Puzzles Editor Kabir Firaque is the author of the weekly column Problematics. A journalist for three decades, he also writes about science and mathematics.
Articles by Kabir Firaque
Problematics | Board games with 3 dice and chess pieces
Here's party trick first described in 1612, played with dice. Based on how the spots ate configured on standard dice, can you figure out why the trick works?
Updated on Sep 11, 2023 12:45 PM IST
Going nuclear about Fukushima's waste
When it comes to radioactive material, can we ever be safe? Science gives a cautious nod, but Japan's detractors don't want a discharge into the Pacific ocean
Published on Sep 08, 2023 06:55 PM IST
Problematics | 400m contests away from the champions
Given the times when two runners meet and cross each other along a track, can you work out their respective speeds?
Published on Sep 04, 2023 01:10 PM IST
The Sun, and how it has fuelled humanity’s curiosity, knowledge
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is launching the Aditya-L1 mission to study the physics and chemistry around the Sun.
Updated on Sep 02, 2023 01:41 AM IST
Kabir Firaque, New Delhi
Problematics | Birthday celebrations with kings and queens
Which Kings and Queens face left, which face right? Which Jacks are seen in profile? One year since Problematics began, puzzles on the court cards and Wordle
Updated on Aug 28, 2023 12:15 PM IST
Weird Science | How the Moon has fascinated humanity
Vikram's landing on the Moon's south pole is just one of many firsts, as mysteries about the Moon's formation remain
Updated on Aug 24, 2023 10:07 AM IST
The work that made CR Rao a legend in statistics
CR Rao made his reputation at the age of 24 in 1945 when he wrote a seminal paper in the Bulletin of the Calcutta Mathematical Society
Updated on Aug 23, 2023 05:51 PM IST
Why new study on how mice talk holds significance for human speech
The study could have implications for investigating speech disorders in humans and could be used as a surrogate for human language in future studies of autism.
Updated on Aug 23, 2023 04:30 AM IST
Problematics | When MI fans met Barbenheimer
Who is watching Barbie, Oppenheimer or MI-7? Who's the Nolan fan and who likes Tom Cruise?
Updated on Aug 21, 2023 01:06 PM IST
Problematics | The weight of medals in a sporting event
Six identical medals are distinguishable by their colours, but three are heavier than the others. Can you determine which one is which with just two weighings?
Published on Aug 14, 2023 12:50 PM IST
‘Room-temperature superconductivity’ claim fails tests
Contrary to claims by Korean scientists, the material LK-99 does not show signatures of superconductivity at room temperature, CSIR-NPL study finds
Updated on Aug 09, 2023 04:41 AM IST
Kabir Firaque, New Delhi
Problematics | Meet Gabbar Singh, probability theorist
How likely are Gabbar Singh's men to survive his partly loaded revolver? A mathematical perspective
Published on Aug 07, 2023 12:42 PM IST
Weird Science | Wriggling worms and the state between life and death
Cryptobiosis, first observed in 1702, is when an organism can power down for a millennium, survive harsh conditions, and then come 'alive' at the right time
Published on Aug 04, 2023 08:59 PM IST
Problematics | What to wear to be allowed into a club
A club spells out who is allowed in; can you figure out who isn’t? There’s also a fun pun this week
Published on Jul 31, 2023 12:57 PM IST
Now I Get It: Why the Hat and Spectre have been making news
They can tile an indefinite plane without repeating a pattern. The search for such shapes began in the 1960s. Why does any of this matter? Find out.
Updated on Jul 29, 2023 03:49 PM IST
Problematics | When two people share the same birthday
How many people must you select at random before the probability of two or more common birthdays crosses 50%
Published on Jul 24, 2023 02:32 PM IST
Weird Science | It is indeed time to worry about the Upside Down
The ground beneath our feet is heating up and causing its own kind of climate change. But there’s a silver lining
Published on Jul 22, 2023 09:56 AM IST
J Robert Oppenheimer, and the science behind the nuclear bomb
J Robert Oppenheimer is known as the father of the atomic bomb. A science backgrounder on the making of the bomb
Updated on Jul 22, 2023 12:35 AM IST
Kabir Firaque, New Delhi
Problematics | Crossing the desert without enough fuel
A puzzle in which you make a long trip across forbidding terrain, but will need more supplies than you can possibly carry.
Published on Jul 17, 2023 12:07 AM IST
Much ado about green hydrogen
It's touted to be the next big source of energy. The Centre already has a mission in place, and a Union minister recently promoted the idea. An explainer
Updated on Jul 12, 2023 08:22 PM IST
Problematics | How to bring equality to two unequal piles
Another party trick with playing cards, and a set of movie anagrams. Which one do you find easier?
Published on Jul 10, 2023 01:14 PM IST
Weird Science | Why our fingers and toes wrinkle when wet
The reason why toes wrinkle is still not fully understood, but it may be related to walking on slippery surfaces like stones in rivers.
Published on Jul 06, 2023 08:33 PM IST
Problematics | The rate of eating a growing food course
The grass keeps growing on a field as cows keep eating it. How many cows can finish it all up in how many days?
Published on Jul 03, 2023 04:27 PM IST
Goodenough’s great contribution: The Li-ion battery
The 2019 Nobel prize winners, Goodenough, Whittingham, and Yoshino's breakthroughs powered the mobile electronics revolution and electric vehicle transition
Published on Jun 29, 2023 03:48 PM IST
Problematics | How to use candles as your timekeeper
The line between a textbook sum and a ‘puzzle’ is not always clear. Here’s an example that may straddle both words.
Updated on Jun 26, 2023 04:10 PM IST
Weird Science | The long and short of an elephant’s trunk
It’s one of the most versatile organs among all mammals exhibiting a rare combination of immense strength and dexterity and holds great inspiration for robotics
Published on Jun 23, 2023 11:18 AM IST
Problematics | Games of deduction before Wordle came
As in Wordle, you use test words to deduce a secret word. What's the hidden word in the example below?
Published on Jun 19, 2023 04:14 PM IST
Problematics | The who’s who of dogs and humans in the park
Who owns the pug and who owns the mastiff? How old is the dog whose owner is 86 years old? Try this Einstein puzzle
Published on Jun 12, 2023 02:16 PM IST
WEIRD SCIENCE: Yes, AI can read your mind (a little bit)
For one, it depends on how we train AI to associate a thought with the electrical activity that the thought generates. Two, your consent is everything
Published on Jun 06, 2023 08:07 PM IST
How the periodic table pushed scientific discovery
The periodic table is not just the story of discoveries aided by better technological innovations, it’s also the story of sheer genius
Updated on Jun 05, 2023 09:02 PM IST