How Age Puzzles Spark Logic and Creative Thinking

Key points

Age puzzles are an ancient type of brainteaser that involves figuring out how ages fit together.

Solving an age puzzle entails a blend of imagination and logic.

These puzzles are challenging in the sense that they elicit curiosity.

Some of the oldest puzzles in history involve “figuring out” people’s ages. They are found in ancient texts across cultures, demonstrating a long-standing fascination with imaginative and logical thinking wrapped into one, which is essentially what "figuring out" refers to. They have been a staple in collections of brainteasers since at least the medieval ages, starting with Alcuin’s early ninth-century manuscript, Propositiones ad acuendos juvenes (“Problems to Sharpen Young Minds”), which contains several challenging age problems.

Such puzzle