Let's Fire Up Those Neurons!

Discussion in 'Education & Personal Growth' started by Gauri03, Jul 23, 2014.

  1. Gauri03

    Gauri03 Moderator Staff Member IL Hall of Fame

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    Primer contd - part 2

    Type I: Picture with a textual clue

    Pierre De Fermat puzzle


    Approach 1 -

    - Start with the image -->
    - Image search for 'statue+ chair+ writing' --> returns too many results
    - Search for 'vindicated 300 years later' --> Leads to a Roderick O'Flaherty, but the statue image does not appear in a search
    - Searched for 'proved 300 years later' --> First 3 hits reference Andrew Wiles
    who proved Fermat's theorem
    - Search for statues of Fermat --> Confirms the answer

    Approach 2 -

    - Start with key words from the text clues -->
    - Search for proposition+conjecture+300 years --> The first answer is a NOVA link to Fermat's theorem and Andrew Wiles. In fact the first page returns 4 links with the answer!

    Here's my explanation of the clues.
     
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  2. Gauri03

    Gauri03 Moderator Staff Member IL Hall of Fame

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    Primer contd - part 3

    Type II: Picture puzzle sans text

    The Silk Road puzzle

    Approach -

    Image 1: I got stuck with yellow or gold as my search term and got nowhere. But Deeps clarified it in later posts. The answer is silk from the silk sarees.
    Image 2: Common factor between the images. Movies are easily identifiable. Everyone knows Kill Bill. Even if you haven't heard of Hachi, trawling through Richard Gere's IMDB list will get you there eventually. Common factor between the movies -- the far east. Also the actors are both heavily influenced by eastern cultures. They are both Buddhists.
    Image 3: The third image is pretty easy to guess --> Common link is Khan.
    Image 4: The last image is tough if you don't know which movie it's from but a search for "black and white movie+chess" --> The first result is The Seventh Seal. An image search confirms the answer. Further investigation reveals the game of "chess" to be a significant plot point in the movie.


    A search for Khan+Chess+Silk --> The first page has at least 4 references to the "silk road".

    Silk was the clinching key word here. It would have been tough to find the answer without it.

    Deeps' explanation of the clues
     
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  3. Gauri03

    Gauri03 Moderator Staff Member IL Hall of Fame

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    Primer contd - part 4

    Aria's Monk puzzle

    At first glance the images are easily identifiable.

    Image 1: Double entry book-keeping
    Image 2: DNA double-helix
    Image 3: Pretzel
    Image 4: Kung Fu Panda

    For this puzzle the common link wasn't a clever Google search away. I solved this one by actually reading the Wikipedia entries for each of these clues. The invention of book-keeping and pretzels by monks was the first connection I made. Then it was simply a case of corroborating the idea by crosschecking the origins of DNA and Kung Fu. Kung Fu checks out right away. DNA doesn't but modifying the keyword to "genetics" leads us to Gregor Mendel, an Austrian monk, and there we have our common link.

    Aria's answer
     
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  4. Gauri03

    Gauri03 Moderator Staff Member IL Hall of Fame

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    Primer contd - part 5

    To summarize:

    1. Start your web search with key words from the text clues or unique aspects of the image clues.
    2. Try different permutations of the search term. Often the answer is just one keyword away.
    2. Read the Wikipedia, IMDB entries for clues that corroborate the information provided.
    3. If you are really stuck just ask for clues. This is not a test and there are no prizes. The fun is in the chase.

    :2thumbsup:
     
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  5. justanothergirl

    justanothergirl IL Hall of Fame

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    Effect of Rel forum eh Soka...its not paatti until every search result comes with
    suda suda kaapi + murukku
     
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  6. justanothergirl

    justanothergirl IL Hall of Fame

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    Some suggestions -
    Space
    Famous paintings..it would be quite a challenge to make an image puzzle for this one :)
    Oh the possibilities..I think we newbies are all warmed up and ready for the next one..who goes next? IF its ok with everyone ..I can post the answer in a bit..!What is the time line 24 hrs?
     
  7. sokanasanah

    sokanasanah IL Hall of Fame

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    I generally tend to vary timeline with level of interest - this includes interest in the puzzle as reflected in participation or benign neglect as in people are too busy that day. If thread / puzzle is active, then I tend to string it out a bit with additional clues.
     
  8. Gauri03

    Gauri03 Moderator Staff Member IL Hall of Fame

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    I think this one's solved right? Once a majority have taken a stab at it, it's okay to post the answer.
     
  9. sokanasanah

    sokanasanah IL Hall of Fame

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    Some additional unwritten, British constitution style 'rules' I made up - they are almost infinitely malleable of course:

    The most entertaining part of the thread is the back & forth and the chat that accompanies the answer or the path to a solution.

    Make the form of the puzzle interesting or the answer.

    Of the puzzles I have made up, my favorite one is this, set in the form of a verse in Italian. I was tickled that I got it to rhyme. The scansion is not too shabby either. It was designed to be solvable even if you have no Italian (I don't) - and lo and behold @Gauri03 solved it within 24 hours! Here the answer is almost irrelevant. It is the form that matters.

    In this puzzle by @Gauri03, the answer leads you to an interesting novel and film, one that you may not have read. The form is 'straightforward', but the answer is interesting. A sort of a little reward for the effort.

    We have chatted about kingly skeletons found in parking lots, ancient mammals in desert seas, Spanish writers, message to ET from earth - you name it!

    Just share something that gets you excited in the form of a puzzle - designed in a way that does not rely on any familiarity with the subject. You will automatically generate interest and lively discussion!

    :cheers
     
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  10. sokanasanah

    sokanasanah IL Hall of Fame

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    Duplicate deleted **********!
     

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