Puzzle Me Twice

70 Simple Puzzles (Almost) Everyone Gets Wrong

by Alex Bellos

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Part of Alex Bellos Puzzle Books

Pub Date Oct 15 2024 | Archive Date Oct 14 2024

The Experiment

Crafts & Hobbies | Entertainment & Pop Culture | Professional & Technical

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Description

From mathy mind-benders to eye-fooling illusions, here are 70 perplexing puzzles of every kind. But they all have one key thing in common—a wrong answer that seems so right! In Puzzle Me Twice, you’ll have to think—and think again—to overrule your first instinct and uncover the truth. For example:

If a hen and a half lays an egg and a half in a day and a half, how many eggs do half a dozen hens lay in half a dozen days?*

Bestselling author Alex Bellos wrangles math and physics, logic and wordplay, optical illusions, card games, and more to tie readers’ brains in pleasurable knots. It’s a merry tour of the many ways our reasoning can go wrong—and how we can be more fool-proof in the future. Puzzle on!

*Four times as many hens, over four times as many days, lay 16 times as many eggs: 1.5 × 16 = 24 eggs.

Available Editions

EDITION	Other Format
ISBN	9798893030280
PRICE	$16.95 (USD)
PAGES	224

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Additional Information

Average rating from 4 members

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Featured Reviews

Diane H, Reviewer

Puzzle Me Twice is a fun, and humbling, ride through your preconceptions!

Even though the author warns you that these puzzles are tricky and should be examined carefully, I got 90% of them wrong. And I thought the Mensa test was easy. I’m not a stupid person so why couldn’t I solve these seemingly simple puzzles? Because they are devilishly sneaky. They play on your quite human assumptions. Some I had right and talked myself into wrong answers. Some were just difficult. One I didn’t agree with the answer (the store thief). I’m a CPA and the store lost $130 that day, dang it! Strangely, I did best on the logic and math ones though I haven’t studied either in literally decades. The one thing all the puzzles did was give me a rollicking good time. Pick up Puzzle Me Twice and see for yourself. It is just pure fun to see how easily you can be fooled. 5 stars and a favorite!

Thanks to NetGalley and The Experiment for providing me with an advanced review copy.

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Megan G, Bookseller

I enjoyed these fun little puzzles. Feels like a good option for middle graders going on a trip and want something to do or to fool their parents.

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Alison W, Educator

Oh my word... my head is aching, but in a brilliant way, plus my forehead is sore from self-slapping it and eyes sore from so many 'silly me' eyerolls!!!

I loved it!!! I love puzzles. From Treasure Trails through to Escape Rooms and on-line puzzles. The challenging introduction by the author certainly got my competitive juices flowing.

First puzzle I fist pumped at getting right but that lead me into a false sense of security. My cockiness didn't last long.

Really enjoyed the puzzles throughout the book (I did get more correct) as well as learned to think things through and using more logic.

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to review.