Book of Medieval Puzzles

by Tim Dedopulos

Murdoch Books

There is something precious that you own. You take it everywhere. It weighs nothing but can carry weight. You can share it with someone you haven’t met or even give it to someone you dislike. Others may make more use of it than you do. What is it? (answer: your name)

I remember as a child, solving the ‘spot the difference’ puzzles and trying to work out riddles. I’m not sure if they had ‘spot the difference’ puzzles in the Middle Ages, but it was certainly a time of exploring logic and utilising mathematical reasoning. Tim Dedopulos has put together “a fine and perplexing collection of conundrums, riddles and enigmas” including ‘spot the difference’ puzzles for big people. Using large amount of artistic licence to adapt the puzzles to fit the Medieval theme, he has compiled a collection of games that challenge the mind. Starting off with simple tests of wisdom and insight, the book progresses to more complex puzzles. Finally there is a tricky section to test logic, mathematical reasoning and wit. Fortunately the answers are amply explained in the back section of the book. This book is an ideal Xmas present to keep mathematically-inclined relatives or friends occupied for hours.

A gardener bought nine rose bushes to commemorate the nine years he had been married. He also wanted to celebrate the eight children they had together, so he came up with a clever idea. How would you plant the nine rose bushes so that you end up with eight rows of roses, each row having exactly three bushes in it?

Lezly Herbert

 
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