Introducing the Hyde Park Math Zine
Today’s puzzles are sourced from the Hyde Park Math Zine, a charming publication created with pen on a single folded sheet of paper. It has a limited print run of just 30 copies and is distributed within the Hyde Park neighborhood of Austin, Texas.
Fanzine culture is well established in areas such as sports and music. Kevin Gately, a math educator, believed this format could also be effective for puzzles.
“It dawned on me that there might be people in my community who find the novelty of a hyper-local math zine to be amusing and/or curious,”he explained. Evidently, this idea has found an audience.
Each issue of the Hyde Park Math Zine (HPMZ) features three problems accompanied by straightforward answers, along with distinctive cover artwork.
About the Puzzles and Their Origins
Gately’s puzzles are primarily adapted from other sources with modifications. Below are four puzzles that particularly caught my attention.
The Puzzles
1. Each region in a figure has a perimeter indicated by the number enclosed within it. The question is: what is the length along the edge of the entire figure?
2. Arrange the digits 1 through 8 in the circles so that no digit is adjacent to a digit differing by 1. For example, 3 cannot be linked to 2 or 4.
3. Assuming all corners are right angles, what is the perimeter of the given shape?
4. Steffi and Boris are playing tennis and the current game score is deuce. If Steffi has a 0.6 probability of winning any point and Boris has a 0.4 probability, what is the overall probability that Steffi will win the game?
Additional Information and Invitation
I will return at 5pm UK time with the solutions to these puzzles.
PLEASE NO SPOILERS. I invite you to share your favourite fanzines.
Since 2015, I have been posting a puzzle here every alternate Monday and am always seeking excellent puzzles. If you would like to suggest one, please email me.
