Puzzle enthusiasts, assemble! Today's brain teasers come from none other than the UK's most esteemed maths writer, Ian Stewart. Can you solve them? Are you cut out for these puzzling slices?
First up is a geometric puzzle that will put your spatial reasoning skills to the test. You're given a square grid with three missing corner cells and a tile made of three cells in a line. The challenge is to cover the entire grid with 11 of these tiles, but can you do so without any leftovers? Stewart's puzzle may seem straightforward, but it requires careful consideration of how the tiles fit together.
Next, we have an assembly puzzle that's sure to test your problem-solving skills. You're presented with a shape that can be cut into four identical pieces along the black lines, and then rearranged to form a new square shape. But can you find another way to cut the original shape without any leftovers? It's a clever challenge that requires some lateral thinking.
Finally, we have a pizza party puzzle that's all about fairness and division. Five people are to be divided three different types of slices: 3/5, 2/5, and 1/5. How can you divide the pizzas so each person gets exactly the same amount? It may seem simple, but it's actually a bit more complicated than it looks.
The answers will have to wait until 5 pm UK time, but we want to hear from you first! Share your solutions or come up with your own puzzles inspired by Stewart's book, "Reaching for the Extreme." And if you're interested in the book itself, pre-order it now at the Guardian Bookshop – it's out on February 12.
First up is a geometric puzzle that will put your spatial reasoning skills to the test. You're given a square grid with three missing corner cells and a tile made of three cells in a line. The challenge is to cover the entire grid with 11 of these tiles, but can you do so without any leftovers? Stewart's puzzle may seem straightforward, but it requires careful consideration of how the tiles fit together.
Next, we have an assembly puzzle that's sure to test your problem-solving skills. You're presented with a shape that can be cut into four identical pieces along the black lines, and then rearranged to form a new square shape. But can you find another way to cut the original shape without any leftovers? It's a clever challenge that requires some lateral thinking.
Finally, we have a pizza party puzzle that's all about fairness and division. Five people are to be divided three different types of slices: 3/5, 2/5, and 1/5. How can you divide the pizzas so each person gets exactly the same amount? It may seem simple, but it's actually a bit more complicated than it looks.
The answers will have to wait until 5 pm UK time, but we want to hear from you first! Share your solutions or come up with your own puzzles inspired by Stewart's book, "Reaching for the Extreme." And if you're interested in the book itself, pre-order it now at the Guardian Bookshop – it's out on February 12.
[Image of a brain with a lightbulb moment]
geometric puzzle is like... basic math but also not lol 
3 tiles 1 grid = brain teaser, right? 
cut it up rearrange... wait no that's just re-arranging... where's the challenge at? 
fairness and division... kinda like when u have to decide who gets the last slice of pizza 
3/5 2/5 1/5 = same diff, rite? 
. I mean, spatial reasoning is one thing, but making sure they fit together perfectly without any gaps? That sounds like a real head-scratcher! 
but yeah the pizza party one is a toughie 
. Like, come on, who can't figure out how to cut a shape into four pieces or divide pizzas fairly? It's not exactly rocket science... or is it? 
Maybe the real challenge is coming up with problems that are actually hard to solve. That'd be way more interesting!
And the assembly puzzle sounds like a total brain-twister - I need to try that one out ASAP! 
. and omg, stewart's book is out in february?! i need to pre-order it ASAP 
️ Anyone else feeling confident about solving them?
I love a good brain teaser! Sounds like Ian Stewart has some tough puzzles for us 
Everyone's always trying to solve some new brain teaser or puzzle, and honestly, it feels like we've seen the same ones popping up on social media for ages. 
. but what really gets me excited is the pizza party puzzle – it's like math, fairness, and equality all in one slice 
. bring on the solutions and share your own puzzles, can't wait to see what everyone comes up with! 
But you know what? It's okay to ask for help or try again – that's how we learn and get better at problem-solving! 
And if all else fails, we can just enjoy the journey and have fun trying 
. Can't they just cut to the chase already? Like, what's wrong with saying "Solve Ian Stewart's geometric puzzle" instead of "Puzzle enthusiasts, assemble!"? And another thing, "puzzling slices" is a bit of a stretch, don't you think? 
. like, how hard can it be to fit 11 tiles in a grid without any leftovers? 
its not like its rocket science or anything...