The Slip Decision Dilemma

Alright, a mathematical puzzler—don’t panic, no calculators required.

Three different numbers are written on three slips of paper and placed face down on a table.

Your goal? Pick the slip with the largest number.

Here’s how it works:

You flip over one slip and look at it.

If you think it’s the biggest, you keep it.

If not, you toss it—no take-backs.

Then you flip a second slip.

Same deal: keep it or toss it.

If you toss that one too… you’re stuck with the third.

Now, someone says: “Hey, your chances are 1 in 3. That’s it.”

But another guy says, “Not so fast—I can do better than 1 in 3.”

Who’s right? Is there actually a strategy that improves your odds?

Answer the Puzzler »

Remember last week's puzzler?

Seven Gates of Mango Math

Puzzler time.

This one is a little tropical, a little mathematical, and just annoying enough to be worthy of us.

A man comes to a gate with a pile of mangoes. A guard says:

“Leave me half your mangoes, and I’ll give you one back.”

So if the man has 10 mangoes, he gives away 5, gets 1 back, and walks on with 6.

Then he meets another guard, who makes the same deal. And then another. And another. Seven gates in all.

The question is: how many mangoes did he need at the start to get through all seven gates?

Remember: he cannot cut a mango in half.