Problematics | In the name of Einstein, match the following - Hindustan Times
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Problematics | In the name of Einstein, match the following

Mar 06, 2023 03:54 PM IST

Creating a full-length Einstein puzzle, I found, can be an exhausting but ultimately rewarding exercise. Here you go.

The widely circulated ‘Zebra Puzzle’, whose answer is available on the Internet, is said to have been created by Albert Einstein. Whether that is the truth or a legend, Einstein’s name has come to be associated with all puzzles of this family.

Welcome to Problematics! (Shutterstock) PREMIUM
Welcome to Problematics! (Shutterstock)

You have solved smaller versions of ‘Einstein puzzles’ here, such as ‘Spot the Cheetahs at the Round Table’ (#Puzzle 5.1, September 26, 2022). Creating a full-length Einstein puzzle, I found, can be exhausting but an ultimately rewarding exercise. Here you go.

#Puzzle 28.1.
#Puzzle 28.1.

In a T20 league, Sherlock, Tarzan, Uncle Tom, Valjean and Dr Watson join Looper Rings, Loyal Rangers, Vegan Burgers, White Gliders and Wings XI, not necessarily in that order.

They come from five different countries and are of different ages: 21, 32, 43, 54, 65 (no age-shaming, please). One of them is a wicketkeeper and the rest are bowlers.

We meet them sitting next to each other in a row. Each is wearing a different item of clothing from among the following: a yellow cap, a brown suit, a red tie, a blue denim jacket, and a green shirt.

In a T20 league, Sherlock, Tarzan, Uncle Tom, Valjean and Dr Watson join Looper Rings, Loyal Rangers, Vegan Burgers, White Gliders and Wings XI, not necessarily in that order. 

They come from five different countries and are of different ages: 21, 32, 43, 54, 65 (no age-shaming, please). One of them is a wicketkeeper and the rest are bowlers.  

We meet them sitting next to each other in a row. Each is wearing a different item of clothing from among the following: a yellow cap, a brown suit, a red tie, a blue denim jacket, and a green shirt. 

1. Valjean sits in the middle, two cricketers each to his left and right 

2. The one in the yellow cap sits on the far left 

3. Sherlock sits next to the Wings XI recruit 

4. The leg-spinner sits to the right of the player in the red tie 

5. The cricketer from Denmark joins Vegan Burgers 

6. The medium-pacer is 43 

7. Valjean is a leg-spinner  

8. The Argentinian sits on the far right 

9. Uncle Tom is in a green shirt 

10. The 32-year-old is the wicketkeeper  

11. The Man in the Brown Suit joins Vegan Burgers 

12. The Cameroonian is 65 

13. The off-spinner sits second from right 

14. Valjean and Watson sit next to each other 

15. Tarzan sits next to the 21-year-old 

16. The 21-year-old sits next to the man in the red tie 

17. The Brazilian joins Wings XI 

18. Tarzan is 32 years old 

19. The Ecuadorian joins White Gliders 

20. The superfast bowler joins Looper Rings  

21. The Loyal Rangers recruit sits next to the superfast bowler, but… 

22. The man in the blue denim jacket DOES NOT sit next to the 43-year-old .

Who is who, who does what, who sits where, etc? A table format would be nice. 

#Puzzle 28.2:  
DR (MRS) BONNIE REMAINS AT THE BALL
This is a composite anagram of the capitals of four countries that played the 2022 FIFA World Cup. One capital city’s name is 9 letters long, and the rest are 6 letters each. You should find this easy.
Mailbox: Last week’s solvers:
Puzzle #27.1

Hi Kabir, 

When Couple A offers 5kg mixed fruit for 525, the ratio of apples to oranges is 3:2. But when they sell apples to oranges in a 1:1 ratio (30kg each), they make more money as there are fewer apples than oranges, and apples are more expensive. The mixed fruit should have been sold at 510.42 for 5kg, hence the 175 difference on 60kg. 

Similarly, when Couple B offers 5 kg mixed fruit for 350, the ratio of apples to oranges is 2:3. But when they sell in a 1:1 ratio (30kg each), they make less money as there are more apples sold and these are more expensive than oranges. The mixed fruit should have been sold at 364.58 for 5 kg, hence the 175 difference on 60 kg. 

Rahul Agarwal, Bay Area, California 

Solved #Puzzle 27.1: Rahul Agarwal (Bay Area, California), Ipsa & Anuj Singh (Vaishali), Arsh Gupta (Gurgaon), Ajay Jain, Sunita Gupta, Kewal Jahariya (Bhiwandi, Thane), Ritu M Save (Mumbai), Vikas Vij, Dr Nakul Makkar (Noida), Himanshu Jain (Gurgaon), Samarth Dewan (Panchkula), Dr Gurbachan Arora (Delhi), Renu Mehra, Y K Munjal (Delhi), Tejpal Singh, Sunita and Naresh Dhillon (Gurgaon), Amar Lal Miglani (Mohali), Amardeep Singh (Meerut), Mudit Singhal (Mumbai), Vivek Jain (Baroda), Rajender Parsad Agarwal (Delhi), Sarang Sule (Mumbai), Shishir Gupta (Indore), Jasvinder Singh (Nabha), Deviprakash Seksaria (Navi Mumbai), Jaikumar Inder (Bhatia Ulhasnagar, Thane), Rajesh Bansal (Noida), Mayobhav Pathak (Gurgaon), Harshit Arora (Delhi)  
For want of space in the print version, I am withholding the solution to #Puzzle 27.2 until next week.

Problematics will be back next week. Please send in your replies by Friday noon to problematics@hindustantimes.com

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  • ABOUT THE AUTHOR
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    Puzzles Editor Kabir Firaque is the author of the weekly column Problematics. A journalist for three decades, he also writes about science and mathematics.

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