Gory Puzzler (Tanton: Mathematics) @DrJamesTanton

Uploaded March 2011 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago

Here is a classic, but gory, puzzler of life and death for gnomes. This video comes in three parts, the STATEMENT, a HINT, and the SOLUTION, so pause at the appropriate moments to dwell on the puzzle before I give it all away.

This puzzle appears in chapter 5 of the first volume of THINKING MATHEMATICS, and I also included it in "A Dozen Hat Problems" Math Horizons, April 2009, co-authored with Ezra Brown.

Enjoy!

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