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Math at the MIT Mystery Hunt 2010

17th March 2010, 09:30 am

Joseph DeVincentis heard my prayers and created an index for MIT mystery hunt puzzles. He created it not because I requested it, but rather because he was on the writing team this year and they needed it. Anyway, finally there is an index.

I have to warn you, though, that this index was created for people who have already solved the puzzles, so the index contains hints for many of the problems and, on rare occasions, solutions.

Now I will do the math index for this year, and I promise that I will avoid big hints.

Fun with Numbers — I got a very warm feeling from this puzzle. Some questions were right from my Number Gossip page and I knew some answers by heart.
Planar Complex — A puzzle with complex numbers.
Seeking Syren Scotchy — An advanced non-rectangular Nurikabe variation with colors and knight’s moves.
Side by Side by Side — A massive logic puzzle.
Counter Culture — So as not to reveal much info, I will just say that some math is involved in solving this puzzle.
Expeditions — A logic puzzle that requires extra knowledge.
Lighten Up — A Light-Up variation.
Directions — I shouldn’t say.
Message From Above — A math puzzle at the second stage.
The Prodigious Riddle of Juno — A logic puzzle with a lot of if-then clauses.
Bulls and Cows — Not surprisingly, a variation on Bulls and Cows
Building a Mystery — Create a polyhedron.
Trance State — Logic gates.
Sequencer — Mirrors.
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea — A Battleship puzzle at the second stage.