mscroggs.co.uk
mscroggs.co.uk

subscribe

Puzzles

Not Roman numerals

The letters \(I\), \(V\) and \(X\) each represent a different digit from 1 to 9. If
$$VI\times X=VVV,$$
what are \(I\), \(V\) and \(X\)?

Show answer

24 December

1,0,2,0,1,1
The sequence of six numbers above has two properties:
  1. Each number is either 0, 1 or 2.
  2. Each pair of consecutive numbers adds to (strictly) less than 3.
Today's number is the number of sequences of six numbers with these two properties
Tags: numbers

22 December

In base 2, 1/24 is 0.0000101010101010101010101010...
In base 3, 1/24 is 0.0010101010101010101010101010...
In base 4, 1/24 is 0.0022222222222222222222222222...
In base 5, 1/24 is 0.0101010101010101010101010101...
In base 6, 1/24 is 0.013.
Therefore base 6 is the lowest base in which 1/24 has a finite number of digits.
Today's number is the smallest base in which 1/10890 has a finite number of digits.
Note: 1/24 always represents 1 divided by twenty-four (ie the 24 is written in decimal).

Show answer

21 December

Put the digits 1 to 9 (using each digit exactly once) in the boxes so that the sums are correct. The sums should be read left to right and top to bottom ignoring the usual order of operations. For example, 4+3×2 is 14, not 10. Today's number is the smallest number you can make using the digits in the red boxes.
+÷= 2
× + -
×-= 31
+ + -
-×= 42
=
37
=
13
=
-2

Show answer

Tags: numbers, grids

20 December

Today's number is the sum of all the numbers less than 40 that are not factors of 40.

17 December

For \(x\) and \(y\) between 1 and 9 (including 1 and 9), I write a number at the co-ordinate \((x,y)\): if \(x\lt y\), I write \(x\); if not, I write \(y\).
Today's number is the sum of the 81 numbers that I have written.

Show answer

Tags: numbers

16 December

Arrange the digits 1-9 in a 3×3 square so that the first row makes a triangle number, the second row's digits are all even, the third row's digits are all odd; the first column makes a square number, and the second column makes a cube number. The number in the third column is today's number.
triangle
all digits even
all digits odd
squarecubetoday's number

Show answer

Tags: numbers, grids

15 December

Today's number is smallest three digit palindrome whose digits are all non-zero, and that is not divisible by any of its digits.

Show answer

Archive

Show me a random puzzle
 Most recent collections 

Advent calendar 2025

Advent calendar 2024

Advent calendar 2023

Advent calendar 2022


List of all puzzles

Tags

cryptic clues lines folding tube maps pentagons chess division decahedra addition crosswords xor star numbers digital products sequences dates consecutive integers partitions symmetry coins floors even numbers range polynomials tournaments pascal's triangle spheres rugby area irreducible numbers logic perfect numbers matrices determinants surds quadratics dodecagons multiples quadrilaterals christmas people maths powers regular shapes digits perimeter graphs grids 2d shapes medians shapes 3d shapes probability planes axes lists dice shape money median binary doubling hexagons triangle numbers games proportion geometric means means factorials algebra sum to infinity geometry geometric mean routes triangles palindromes square roots complex numbers prime numbers consecutive numbers fractions angles neighbours factors square numbers volume time averages dominos polygons prime factors numbers speed parabolas unit fractions scales tiling remainders square grids arrows the only crossnumber indices albgebra cube numbers odd numbers percentages functions probabilty elections products digital clocks ellipses bases clocks cards sums advent wordplay sport squares combinatorics integration multiplication balancing rectangles ave colouring integers gerrymandering menace taxicab geometry chalkdust crossnumber coordinates multiplaction squares mean chocolate calculus trigonometry differentiation crossnumbers tangents expansions cryptic crossnumbers books number cubics circles sets

Archive

Show me a random puzzle
▼ show ▼
© Matthew Scroggs 2012–2026