Puzzles Editor Kabir Firaque is the author of the weekly column Problematics. A journalist for three decades, he also writes about science and mathematics.
Articles by Kabir Firaque
Problematics | A gambler’s unlucky number
Games of chance can be an endless source of puzzles. Here is a relatively simple one about a gambler for whom the number 37 appears to carry a jinx
Updated on Nov 16, 2023 06:30 PM IST
Problematics | A spider’s tale, with a nod to Pythagoras
Help a spider cross the street without spinning a web. She has two poles to navigate, with some elementary calculations.
Published on Nov 06, 2023 05:48 PM IST
Weird Science | A hop for a lander, a leap for ISRO, a giant stride in knowledge
Moon samples brought back by American and Soviet missions taught us about the solar system. Now India wants to contribute
Updated on Oct 31, 2023 02:08 PM IST
Problematics | Think of a number, add several more
Take any two numbers and keep adding them until you have 10 numbers. What is the quick way to determine the sum of all 10 numbers?
Published on Oct 30, 2023 01:48 PM IST
Problematics | Wordle deduction with Scrabble tiles
Try this game of deduction in which three persons know a letter each. What is the word that can be formed with these three letters?
Published on Oct 23, 2023 02:02 PM IST
Weird Science | Why claims of room-temperature superconductors are controversial
The hunt for a superconductive material at room temperature remains alluring and has given rise to many claims which have, however, been subsequently disproved
Updated on Oct 17, 2023 05:09 PM IST
Problematics | Five-way tie in race to World Cup semifinals
A reminder that 7 wins in 9 matches may not be enough to ensure a berth in the top four. Given this points table, can you work out which team won which game?
Published on Oct 16, 2023 04:13 PM IST
Problematics | Shades of cricket and the law of averages
Can you figure out the game of Inglorious Uncertaintus and create a smart World Cup table? Try this week’s cricket puzzles
Updated on Oct 09, 2023 03:01 PM IST
How the colourful world of quantum dots changed electronics and therapy
Alexei Ekimov, Louis Brus and Moungi Bawendi discovered and created nanoparticles called quantum dots, whose size dictates their properties
Updated on Oct 08, 2023 11:39 AM IST
Kabir Firaque, New Delhi
How 3 physicists froze time for a peek at electron dynamics
On their way to Nobel Prize, Pierre Agostini, Ferenc Krausz and Anne L’Huillier generated brief pulses of light, enabling the study of electrons in motion
Updated on Oct 04, 2023 06:38 AM IST
Nobel medicine prize: How two scientists modified mRNA for vaccine breakthrough
mRNA developed in the lab would trigger an inflammatory response once delivered. Katalin Karikó and Drew Weissman made alterations to overcome this problem.
Updated on Oct 03, 2023 04:41 AM IST
Kabir Firaque, New Delhi
Problematics | Carbon copies in the age of typewriters
The mystery of the typewriter is gone with the rise of smartphones and computers. However, carbon paper still has some use, such as in college projects.
Updated on Oct 02, 2023 05:21 PM IST
Prized Science | Understanding autoimmune disorders; computer’s solution-finding
Read about Dipyaman Ganguly’s study on autoimmune disorders, and Neeraj Kayal’s work on transforming a philosophical problem into a mathematical one
Updated on Sep 30, 2023 09:40 AM IST
Prized Science | Every drop counts, and making quality medicine
Read about Vimal Mishra’s attempt to quantify changes in water resources, and Akkattu T Biju’s work to improve the quality of pharmaceutical molecules
Published on Sep 29, 2023 10:12 AM IST
Exciting findings, new ideas in hunt for alien life
The exoplanet K2-18b’s atmosphere has signatures of carbon dioxide, methane and possibly dimethyl sulphide, which is not known to exist where life does not.
Updated on Sep 29, 2023 12:58 PM IST
Einstein was right: Antimatter falls under gravity
Experiments at CERN have now demonstrated that antimatter falls, validating yet another aspect of the general theory.
Updated on Sep 29, 2023 10:35 AM IST
Kabir Firaque, New Delhi
Prized Science | Exploring the leagues under the sea; Seeking the right equation
Read about Rajnish Kumar's study on extracting methane from hydrates and Apoorva Khare’s efforts to connect branches of mathematics, like algebra and analysis
Published on Sep 28, 2023 09:23 AM IST
Prized Science | Holy Grail of bacteria; Unmasking the mysterious dark matter
Read about Ashwani Kumar's research on biofilms in TB drug resistance, and Basudeb Dasgupta's research in the interface of astrophysics and particle physics
Updated on Sep 27, 2023 11:20 AM IST
Prized Science | On faster access to molecules, and quake-resistant buildings
Read about Debabrata Mati's methods leading to valuable molecules and Dipti Ranjan Sahoo's devices and designs to protect buildings hit by earthquakes
Published on Sep 26, 2023 09:41 AM IST
Problematics | Random walks with a point in common
A puzzle seemingly impossible to solve, but in fact deceptively simple. Can you solve it without using mathematics?
Published on Sep 25, 2023 05:07 PM IST
Prized Science | Decoding protein ‘interactions’, a hunt for elusive particles
Read about Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar awardees: Maddika Subba Reddy’s research on how proteins behave in cells and Anindya Das’ search for subatomic particles
Published on Sep 25, 2023 04:52 PM IST
Problematics | The rate of sending and cancelling an invitation
Are there enough equations to determine the variables? You may need to think out of the box to solve this puzzle, partly inspired by a 150-year-old classic.
Published on Sep 18, 2023 02:32 PM IST
Weird Science | The science of lightning
While the exact mechanism of how lightning is created is still a subject of research, one thing's for certain. It can get deadly
Updated on Sep 13, 2023 09:20 PM IST
Problematics | Board games with 3 dice and chess pieces
Here's party trick first described in 1612, played with dice. Based on how the spots ate configured on standard dice, can you figure out why the trick works?
Updated on Sep 11, 2023 12:45 PM IST
Going nuclear about Fukushima's waste
When it comes to radioactive material, can we ever be safe? Science gives a cautious nod, but Japan's detractors don't want a discharge into the Pacific ocean
Published on Sep 08, 2023 06:55 PM IST
Problematics | 400m contests away from the champions
Given the times when two runners meet and cross each other along a track, can you work out their respective speeds?
Published on Sep 04, 2023 01:10 PM IST
The Sun, and how it has fuelled humanity’s curiosity, knowledge
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is launching the Aditya-L1 mission to study the physics and chemistry around the Sun.
Updated on Sep 02, 2023 01:41 AM IST
Kabir Firaque, New Delhi
Problematics | Birthday celebrations with kings and queens
Which Kings and Queens face left, which face right? Which Jacks are seen in profile? One year since Problematics began, puzzles on the court cards and Wordle
Updated on Aug 28, 2023 12:15 PM IST
Weird Science | How the Moon has fascinated humanity
Vikram's landing on the Moon's south pole is just one of many firsts, as mysteries about the Moon's formation remain
Updated on Aug 24, 2023 10:07 AM IST
The work that made CR Rao a legend in statistics
CR Rao made his reputation at the age of 24 in 1945 when he wrote a seminal paper in the Bulletin of the Calcutta Mathematical Society
Updated on Aug 23, 2023 05:51 PM IST