Twenty years ago, this puzzle appeared on a test administered to top-tier math students from 16 countries around the world. Only 10% of test takers got it right. In the U.S., only 4% managed to ...

I’ve been out of school for decades, and I don’t spend my days solving equations (I’m more of a word person). Still, I like to think I have a solid grip on basic math: I can usually gauge whether a ...

Brain teasers are one of the best puzzles to test the sharpness of the brain. Readers must think creatively to solve brain teasers. Brain teasers present these challenges as picture puzzles, math ...

Imagine someone handing you a scrap of net from a basketball hoop, with knotted red cord attached to the netting, and telling you this bit of string is a clue in a puzzle. How quickly — if ever — ...

Sayonara, Sudoku. For a better-rounded puzzle that includes not just logic, but math, too, try KenKen. It's probably even good for you. Stephen Shankland worked at CNET from 1998 to 2024 and wrote ...