Physics World’s festive puzzle: part 1

By Louise Mayor

Although I wouldn’t want to tar us all with the same brush, for many people – including me – the festive period marks indulging in rest, rich food and a reacquaintance with the goggle-box.

Switching off and slumping on the sofa seems like the best thing ever for a few days, but eventually I find it gets a bit boring. That’s when I find myself craving some mental stimulation, whether that be gorging on crosswords, designing a new knitting pattern or learning a new programming language.

But how about you – are you busy right now digesting roast potatoes and zoning out on Indiana Jones, or do you have an appetite, instead, for a challenge?

If your answer is “yes” to the second option, check out the physics-themed poser above. The puzzle, which is self-explanatory, has been kindly created for Physics World by Colin of the UK’s Government Communication Headquarters (GCHQ), whose full identity cannot be revealed. There are no prizes, other than the satisfaction of getting the answer.

Let us know how you get on by adding a comment below, but if you work out the answer please keep it to yourself so as not to spoil the challenge for others.

On Tuesday 30 December we will publish the second and final part of Physics World’s festive puzzle 2014. If you are a member of the Institute of Physics, you already have access to both puzzles – they are on p52 of the December issue, which you can access online or via the Physics World app. Solutions to both parts will be published on this blog in January.

If you enjoy this puzzle, do try out – if you haven’t already – the Physics World at 25 puzzle series published last year in celebration of the magazine’s 25 year anniversary. Get started with Puzzle 1.