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What is Bogglers?
A monthly columns of mathematical puzzles I write for the popular science magazine Discover.
How long have you been writing the Bogglers?
I created my first Bogglers in 1990, but it wasn’t until April 1999 that I became the exclusive columnist. Until then many people contributed.
Where can I see the Bogglers?
In the magazine, of course. Also on the web at the Discover site, or with my commentary at my site.
How long does it take to create a column?
I submit my columns about five months in advance, though final editing can still be happening as late as two months before the cover date. The magazine itself comes out about two weeks before the month listed on the cover; that is a trick that publishers use to give magazines longer shelf life in stores. An individual column takes about 2 days of time to create, spread out usually over a week or two.
What do you submit?
Most writers send in Microsoft Word documents, but since there are a lot of detailed illustrations in my puzzles, I usually also submit quite a few illustrations as well, prepared in Adobe Illustrator.
Do you ever make mistakes?
Yes. I try to avoid mistakes by having several people in a private mailing list test my puzzles before they go to print. My editors at Discover also comb through them. But a few times a year a mistake will slip through. Readers are rather vocal about mistakes and write in corrections.
Where do you get your ideas?
Since Discover is a popular science magazine, I draw inspiration from mathematics and science. Sometimes I am inspired by a science article or book, such as Stephen Wolfram. Other times I borrow from movies and popular culture. Sometimes I borrow ideas from classic or current ideas in mathematics, such as magic squares. When I use old ideas I always try to give them a new twist. Sometimes my editor suggests a topic that will also appear as an article, such as cryptography, which inspired me to write a puzzle that explains public key encryption. What I don’t usually do is work within an existing puzzle form, such as a crossword puzzle. Instead I invent forms to match the content, which makes me unusual as a puzzle designer.
What makes a good Bogglers puzzle?
Every Bogglers page I try to create three puzzles of widely varying sorts (numerical, logical, word, visual, historical) around one topic. Each puzzle should include at least three parts, starting easy and getting harder. To fit everything on the page I have to limit the text of each puzzle to 100-200 words (the answers can be longer). Usually the text of each puzzle includes a bit of background on the subject matter, instructions for the puzzle, a hint, and the body of the puzzle itself, which is often an illustration. To make the page visually appealing I try to include intriguing attractive illustrations, keep the text short, and choose subjects that readers will find irresistable.
I find the Bogglers too intimidating. Can you make them easier?
Some people love the Bogglers as they are , but most people have been telling me that they find it too hard. Although Discover is a science magazine, it is read by regular people who are not trained in science. Here are the changes I am now putting in place to make the puzzles more approachable. 1. Avoid equations and anything as advanced as algebra. 2. Keep text short by pushing background material into the answers. 3. Use eye-catching illustrations. 4. Keep puzzles easy to get into, even if the subject matter is challenging. One of the best ways to do this is to use multiple choice or matching instead of fill-in-the-blank forms. For instance, the TV game show Who Wants to be a Millionaire? makes sometimes difficult subject matter easier by reducing every question to choosing among four possible answers.
What makes a good puzzle?
1. FUN. My definition of a puzzle is a problem that is fun to solve. Different people find different things fun, so my first question when I design puzzles is always “who is the audience, and what do they like to do?” For instance my monthly puzzle for the Adobe web site was addressed to artists, so I had to make puzzles that were visually appealing. Other things that make a puzzle fun are amusing illustrations and an intriguing premise. Problems that feel like chores are no fun; they need a bit of whimsy or fantasy.
2. CHALLENGING. A good puzzle should be challenging, but fair. To make a puzzle fair I first make sure that everything the reader needs to know to solve the puzzle is communicated on the page. (For this reason I usually avoid trivia questions.) Then I break each puzzle into several parts that start easy and get harder, so every reader can find something at the right challenge level.
3. INTERESTING. Part of the reward of solving a good puzzle is not just finding the solution, but learning about something interesting along the way. I try to make puzzles that teach interesting subject matter, or stretch your mind in a pleasurable way, by choosing topics that I find interesting.
4. CLEAR. A puzzle isn’t fun if readers are confused about what they are supposed to do. So I try to write clear instructions, and often include a worked out example. One of the best ways to get readers over the hurdle of understanding what to do is to use a familiar puzzle format, such as a crossword puzzle.
I have an idea for a Bogglers puzzle. Can I send it to you?
Certainly. If I use it, I will give you credit.
WHAT’S NEW NOV 2002
Escher Legacy. An anthology of articles by artists and mathematicians in honor of the Centennial of M.C. Escher's birth. I contributed an article describing a puzzle based on Escher's art I designed for the CD-ROM Escher Interactive. This book will be available at the end of November, and includes a CD-ROM.
Inversion of the Month: Math Magic.
Discover Magazine Boggler
Nov: Numbers Racket. Puzzles about numbers on digital clocks, numbers that name the number of letters of letters in the name, and weird fraction cancellation.
Inversions on i-mode phones in Japan
If you live in Japan, check out the inversions I have been doing on names of Japanese celebrities, for the Japanese magic company Tenyo. Find an NTT DOCOMO i-mode cellular phone, then click as follows;
1. i Menu
2. (3) Menu list
3. Sports/Hobby
4. (4) variety
5. i love magic
After becoming a member, click as follows from the top page;
1. (5) Trick art gallery
2. Scott Kim's trick letter gallery
The section is divided into four categories
1. Same letters - name of person
2. Same letters - general name
3. Different letters - name of person
4. Different letters - general name
FROM READERS
Seeing Double. An excellent new collection of over 200 ambiguous figures: pictures that can be interpreted two different ways, such as the famous old lady / young girl. By J. Richard Block, former psychology professor, now president of Y & B associates, which produces cards, games, and puzzles dealing with illusions nad art images for schools, museums, and the general public.
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