Fiddler on the Proof

Fiddler on the Proof

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Some Coffee With Your Tea?
You pour some coffee into your tea, and then pour some of that back into your coffee. Is there more coffee in your tea or more tea in your coffee?
 • Zach Wissner-Gross
Happy (Almost) New Year from The Fiddler!
Can you solve two “magic” puzzles about the number 2026?
 • Zach Wissner-Gross
Can You Topple the Tower?
You’re building a block tower with an overhang. How long must this overhang be for the tower to come tumbling down?
 • Zach Wissner-Gross
Reasonable Rankings for College Football (2025)
I'm still fed up with subjectivity of college football's rankings. So I'm back with another year's edition of mathematically “reasonable” rankings.
 • Zach Wissner-Gross
Can You Fling the Fractal Darts?
A dartboard contains infinitely many circles arranged in a fractal pattern. Each circle’s point value is proportional to its area. What’s the highest…
 • Zach Wissner-Gross
Can You Take the Heat?
A spicy talk show is missing some of its hot sauces. Can you mix and match the sauces on hand to get all the varieties of heat you need?
 • Zach Wissner-Gross
A Loopy Holiday Gift Exchange
A class exchanges gifts by pulling names out of a hat. Following the trail of who buys a gift for whom, sometimes there’s one loop, other times multiple…
 • Zach Wissner-Gross
Can You Irrigate the Garden?
A hose connects two random points on the edge of your circular garden. On average, how far will your prized peach tree be from the hose?
 • Zach Wissner-Gross
The Randy Hall Problem
Pick one of three doors, and then swap to a neighboring door with a specific probability. If you do this many times, can this ultimately lead to a…
 • Zach Wissner-Gross
Fiddler on the Proof
Fiddler on the Proof
The place for mathematical puzzles and the puzzling community. Two new puzzles every Friday morning!
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