April Mindbenders

The Dream

A doctor and a detective are having a discussion about their cases.

The doctor tells the detective the true story of a man who was watching a film on television with his wife.  It was a gangster film involving car chases and shooting.

The man, however, fell asleep, and in his dream he found himself taking part in the film he had been watching.  He was driving his car and being chased by villains.  He came to a level crossing, and decided to take a risk and crash through the barrier.  As he crossed the line, he caught sight of an express train roaring down upon him.

Meanwhile, on the television, the film ended, and the man’s wife switched off the set.  Noticing that her husband was asleep, she shook him by the shoulder.  It was just at that moment in his dream that the express train was about to hit him.  The shock was so great that the man collapsed and died instantly.

“I don’t believe that”, said the detective, “it’s absolute nonsense.”  What made him come to that conclusion?

Answer

Cutting the Cake

A regular hexagonal cake needs to be shared between twelve people.  How can it be cut so that everyone gets a piece of the same size and shape (not counting mirror images as the same)?

There are several ways of doing this.  How many can you find?

Answer

Coin Puzzle

Arrange nine coins in three rows of two, three and
four, tightly packed with a vertical line of symmetry.

Make these nine coins into a triangle in just 4 moves.

(A move means sliding a coin to touch at least two other coins.)

Answer

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