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Qu118 - Biggest pull
I really like this question. Many people struggle with even the easy part, despite thinking they are familiar with how pulleys work. You should try the harder variant to get a more complete...
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Qu121 - Two equal weights
A pulley arrangement consisting of a fixed pulley A, a fixed double pulley B, and a free pulley C is attached to two equal masses D and E as shown in the diagram. The pulleys are light and...
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Qu119 - Window cleaner
A window cleaner works in a light suspended cradle attached to a roof structure by a rope. Three pulley configurations A, B and C are available. Assuming the man to be strong, determine for each...
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Qu122 - Two unequal weights
This variation on Qu121 allows an explicit solution to be calculated. Where the previous puzzle might be regarded as slightly tricky, this is straightforward in the sense that there are no unexpected...
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Qu117 - A pemmican puzzle
When I was about seventeen, my brother became interested in nutrition. He had a theory that a diet consisting of only brown rice and butter had sufficient nutritional content to keep a person well...
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Qu120 - Cats cradle
I’m not sure if children still play Cat’s Cradle---a game which only required a piece of string. Nimble fingerwork allowed one to create some clever patterns of interwoven lines. Structures that could...
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Qu123 - Elastic bands
I have always enjoyed playing with mechanical equipment. As a child I was endlessly fascinated by combination locks on safes, pulley systems, epicyclic gearboxes and the like. Even the humble elastic...
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Qu124 - Boating Party
“What a lovely morning for a boating party,” said Professor Sinker, as the party of 12 made their way down to the mooring, “the light is Caravaggesque.” The light was indeed spectacular, the dark...
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