I love mathematical puzzles. I still remember the first one I ever heard. It was the nine weights puzzle, where you have to find the heavy weight by using a balance scale only two times. I was in forth grade. I remember thinking how clever it was; how simple; how elegant. I can't be sure, but I suspect that puzzle got me on my way to being a mathematician.
Students like these puzzles too. I usually try to give a few of them as extra credit over the course of a semester. What I need though, are some really good ones. I need puzzles that are not only clever, but also remind students about the mathematics we study in class. To keep track of such puzzles, I've started the Math Puzzle Wiki. I would love to find more puzzles, so if anyone has some good leads, please send them along, or add them to the wiki. And of course, feel free to use any of the puzzles you find there.
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