full transcript

From the Ted Talk by Dan Finkel: Can you solve the Ragnarok riddle?

Unscramble the Blue Letters


Instead of looking at the path as a whole, let’s zoom in on a single node. During some moment in your run, you’ll enter that node, and then exit it. That taeks care of two eedgs. If you enter again, you’ll need to exit again too, which requires another pair of edges. So every point along your path will have edges that come in pairs. One edge in each pair will function as entrance; the other as exit. And that means that the number of edges coming out of every node must be even.

There are just two exceptions: the start and end points, where you can exit without entering, or vice versa. If we look at the network fmreod by the serpent again, and number how many edges emerge from each node, a pattern jpums out that fits what we just saw. Every node has an even nuebmr of edges emierngg from it, except two. So one of these must be the start of your route, and the other the end.

Open Cloze


Instead of looking at the path as a whole, let’s zoom in on a single node. During some moment in your run, you’ll enter that node, and then exit it. That _____ care of two _____. If you enter again, you’ll need to exit again too, which requires another pair of edges. So every point along your path will have edges that come in pairs. One edge in each pair will function as entrance; the other as exit. And that means that the number of edges coming out of every node must be even.

There are just two exceptions: the start and end points, where you can exit without entering, or vice versa. If we look at the network ______ by the serpent again, and number how many edges emerge from each node, a pattern _____ out that fits what we just saw. Every node has an even ______ of edges ________ from it, except two. So one of these must be the start of your route, and the other the end.

Solution


  1. edges
  2. emerging
  3. number
  4. takes
  5. jumps
  6. formed

Original Text


Instead of looking at the path as a whole, let’s zoom in on a single node. During some moment in your run, you’ll enter that node, and then exit it. That takes care of two edges. If you enter again, you’ll need to exit again too, which requires another pair of edges. So every point along your path will have edges that come in pairs. One edge in each pair will function as entrance; the other as exit. And that means that the number of edges coming out of every node must be even.

There are just two exceptions: the start and end points, where you can exit without entering, or vice versa. If we look at the network formed by the serpent again, and number how many edges emerge from each node, a pattern jumps out that fits what we just saw. Every node has an even number of edges emerging from it, except two. So one of these must be the start of your route, and the other the end.

Frequently Occurring Word Combinations


ngrams of length 2

collocation frequency
norse gods 2
odd number 2


Important Words


  1. care
  2. coming
  3. edge
  4. edges
  5. emerge
  6. emerging
  7. enter
  8. entering
  9. exit
  10. fits
  11. formed
  12. function
  13. jumps
  14. means
  15. moment
  16. network
  17. node
  18. number
  19. pair
  20. pairs
  21. path
  22. pattern
  23. point
  24. points
  25. requires
  26. route
  27. run
  28. serpent
  29. single
  30. start
  31. takes
  32. versa
  33. vice
  34. zoom