This is a brainteaser that we are going to spread out over the next three days. See if you can solve the puzzle today. If you can, that’s great. If you can’t, then we’ll look at it again tomorrow. On Thursday we’ll give the answer and talk about it in more detail.
What you need:
- a candle
- a book of matches
- a box of thumbtacks
- a wall or cork board
Present your materials as shown below:
The Candle Problem - Day 1
The goal:
afix the lit candle to the wall (or cork board) in a way so the candle wax won’t drip onto the table or floor below
I would recommend that if you have multiple children or people who want to try to solve the puzzle, have them try it in separate rooms or at separate times so they don’t influence each other.
You can either physically do the experiment by lighting the candle, or you can do it as a thought experiment and just come up with a plan that you think would work.
Good luck.
When are done trying Day 1 you can move on to The Candle Problem – Day 2.
