Pradeep Mutalik

Puzzle Columnist

Latest Articles

Is Infinity Real?

June 16, 2016

Three puzzles test whether the concept of infinity has purchase in the physical world.

Solution: ‘A Random Place at the Table’

May 26, 2016

Try these shortcuts for solving problems that seem to require a lengthy calculation.

A Random Place at the Table

May 11, 2016

Can you find a shortcut for solving problems that seem to require a lengthy calculation?

Why Sleeping Beauty Is Lost in Time

March 31, 2016

The famous Sleeping Beauty problem has divided probability theorists, decision theorists and philosophers for over 15 years. Puzzle columnist Pradeep Mutalik claims to have discovered the source of confusion.

Solution: A Hat Trick + 1 of Hat Puzzles

March 23, 2016

For four game show variations of the hat puzzle, four clever ways to earn a better payoff than you might expect.

A Hat Trick of Hat Puzzles

March 9, 2016

In three new variations of a famous logic puzzle, what are the best strategies for guessing the color of the hat on your head?

Solution: ‘The Problem With Dancing Shapes’

February 24, 2016

Assigning elements from a large collection to one of two categories can yield almost “magical” predictions about highly complicated problems without actually solving them.

The Problem With Dancing Shapes

February 9, 2016

In a geometrically designed social club, how do dancing, triangles and hexagons mix?

Solution: ‘Sleeping Beauty’s Dilemma’

January 29, 2016

The solution to this month’s puzzle gets to the bottom of the famously ambiguous Sleeping Beauty probability problem.

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