Topic for July. 12 . ( Fri )

[Alex !]

As an academic discipline, logic is the study of reasoning. Logic puzzles, therefore, involve making a series of inferences and assessing them using reasoning. Easier logic puzzles for kids tend to have simpler setups—and therefore fewer possibilities to examine and eliminate.

Harder logic puzzles for adults, however, are often deceptively short. They seem simple at first, but the solver is often left wondering how there could really be enough information to figure them out.

These puzzles come in various forms and can have a nearly limitless number of different themes. But, at their core, logic puzzles present a series of clues and constraints. Solvers then must process each in turn to identify contradictions and eliminate possibilities until they arrive at the solution.

No matter the format, the key to solving any of these puzzles is to use a process of deduction. In harder logic puzzles for adults, it might not seem like there’s enough information at first. But by reading through the clues several times, you’ll have fewer and fewer possibilities to analyze with each pass.

Now that you know how to solve them, let’s try out a few. We’ll start you off with some easier ones (which are also great logic puzzles for kids) before we give you the tougher ones.

Abigail, Oliver, Rosa, and Blake all attend the same summer camp, where they can cook, kayak, rock climb, and zip-line. Each child has a different favorite activity.

• Abigail’s favorite activity isn’t rock climbing.
• Oliver is afraid of heights.
• Rosa can’t do her favorite activity without a harness.
• Blake likes to keep his feet on the ground at all times.

Can you figure out who likes what?

Answer: Abigail likes to zip-line, ­Oliver likes to kayak, Rosa likes to rock climb, and Blake likes to cook.

Here’s a great logic puzzle for kids:

Six neighborhood children (Leisha, Benito, Delia, Charlotte, Weldon, and Zina) were measured yesterday.

• Weldon is taller than Delia but shorter than Zina.
• Leisha is taller than Benito but shorter than Delia and Weldon.
• Benito is not the shortest.

Can you put them in order of height from tallest to shortest?

Answer: Zina, Weldon, Delia, Leisha, Benito, Charlotte.

A joint Father’s Day and graduation party is being thrown for Michael, Ken, James, Alberto, Elias, and Stephanie. Three of them are newly minted high school graduates. The other three are their dads.

• Stephanie went to the senior prom with Michael’s son.
• Elias and James played on the school’s baseball team. One of them is Alberto’s son.
• Michael and Elias are not related.

Can you match the high school graduates to their fathers at this joint celebration?

Answer: Alberto is Elias’ dad, Ken is Stephanie’s dad, and Michael is James’ dad.

A: This is salt.

B: This is salt.

C: This is sugar.

D: THE SALT IS NOT IN B.

A perfect logic puzzle for adults who have kids: Try to outsmart your mischievous teenager!

On April Fool’s Day, your teenaged son replaces the salt in three of your four salt shakers with sugar. But he also leaves messages on each.

If only one of these inscriptions is true, which shaker still contains salt?

Answer: Shaker C.