By Alex Bellos • June 8, 2026 • Science
This game is end to end!
Today’s offering is for fans of the number 4. It’s a cute puzzle that offers up its solution in an elegant way. Nose to tail There is a number N beginning with 4 such that moving the 4 to the end of it creates a new number that is a quarter of N. In other words N is of the form 4[…], where […] is a sequence of digits, and N ÷ 4 = […]4 What is the lowest possible value of N? HINT. Suppose that N has two digits. If you cant find a solution, suppose that N has three digits. Repeat until done. I’ll be back at 5pm UK with the solution. PLEASE NO SPOILERS. Instead discuss snouts. Source: Moscow Mathematical Olympiad 1983, via @mathematicsproblems and Kevin Gately I’ve been setting a puzzle here on alternate Mondays since 2015. I’m always on the look-out for great puzzles. If you would like to suggest one, email me.
Source: The Guardian
Science Daily
23 posts
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Richard Scolyer, acclaimed melanoma researcher who tried experimental treatment on his own brain cancer – obituaryPathologist and athlete who was Australian of the year in 2024 underwent a bold experimental treatment after devastating brain cancer diagnosis
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What is a blue micromoon and when is the best time to see it this weekend?A blue micromoon is a rare spectacle, though it’s not as blue or as micro as you might imagine
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Trial of multi-cancer blood test among 142,000 NHS patients fails to meet main aimResults presented at oncology conference in Chicago show Galleri test failed to reduce late-stage cancer diagnoses
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Cancer jab can eradicate entire tumours in patients, trial showsJab brought ‘unprecedentedly strong responses’ in patients whose disease had become resistant to chemotherapy and immunotherapy
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Excavations casting light on stone age lifeLetter: La Brea in Los Angeles is not the only urban, active ice age excavation site in world, writes Prof Martin K Jones
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Masturbation among birds is ‘natural’ and should not be punished, say expertsStudy finds activity is not harmful or caused by stress of captivity – and is in fact more common in wild birds
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Striped rock dismissed as natural in 1928 reclassified as UK’s oldest cave artScientific dating proves streaks on walls of Bacon Hole, near the Mumbles in south Wales, is Palaeolithic rock art
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Meteor over Massachusetts prompts reports of booms across US and CanadaPeople from Delaware to Montreal reported either hearing loud booms or seeing the fireball in the sky over weekend
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‘I was getting ready to say goodbye’: cancer patient’s hope after smart drug successPat Brogan preparing to walk his daughter down the aisle after trial of treatment designed to stop disease from hiding
