You'll Like This...... Not A Lot, But You'll Like It
This month's puzzle is one that, if you can solve it, will allow you to entertain your friends with a little bit of magic.
I have a pile of ten cards, face down, in my hand – an Ace (which counts as 1) through to a 10. I move the top card to the bottom of the pile, counting "1", and turn up the next card, removing it from the pile and placing it on the table. It is the Ace. I then count two more cards to the bottom of the pile, counting "1, 2", and show the next card – the '2' – which I place on the table. Counting "1, 2, 3", I move three more cards to the bottom of the pile, and then show the next card – the '3' – which is removed as before. This continues for 4 through to 9, and the final card is – surprise, surprise – the '10'. What was the original order of the ten cards, from the top to the bottom of the deck?
I start again, but this time with thirteen cards: Ace (1) through to 10, and also a Jack (11), a Queen (12) and a King (13). I do the same process as before – moving 1 card to the bottom, then revealing an 'Ace'; moving 2 cards to the bottom, then revealing a '2'; and so on. The 11th card I turn up, after counting from 1 to 11, is the Jack; the twelfth card I turn up is the Queen, and the final card is the King. What was the original order of cards, from top to bottom?
I take the same thirteen cards, but this time I spell out their name when I move the cards from the top to the bottom of the pile. So to start with, I count "A, C, E", moving three cards to the bottom, and I turn up the next card, which is the Ace. I remove this to the table, then count out "T, W, O", moving three cards to the bottom, and the card I turn up is the '2'. I continue with "T, H, R, E, E" (five cards moved), "F, O, U, R" (four cards moved), and so on. "J, A, C, K" (four cards) and then "Q, U, E, E, N" (five cards) reveal the Jack and Queen respectively, and the final card is the King. What was the original order of cards this time, from top to bottom?
If, instead, I work backwards, moving the cards as before but this time spelling out "K, I, N, G" (revealing the King), then "Q, U, E, E, N", "J, A, C, K" and so on, such that the last card is the Ace, what was the original order of the cards this time round?
LAST EDITION’S ANSWERS
Let Us Juggle Letters : 1. Nail/Spike; 2. Fat/Plump; 3. Story/Tale; 4. Rod/Cane; 5. Tear/Rip; 6. Bright/Light; 7. Spotless/Pure; 8. Shed/Barn; 9. Ride/Trip; 10. Log/Branch; 11. Wet/Soak; 12. Lock/Close; 13. Hot/Steaming; 14. Front/Face; 15. Links/Ties; 16. Bun/Bread; 17. Rid/Relieve; 18. Save/Salvage; 19. Best/Top; 20. Graze/Feed; 21. Naked/Stripped; 22. Front/Head; 23. Harm/Crush; 24. Nag/Scold; 25. Scream/Weep; 26. Eat/Sup; 27. Law/Act; 28. Rage/Blow; 29. Pen/Coop; 30. Blaze/Fire; 31. Outrage/Anger; 32. Die/Crash; 33. Father/Create; 34. Carve/Cut; 35. Dined/Ate; 36. Caress/Pet; 37. Groove/Rut; 38. Overt/Plain; 39. Stable/Even; 40. Whirled/Spun.
