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Spock's Logic Puzzles: More Than 100 Riddles, Conundrums and Observations from Across the Galaxy
Think you’re as logical as Mr. Spock? Solve these challenging conundrums and prove it!
Mr. Spock is famed throughout the galaxy for his mental prowess and ability to think clearly and unemotionally. Now you can pit yourself against his “highly logical” way of reasoning with this officially licensed puzzle book. The half-human, half-Vulcan has come up with a range of fascinating and highly challenging conundrums that gives solvers a unique opportunity to “mind-meld” with the renowned character!
Mr. Spock is famed throughout the galaxy for his mental prowess and ability to think clearly and unemotionally. Now you can pit yourself against his “highly logical” way of reasoning with this officially licensed puzzle book. The half-human, half-Vulcan has come up with a range of fascinating and highly challenging conundrums that gives solvers a unique opportunity to “mind-meld” with the renowned character!
- GenresStar TrekScience Fiction
224 pages, Hardcover
Published February 7, 2017
About the author
Tim Dedopulos
197 books39 followersTim Dedopulos, a British writer, editor, publisher and game designer with nearly 100 works to his name in areas ranging from horror and sff, through music and art, to games, puzzles and jokes.
Tim lives in Spain with his wife and the ghost of his murdered bromeliad, grimly acclimatising to his new-found and unwelcome mid-40s. A shameless INFJ, he usually tries to avoid thinking in the third person.
Tim lives in Spain with his wife and the ghost of his murdered bromeliad, grimly acclimatising to his new-found and unwelcome mid-40s. A shameless INFJ, he usually tries to avoid thinking in the third person.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
March 3, 2021
As you might expect, the Star Trek connection is completely spurious. Spock's reminiscences have no connection with the puzzles. Nevertheless, some of the puzzles are pretty good. There are some "mystery door" puzzles very similar to those devised by Raymond Smullyan, and in some cases these are actually superior to his. And then there is this one, of which I have never seen the like:
There is a predator and its prey. The prey is hiding in one of five spots, which are arranged in a straight line. Each spot is connected to those adjacent by safe passages. The predator is able to check one possible hiding spot at a time, after which the prey quickly moves to another spot. Call this exchange a "turn".
Assuming the prey must move each turn, that they is no quick connection from first spot to last and that the predator is acting rationally, how quickly can the predator be certain of catching the prey?
Believe it or not, there is a solution, and furthermore there is a solution for any finite number of spots.
The other Spock puzzle that got my attention was also a "blind search". I think I have seen this in one of Martin Gardner's books.
Obtain four tumblers and a tray. Have an assistance blindfold you, and then place the tumblers on the tray at the corners of a square so that some are upright and some are upside down. the challenge is to put all the tumblers in the same orientation. This is accomplished through turns.
During a turn, you are allowed to feel and, if you so desire, reverse the orientation of up to two tumblers. If that leaves all four tumblers in the same orientation, you will be informed that you have won. If not, the assistant will rotate the tray either 90, 180, 270 or 360 degrees, jostling it so that you are unable to tell how far it has been turned.
How can you be certain of winning within five turns?
At first glance this is completely baffling. Which tumblers you touch seems to be completely random. The second glance is even worse: you realise that no matter what you do, there might (by chance) be one tumbler that you never get to touch. You just cannot be sure of touching them all. But persist. There is a solution.
There is a predator and its prey. The prey is hiding in one of five spots, which are arranged in a straight line. Each spot is connected to those adjacent by safe passages. The predator is able to check one possible hiding spot at a time, after which the prey quickly moves to another spot. Call this exchange a "turn".
Assuming the prey must move each turn, that they is no quick connection from first spot to last and that the predator is acting rationally, how quickly can the predator be certain of catching the prey?
Believe it or not, there is a solution, and furthermore there is a solution for any finite number of spots.
The other Spock puzzle that got my attention was also a "blind search". I think I have seen this in one of Martin Gardner's books.
Obtain four tumblers and a tray. Have an assistance blindfold you, and then place the tumblers on the tray at the corners of a square so that some are upright and some are upside down. the challenge is to put all the tumblers in the same orientation. This is accomplished through turns.
During a turn, you are allowed to feel and, if you so desire, reverse the orientation of up to two tumblers. If that leaves all four tumblers in the same orientation, you will be informed that you have won. If not, the assistant will rotate the tray either 90, 180, 270 or 360 degrees, jostling it so that you are unable to tell how far it has been turned.
How can you be certain of winning within five turns?
At first glance this is completely baffling. Which tumblers you touch seems to be completely random. The second glance is even worse: you realise that no matter what you do, there might (by chance) be one tumbler that you never get to touch. You just cannot be sure of touching them all. But persist. There is a solution.
January 19, 2018
Spock's Logic Puzzles lives up to its subtitle of having many riddles, conundrums and observations. Some of the puzzles are easy, while others require a reasoning that almost rivals that needed for the Kobayashi Maru. There are the classic logic puzzles, some which-one-is-lying scenarios, and those that require you to know what kind of logic is being using. But who, outside of those who have an interest in formal logic, is readily familiar with that?
As with just about any book written, references to other works appear. I think the author had to have read Douglas Adam's Hitchhiker's series. In a puzzle called Improbability, Spock posits the existence of a ship called the Heart of Gold. It is "so advanced that it seems effectively miraculous to modern technology;" now that can be just about any tech in the Star Trek universe. But this ship keeps accelerating until it reaches infinite velocity. Doesn't that sound like the Infinite Improbability Drive?
"Written" by Spock, it contains all the snarky, Vulcany wit that we have come to know from Mr Spock. The only real drawback that I saw with the book was that some of the puzzles had nothing to do with Star Trek. They would recap an episode and give you a riddle that had little-to-nothing to do with the episode or the entire Star Trek oeuvre.
Is it an attempt to cash in on the Star Trek brand, a welcome, challenging, make-you-think addition, or a bit of both? I'll let you decide. Meanwhile, I am going to rest my brain and go watch a Star Trek rerun. Tribbles, here I come!
As with just about any book written, references to other works appear. I think the author had to have read Douglas Adam's Hitchhiker's series. In a puzzle called Improbability, Spock posits the existence of a ship called the Heart of Gold. It is "so advanced that it seems effectively miraculous to modern technology;" now that can be just about any tech in the Star Trek universe. But this ship keeps accelerating until it reaches infinite velocity. Doesn't that sound like the Infinite Improbability Drive?
"Written" by Spock, it contains all the snarky, Vulcany wit that we have come to know from Mr Spock. The only real drawback that I saw with the book was that some of the puzzles had nothing to do with Star Trek. They would recap an episode and give you a riddle that had little-to-nothing to do with the episode or the entire Star Trek oeuvre.
Is it an attempt to cash in on the Star Trek brand, a welcome, challenging, make-you-think addition, or a bit of both? I'll let you decide. Meanwhile, I am going to rest my brain and go watch a Star Trek rerun. Tribbles, here I come!
April 5, 2024
Some extremely tricky puzzles here, mixed in with some easier ones plus some where the answers didn't make sense (or could be countered). One question needs proof reading as it had a grammar error which didn't help!
I found this more frustrating than fun.
Also, one of the photo acknowledgements refers to a page with no photo!
I found this more frustrating than fun.
Also, one of the photo acknowledgements refers to a page with no photo!
April 7, 2018
Really well done. Good riddles whether or not you are very familiar with Star Trek.
September 19, 2016
A great book to exercise your mind. I love how some of the problems tie into episodes from TOS. But these are HARD. Even reading the solutions, I'm not sure I understand how these puzzles are figured out.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews