New Scientist - USA (2019-06-22)

52 | New Scientist | 22 June 2019

The back pages Puzzles

Cryptic crossword #09 Set by Sparticle Quick quiz #08 Puzzle set by Zoe Mensch

#08 Prisoners locked up

There are 40 prisoners in Hallaway

women’s prison, each in their own

numbered cell, and 40 prison officers.

All the cell doors are open and it is time to

lock up for the night. Unfortunately, the

prison officers have been drinking. Near

the cells, there is a bucket containing the

numbers 1 to 40 on pieces of paper.

Each prison officer in turn does the

following: Picks a number from the bucket

(and doesn’t put it back); turns the key in

the cell of the number on her paper and of

all cells that are multiples of that number;

then goes to bed.

Turning the key makes a locked cell

unlocked and an unlocked cell locked.

The first officer picks number 12, so she

turns the key (and locks) cells 12, 24 and

36. The next picks 8, and turns the key in
    8, 16, 24 (again), 32 and 40. The other
    officers follow in turn, each with a
    different number. After all 40 officers
    have done the rounds, the prison director,
    knowing her staff were drunk, now visits
    each cell and turns the key.
    Which prisoners are able to escape?
    Answer next week

#07 Amveriric’s boat

Solution

If Benolin Chestikov pulls the rope horizontally

by 1 metre, then the boat will not only reach

the wall but it will start scraping up the side

of the quay. This surprises most people.

Suppose the boat moves in by a distance x.

The taut rope of length L is shortened by

1 metre to become L-1. The two shorter

sides of the triangle must combine to be

longer than the longest side (that is how

triangles work). So x + L-1 > L, hence

x-1 > 0 and x > 1.

1 In quantum physics, which

rule named after a German

scientist is used to extract a

particle’s probable position

from its wave function?

2 Painting flies onto the

centre of urinals to direct

men where to pee is an

example of what vogue

theory used to influence

our behaviour?

3 Launched in 2009 and

operational until October

2018, which NASA mission

detected over 2600 planets

in other solar systems?

4 Oncogenes are genes

involved in promoting

cellular growth whose

malfunctioning can cause

what condition?

5 The bee hummingbird,

native to Cuba and the

nearby Isla de la Juventud,

holds what distinction?

Answers below

Quick

Crossword #33

Answers

Across 1 Grids, 4/13 Henrietta

Lacks, 9 Equinox, 10 Stealth,

11 Steel, 15 End, 16 Ego,

17 Power, 19 Shelf, 21 Kilos,

23 Ester, 24 Rho, 25 Wet,

26 Bolus, 28 Maths, 29

Spinach, 31 Magenta,

33 Energetic, 34 False

Down 1 Geek Speak, 2 In Utero,

3 Sun, 4 Hexyl, 5 NHS, 6 Ideas,

7 Toluene, 8 Aphid, 12 Lupus,

14 Carat, 18 Wheel, 19 Serum,

20 Fool’s Mate, 22 Lattice,

24 Retinol, 25 Waste, 26 Bragg,

27 Sumac, 30 Hot, 32 Gif

Quick quiz #08

Answers

The Born rule, after Max Born 1

“Nudge” theory 2

The Kepler space telescope 3

Cancer 4

allest They are the world’s sm 5

birds, averaging 5 to

etres in length6 centim





 



  



  



 



Across

1 Low blood sugar levels

compound myopia with

achy leg disorder (13)

8 First three referees drop

a familiar phrase (7)

9 Branch of mathematics

solving 10x = 99? (5)

10 Most epicarp is amazing (4)

11 Blood vessel from

bubbly – and not completely

corrupt – characters on the

extreme left (4,4)

13 Herb you should start

stocking in junk shop (6)

14 Alternately boycott a DVD

or book format (6)

17 Tries to get involved with

small ecological niche (8)

19 Make changes to

inappropriate diet (4)

21 Small marsupials have

a square perch (5)

22 Boy, sounds like what

we have is a sexist work

rate! (3,4)

23 Individual fool taken

into care by old standard

of health (4,4,5)

Answers and the next quick crossword next week.

Down

1 Arthropod holds off sign

of cancer with a lucky

charm (9,4)

2 Arctic birds breathe in

a little smoke (7)

3 Equipment in college

arboretum (4)

4 Baryon Derek discovered

over there (6)

5 Alkaline mixture swaps

potassium for carbon

bond (8)

6 Graduate publication

all over liquid rock (5)

7 Cheaper to X-ray flying

dinosaur (13)

12 Sign of hesitation after

gravity builds up a head

of steam (8)

15 What’s more, fashion

designer turned into

a robot (7)

16 Got started on 20 per

cent of musculoskeletal

test paper (6)

18 Overheard Voltaire

opining: “for starters,

I would like an egg” (5)

20 Opposed to killing

female mantis (4)

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