How to Solve Brain Teaser Games
Brain teasers---puzzles based around imaginary solutions requiring complex mathematical logic to solve---can be addictive. They have the power to grab hold of us and not let go until we've figured out the solution. While every brain teaser requires its own particular application of logic, there are a few problem-solving tips that can be applied to solving just about all of them.
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Instructions
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Read the puzzle's scenario carefully. Reading too quickly may cause you to make assumptions or miss details. Also, careful reading, including rereading, may help you to spot clues for coming up with a solution, or at least to think of different approaches to solving the problem.
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Write a list of requirements. Start with the objective (the basic problem the scenario requires you to resolve), then list the requirements and obstacles for this solution in clear, concise language using a list format. This will make puzzle-solving easier because it's simpler to compare your solutions to the requirements in this format.
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Create visual aids. Use household objects (such as board-game counters) to set up rough simulations of the scenarios in the mind teaser, or draw simple pictures (dry-erase boards are great for this).
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Think outside the box. It's easy to get caught up in trying different (and often increasingly complex) versions of the same kind of solution when the real answer requires moving your thinking in a different direction, or reconsidering some fundamental assumption you may not realize you've made. For example, when solving the "farmer crossing a river" puzzle (a farmer is attempting to cross a river with a cabbage, a goat, and a wolf, but can only bring one at a time and can't leave the wolf alone with the goat, or the goat alone with the cabbage), the puzzle becomes easy to solve once you stop assuming that the farmer can't bring something back that he's already brought across.
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Keep track of your failed solutions on paper, including the reasons they failed. This will keep you from repeating them.
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Imagine yourself in the imaginary scenario in place of the person in need of the solution. Sometimes, problems become easier to solve when we can see them as partially "real" in our minds, rather than words on paper.
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Be patient. If you get stuck, walk away from the problem and come back to it later. Though it can be tempting to simply look at the solution after a few minutes of trying to solve the puzzle, you'll have a lot more fun if you can figure it out yourself.
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