Gifted nerds can often find logical solutions to gnarly problems using abductive reasoning (inference to the best explanation). With this in mind, here’s this week’s Micro Softy.
Four men with faces covered drive up to a mansion in a large truck. They hurriedly exit the truck. Two of the men forcibly break the front door down and go into the house. They come out, restraining a terrified screaming girl. The girl is handed to and restrained by one of the men outside. A second older woman approaches, sees the situation, and hysterically runs towards the house. She is tackled and, against her will, is kept from going into the house. The men start bringing out valuable antique furniture, vases and paintings that they place in the yard next to their truck.
After a few minutes, the older woman takes a deep breath and calms down. She turns to the man holding her and says thanks. She goes up to each of the three other men and gives them each a kiss on the cheek.
For this week’s Micro Softy, use your abductive reasoning skills to explain what is going on here.
Solution to Micro Softy 52: Elon Musk parody asks, are you a genius?
Last week’s Micro Softy originated in a post on X from an Elon Musk parody account which claims “People with the right answer are certified genius!” Here’s the puzzle again:
If
1+4=5
2+5= 12
3+6 = 21
Then what is
8+11 = ?
The solution to the puzzle requires us to figure out the pattern. There are at least two possible solutions:
Solution #1
1+4 = 5 means 1+(1*4) = 5
2+5 = 12 means 2 +(2*5) = 12
3+6 = 21 means 3+(3*6) = 21
Therefore, in general, x+y means x+(x*y). So the missing number is
8+11 means 8+(8*11) = 96.
Solution #2
For the second solution, the first line is taken as given. We all know 1+4=5.
We know that 2+5=7. But adding the answer to the line above, we get 12. So 7+5=12.
For the next line, we know 3+6=9. But adding the answer to the line above, 12, we get 3+9=21.
So for the last line, we know that 8+11=19. Adding this to the answer to the line above, 21, gives 8+11=40. So the missing number is 40.
Conclusion
Is the solution to the problem 96? Or is it 40? The answer is — yes! Parody Elon’s puzzle has at least two solutions.
Here are the puzzles from the last two weeks:
Monday Micro Softy 52: Elon Musk parody asks: Are you a genius? The puzzle comes from a parody X account but it is a genuine stumper. Last week’s puzzle is easy to solve if we recall how many parents a child needs and of what type…
and
Monday Micro Softy 51: A tale of two auto mechanics I recognized the two mechanics when I went to the garage… To solve Microsofty 50, about cutting a loaf of cornbread into eight pieces by making three slices, try thinking in three dimensions.
The Monday Micro Softy is a weekly feature of GeekPlanet News. Here are the links to all the puzzles and answers to date:
Monday Micro Softy 50: Cutting through the cornbread. How did Yuri Senior cut the cornbread into eight identical portions using only three straight cuts? You can guess the answer to Microsofty 49 if you try the test question yourself at home, using a small mirror. Links to Microsofties 46 through 49 are here as well.
Monday Micro Softy 45: Can Tony beat the fast-food curfew? An early curfew on fast food service motivated a boy to exercise more vigorously. But how fast was he pedaling? To solve Micro Softy 44, recall that Tony doesn’t need to take the individual pills each day, only the prescribed amount of each. You will find links here to Micros Softies 41 through 44 as well.
Monday Micro Softy 40: The fate of a false prophet. He wasn’t actually fired for being a false prophet but for something that his prophecy unintentionally revealed. The solution to Micro Softy 39 lies in considering an alternative possible meaning of a word commonly used in sports. You will also find links to Micro Softies 30 through 39 and their answers here as well.
Monday Micro Softy 29: A funeral lament in four lines. The funeral director was puzzled by Dan’s description of his relationship to the deceased but there was no question that his grief was sincere Here, you will also find links to Microsofties 22 through 29.
Monday Micro Softy 21: Finding More of the Deadly Fentanyl Pills. Here, you will also find links to Microsofties 11 through 20 as well.
Monday Micro Softy 11: What Happened to That Other Dollar? Here you will find links to the first ten Micro Softies. Have fun!
