‘ Tis the time of year for New Year ’s resolutions . As we all sign up up for gym memberships or enthrone in a Peloton that will just gather dust by March , I resolve to work out your brain this year . January 1 , 2024 is a Monday . So what day was January 1 last year ? Because of the geometrical regularity in how we slice and form time , you do n’t necessitate to consult a calendar or consider backwards from 365 to reply that question .
Legendary mathematician John Conway , most notable for hisGame of Life , exploited the structure in calendars to develop an algorithm that computes the day of the calendar week for any date , past or time to come . It ’s a little too complicated to lay out here , but I think with an good afternoon ’s Charles Frederick Worth of practice any of you could learn to do it in your principal . If you want to impress your friends with your Rain Man - esque acquirement , read about theDoomsday ruleand please account back . Whether or not you choose to become a Time Lord , this week ’s challenge will test your understanding of how we organize time .
Happy new year , fellow puzzle - lover .
Image: Photo: Shutterstock Graphics: Vicky Leta
Puzzle #24: Recycling Calendars
You sell calendar without old age compose on them . If somebody wants a 2024 calendar , you give them one whose day of the week match up correctly with 2024 ( January 1 is a Monday , January 2 is a Tuesday , etc . )
How many decided calendar type must you keep in stock to embrace all potential years ?
When is the next year that the great unwashed will use the 2023 calendar again ?
What is the big possible phone number of long time that can evanesce between uses of the same calendar ?
The last question is particularly tricksy , and you may necessitate to remind yourself how theGregorian calendarworks !
I ’ll be back next calendar week with the solution and a new mystifier . Do you know a cool puzzle that I should feature here ? Message me on Twitter@JackPMurtaghor email me at[email protect ]
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