Juggling brain teasers to make you feel smart or drive you batty!

 By Al Stanger, Ann Arbor, Michigan

 

NUMBERS

1. Put away your five clubs and seven balls. It's time to work on some real numbers juggling. Study the addition below. Notice that it contains 10 different letters: A, B, C, E, L, M, N, R, S, U.

 

Each different letter represents a different digit. U, for example, must represent either 6 or 7 (depending on whether or not CLUBS+BALLS is greater than 100,000). What digit does U represent? What digit does each of the other letters represent?

 

II. If mathematical puzzles don't interest you, try this word puzzle: Unscramble the ten letters (A, B, C, E, L, M, N, R, S, U), to form a single ten-letter word.

 

SOUND ADVICE

 

Fill in the blanks with the words defined. Referring to the numbers found beneath each letter, rearrange the letters in 1 through 32 order. If your answer words were correct, the result will be a 32-letter phrase. This phrase should be of interest to all UA members.

A. Cadaverous:

B. A famous circus performer of yesteryear (two words):

C. Remarking:

D. Chinese idol:

E. Mountain range in Soviet Central Asia: 17 12 15 11 29

19 32 5 27 26 10 20 28 23 8 4 18 13

30

6 31 3 9 2 16

14 25 24 21

22 18 7 I

 

(Hint: Turn ashen. Old juggler. Says so. See "Asian.")

 

PLATES

I. The first part of this puzzle is similar tot he first part of number I above. This time the equation involves multiplication: I x JUGGLE = PLATES

 

Each different letter represents a different digit. Replace each letter with the digit it represents.

 

II. Remember Doublets, the word game invented by Lewis Carroll? JUGGLES becomes SICKLES by way of this word chain: JUGGLES, JIGGLES, JINGLES, TINGLES, TINKLES, TICKLES, SICKLES.

 

Can you form a word chain that transforms JUGGLE to PLATES? Only one letter may be changed at a time. Each letter change must result in a dictionary word.

 

HINTS!

 

NUMBERS

I. The letter L represents the digit 2.

II. The 10-letter word begins with a vowel and ends with a vowel.

 

SOUND ADVICE

The "hint" given after the definitions is misleading unless read properly. Even if you've solved the puzzle, you may be wondering what the hint means. Actually, its meaning is of no importance here. What is its significance?

 

PLATES

I. The letter I represents the digit 4.

II. Try incorporating the word "BURGEE" into your word chain. Using no other uncommon words, it is possible to change JUGGLE to PLATES in 19 steps.

 

(In case you're stymied, don't despair! Answers will appear in the next edition of JUGGLER'S WORLD!)

 

Now weighing in at ... or is that... ?

 

Here's a little-known bit of trivia mailed in by Todd Strong of Seattle, Washington, which should be useful to jugglers somehow:

 

"The pull of gravity differs from place to place around the United States. This makes you weigh more in some places and less in others. Where do you weigh most, and where do you weigh least?

 

Answer - most in Minot, North Dakota and least in Key West, Florida.