math Square for today’s mentalfloss.com Brain Game. Good luck!

The nine white squares inside the main red grid should be filled with the digits 1 through 9. Each digit should appear only once in this main grid (the red square). Place the digits 1 through 9 in their correct spots so that the mathematical equations work both across and down.

Here is the SOLUTION.

Brain Game: Afford Early Rifle

Sandy Wood — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 12:30:13 +0000

Here’s today’s mentalfloss.com Brain Game Free-for-All Friday challenge. Good luck!

What do the following five letters of the alphabet (but none of the other 21) have in common?

G, J, P, Q, Y

Here is the ANSWER.

Brain Game: Hedera helix

Sandy Wood — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 12:30:26 +0000

Good luck with today’s mentalfloss.com Brain Game Think Thursday challenge:

What’s the only U.S. state that is home
to TWO Ivy League schools,
and what are the names of those schools?

Here is the ANSWER.

Brain Game: Arthritis

Sandy Wood — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 12:30:07 +0000

Today’s mentalfloss.com Brain Game Wednesday Wordplay challenge is a word ladder. Good luck!

By changing one letter in each step to form English words, and leaving all other letters in their original positions, convert THUMB into BENDS in the fewest possible steps.

T H U M B
_ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _
B E N D S

Here is one 8-step SOLUTION.

Brain Game: Feel Like a Number

Sandy Wood — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 12:30:54 +0000

Put on your mathematical thinking cap and take the Tuesday Test Time challenge for today’s mentalfloss.com Brain Game. Good luck!

What’s the next number in the following series?

1, 2, 2, 4, 8, 12, 96, 108, ?

Here is the SOLUTION.

Brain Game: Math Square #108

Sandy Wood — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 12:30:14 +0000

Monday Monday, so good to me… Enjoy a new Monday Math Square for today’s mentalfloss.com Brain Game. Good luck!

Here is the SOLUTION.

Brain Game: The ‘Big’ Game

Sandy Wood — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 12:30:05 +0000

Super Bowl Sunday is nearly upon us. If you choose to party, have plenty of fun, but please do so safely. Start off the weekend right by solving today’s mentalfloss.com Brain Game Free-for-All Friday challenge. Good luck!

Except for one letter that’s different,
the names of what THREE current NFL teams
are anagrams of each other?

Here is the ANSWER.

10 Susceptible Super Bowl Records (and One That Definitely Won’t Be Broken)

Sandy Wood — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 17:05:55 +0000

Admittedly, I haven’t paid as much attention to this year’s Super Bowl as to previous NFL championships. (Having the new issue of mental_floss on deadline has plenty to do with that.) Still, I love delving into the numbers, so this collection of Super Bowl records – most related to the upcoming Patriots-Giants matchup – is the result. Enjoy!

First, here are five records already held by those involved in Super Bowl XLVI:

1. Patriots receivers Deion Branch and Wes Welker are tied with Dan Ross and Jerry Rice for the most receptions in a Super Bowl game (11). It’s not inconceivable for either (or both) to break this record.

2. Tom Brady has completed 100 passes in previous Super Bowl games, more than any other quarterback in NFL history. He’s also tied with Drew Brees for the most completions in a single Super Bowl (32).

3. The New York Giants scored a record 30 points in the second half of Super Bowl XXI.

4. In Super Bowl XX, the New England Patriots managed only 7 yards rushing the entire game, a record low.

5. Time is important to the New York Giants, who hold Super Bowl records for time of possession (40:33 in Super Bowl XXV) and drive length (9:59 in Super Bowl XLII).

Now that we know where we stand, let’s examine 10 records that could be tied or broken in Super Bowl XLVI:

1. Should New England lose the game, the Patriots will become the fourth team in history to lose the Super Bowl four times. (The others who have done so are Minnesota, Denver, and Buffalo).

2. No team has ever scored more than 14 points in the first quarter of any Super Bowl game (The Patriots scored 14 in the first quarter of Super Bowl XXXI).

3. In this “Year of the QB,” both Eli Manning and Tom Brady have a chance to better Kurt Warner’s record of 414 yards passing in a Super Bowl game.

4. If Deion Branch catches 12 passes, he’ll tie Jerry Rice’s record for career Super Bowl receptions (33).

5. Hall-of-Famer Jerry Rice is the only player to score 3 receiving touchdowns in a single Super Bowl game. He actually did this trick twice, in Super Bowls XXIV and XXIX.

6. No field goal attempt of 55 yards or longer has ever been made in a Super Bowl game.

7. If New England’s Bill Belichick wins this game, he’ll tie Chuck Noll’s NFL record by winning his fourth Super Bowl game as head coach.

8. No Super Bowl team has ever been shut out, and no Super Bowl game has ever gone into overtime.

9. The Patriots and Giants have each allowed a safety in previous Super Bowls. If either team scores one in Sunday’s game, its opponent will set a new record for most safeties allowed in Super Bowl games.

10. While kickoffs have been returned for touchdowns 8 times in previous Super Bowls, there’s never been a punt returned for a touchdown in a Super Bowl game. Ever. The longest punt return in Super Bowl history was a 45-yard effort by the 49ers’ John Taylor in Super Bowl XXIII.

Finally, here’s one NFL record that definitely, absolutely, positively will NOT be broken in Sunday’s game:

Jim Turner and Mike Clark kicked record-short field goals of only 9 yards in Super Bowls III and VI, respectively. The goal posts were right on the goal line in those days. They were set back 10 yards into the end zone in 1974, rendering this record impossible to break today.

Brain Game: 22 Coins

Sandy Wood — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 12:30:25 +0000

Today’s mentalfloss.com Brain Game Think Thursday challenge is a math puzzle. It’s not that tough, however, so give it a shot. Just please make sure to read the instructions in full. Thanks, and good luck!

Using some combination of pennies, nickels, dimes, and quarters
(making sure to use AT LEAST TWO of each denomination)
how can you make exact change for $1 using precisely 22 coins?

Here is the SOLUTION.

Lunchtime Quiz: Super Bowl Host Cities (other than Miami)

Sandy Wood — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 16:30:07 +0000

In the National Football League, the Florida cities of Miami and Miami Gardens have combined to host the Super Bowl 10 times. Not including Miami, a total of 16 other U.S. cities have also been home to Super Bowl games, including the one that’s set to host Super Bowl XLVI this Sunday. Given five minutes, can you name each of those 16 cities (remembering that some stadiums are located in the suburbs)?

Take the Quiz: Super Bowl Host Cities (other than Miami)