Sharpen Your Brain: December 2012

Saturday, December 29, 2012

Is To

Answer:

E: only lines that appear three times in the same position in the first three squares are carried forward to the final square.

Which Cube

When the above is folded to form a cube, which is the only one of the following that can be produced?

Answer:

E

What number should replace the question mark?

Answer:

8: each number in the segment at the bottom is the sum of the four numbers in the sections either side. Thus: 8 + 3 + 4 + 3 = 18.

Spell out two eight-letter words!

Work clockwise round the circles to spell out two eight-letter words that are antonyms. Each word commences in a different circle, and you must find the starting point of each. Every letter is used once each and all letters are consecutive.

Answer:

MEDIOCRE, SUPERIOR

Saturday, December 22, 2012

Switches

Switch Aturns lights 1 and 2 on/off or off/on

Switch B turns lights 2 and 4 on/off or off/on

Switch C turns lights 1 and 3 on/off or off/on
Switch D turns lights 3 and 4 on/off or off/on

Switches D, C, Aand B are thrown in turn with the result that Figure 1 turns into Figure 2. Which switch does not work at all?

Brain Workout: Variety Puzzles to Boost Your Memory and Brainpower

Answer:

Switch D is faulty.

O R E N O D W

Just in one minute, can you make one word from all the following jumbled letters?

O R E N O D W

Answer:

The answer is "one word"! Read the question again to understand why!

What number should replace the question mark?

Answer:

7: 91 ÷ 13

Create a seven-letter word!

Using the four letters below only, create a seven-letter word.

Answer:

minimum

Which shield?

Answer:

D: it contains a triangle in a circle, a circle in a triangle (with the same orientation of the triangle) and a black dot in a square.

What three numbers are missing?

What three numbers are missing?

15, 5, 8, 24, 21, 7, 10, 30, ?, ?, ?, 36, 33

Answer:

27, 9, 12: the sequence progresses ÷3, +3, ×3, –3 repeated.

Letters

What letter is two letters above the letter two letters to the left of the letter immediately above the letter three letters to the right of the letter Q?

Answer:

C

What number should replace the question mark?

What number should replace the question mark?

1, 101, 15, 4, 29, –93, 43, –190, ?

Answer:

57: there are two alternate sequences: +14, –97

A Feature in Common

dopiness, uncloaking, dishwasher

Which word below has a feature in common with all the words above?

gallant, crossfire, whirlwind, assault

Answer:

crossfire: all words contain an embedded tree – do(pine)ss, uncl(oak)ing, dishw(ash)er, cross(fir)e

What are the two coins?

Two U.S. coins add up to 30 cents. If one of them is not a nickle, what are the two coins?

Brain Workout: Variety Puzzles to Boost Your Memory and Brainpower

Answer:

A nickel and a quarter (the quarter is the one that is 'not a nickel').

What comes next?

Answer:

A: the figure is tumbling 45° at each stage and alternates white/black/striped.

Saturday, December 15, 2012

With which tile should it be replaced?

Brain Workout: Variety Puzzles to Boost Your Memory and Brainpower

Answer:

Brain Workout: Variety Puzzles to Boost Your Memory and Brainpower

We can improve our brainpower considerably. This improvement happens by strengthening and making new connections between the neurons of our brain. More connections and stronger connections boost our brainpower and strengthen our performance on mental and physical activities. More precisely, stronger and more connections between neurons boost the cognitive functions of the brain, such as memory, attention, and reasoning. A brain with better cognitive functioning will have a higher capacity to learn and process; this fact in turn may mean a more “intelligent” brain.

Studies have shown that puzzles, and mental exercises in general, improve brainpower by stimulating the diverse regions of our brain, by stimulating creativity, imagination, and analytical, rational, and logical areas. This type of stimulation is one of the main ways to strengthen the existing connections between neurons and produce new connections. In many sources for brainpower improvement, the analogy has been made that as gymnasts can enhance their performance by more training and practice, people can enhance their brainpower by mental gymnastics provided by puzzles and brain games.

Using this book, which contains 220 puzzles and brain games, you can improve your mental functions, including memory, attention, speed, problem solving, and the verbal, numerical, and spatial capabilities of your brain, while entertaining yourself. The puzzles and games in this book are developed along a variety of different themes and styles and range in difficulty level and challenge. You will find it interesting and easy to complete in a fairly short time rather than a boring mental exercise book that readers never complete.

Even though this book is primarily designed to challenge you in different ways in order to improve your memory and your brain aptitudes and abilities, it is also intended as a fun and entertaining collection to use at your leisure.

To get better results toward the book’s primary targets, you may want to solve its puzzles and perform the exercises on a regular daily schedule, accomplishing at least ten items a day. In order to improve your brainpower with this book, the most important factor for a tangible achievement is that each puzzle and game should be accomplished within the time limit indicated; for example, if you are asked to solve a puzzle in thirty seconds, then you should diligently try to solve it in no more than thirty seconds. Please note that if you conscientiously try but cannot solve a puzzle in the given time, you should not consider this a failure but still a gain, as the brain has exercised a challenge by trying its best, and that makes it stronger.

Brain Workout: Variety Puzzles to Boost Your Memory and Brainpower