16 April 2022 | New Scientist | 53The back pages Puzzles
Quick quiz #147
1 Sunflowers and dahlias belong
to which plant family?2 The increase in wavelength of X-rays
or gamma rays that occurs when they
are scattered is known as what?3 Which geological epoch began
approximately 11,700 years ago?4 Eridu and Larak were city states
in which ancient civilisation?5 Pioneer 10 was the first spacecraft
to visit which planet?Answers on page 55Puzzle
set by Katie Steckles
#163 Down for the countIn the TV number quiz show Down for
the Count, four contestants are challenged
to combine each of five number cards
exactly once to achieve a target number.
They are allowed to use standard
arithmetical operations +, −, × and ÷
(as well as brackets, if required).“I’ll take five cards from the top row,”
requested one of the contestants, and
the presenter Anne-Marie obligingly
revealed these five numbers:10; 100; 1000; 10,000; 100,000.The studio computer then generated
today’s challenge: “Produce a whole
number without any zeroes.”No zeroes? Wow. Each of the four
contestants thought hard, and after
the timer ran out, each announced that
they had used the five cards to produce
a positive number smaller than 10.
All four were different.Which numbers did they get, and how?Solutions next weekCryptic crossword #81 Set by Wingding
Scribble
zoneAnswers and
the next quick
crossword
next weekACROSS
7 Blunder after clinical study with unguided
method of problem-solving (5,3,5)
8 Tails indicate Fitzgerald, perhaps (8)
9 Painter drops an Amazonian monkey (4)
10 Herbivore faeces contains two vitamins (7)
12 After 1000 years, cattle show craft (5)
14 Capable leader of academic division (5)
16 Recipe addressed to returning graduate (7)
19 A little emulsion revolutionised
basic housing (4)
20 Turn away space invader with
automated test equipment (8)
22 Decoy beginning to sway
Mr Ed or Bojack? (8,5)DOWN
1 Sedentary animal expelling
carbon via mouth (4)
2 Technical term for gas under
Japanese peak (6)
3 Mathematician’s home south of US city (7)
4 Antelope put in area with cross (5)
5 Shrub expert on the drink (6)
6 Cloudy streak of fresh cilantro (8)
11 Rise and fall of hoofed animal
that has died for good (8)
13 Golf AI developed electronic leaves (7)
15 Spot politician in big house (6)
17 Male sports administrators
cultivated plant (6)
18 I run after water supply
for jungle dweller (5)
21 Augustus keeps extracted tooth (4)Our crosswords are now solvable online
newscientist.com/crosswords