Galactic Riddles

Marco Chiesi

  • On a Dynamos highway, Liz drives a space car past a line of trucks, with Dord stiff in the back seat and M00N at the window

    On the Highway

    Liz passes 40 trucks in half an hour on a Dynamos highway. How many trucks an hour would someone standing by the road see…

  • An alien archivist from Staterion’s Office of Weights and Measures folds a very thin sheet of paper, with a stack of folds rising toward the starry sky, in front of Liz and M00N

    A Sheet of Paper

    A sheet of paper four thousandths of an inch thick, folded in half 42 times: how tall is the paper tower? A measuring puzzle…

  • On Paradoxon, amid impossible landscapes, a vacationing family’s car drives along with its left turn signal on, watched by Liz, Dord, and M00N

    Wrong Direction

    On Paradoxon, a driver signals left and immediately turns the wheel right. And nobody finds it strange. How is that possible?

  • In a candlelit alley on Abakos, beneath the giant abacuses in the sky, an old alien drifter melts four candle stubs together to make a new candle, next to M00N

    The Vagabond’s Candles

    An Abakian vagabond makes a new candle from four stubs: to light seven candles, what is the fewest stubs he must find to start…

  • At night on Veritas, four tired alien soldiers with a single torch stand before a rickety bridge over a ravine, with Liz holding a stopwatch

    The Four Soldiers

    Four soldiers, a rickety bridge, a single flashlight, and 17 minutes: how can they all get across before it’s too late?

  • At night on Numerion, a spy in a checkered trench coat watches the door of the Archive of Numbers, while the crew hides behind a huge stone 5

    Espionage

    A spy is trying to crack the password to Numerion’s Archive of Numbers. But the rule isn’t what it seems.

  • In a Veritas TV studio, Liz chooses among three closed doors while the host watches her and a goat peeks out from backstage

    Game Show

    Three doors, a flying car, and two goats: after the host opens a door with a goat behind it, should you switch your choice?

  • In a small square on Veritas lined with crystal houses, two elderly alien mathematicians embrace on a bench, watched by M00N, Dord, and Liz

    Family Matters

    Two old logician friends on Veritas talk about their kids: the ages multiply to 36 and add up to the house number. How old…

  • In a Staterion playground, a little alien challenges Dord with four identical balls and a toy balance scale, while M00N applauds

    Four Marbles

    Four identical marbles, one with a different weight, and a balance scale: what is the minimum number of weighings needed to find it?