By Tim Chartier, Davidson College

Scott Kim is a puzzle and video game designer, artist, and author. He began writing for Discover Magazine in 1990 and became an exclusive columnist in 1999. He’s created hundreds of puzzles for magazines such as Scientific American and Games, and thousands more for computer games. So, let’s exercise our minds with a Kim-designed puzzle and be familiar with Kim’s insightful recreational math creations.

SPARE CHANGE PUZZLE: I have some dimes in my left hand. I have some combination of nickels and quarters in my right hand. The number of coins in each hand is the same, as is the total value of the coins in each hand. What is the smallest possible total value of the money in each hand?

TOUCHY NUMBERS PUZZLE: Write the numbers 1 to 15 in the squares so that adjacent squares (touching at an edge or corner) have numbers that differ by at least two. For instance, the 2 cannot be in any of the blue squares, because it would be adjacent to the 1. The first and last numbers are given. There is more than one solution.

Kim attended Stanford University, receiving a BA in music, and a PhD in Computers and Graphic Design under Donald Knuth. He became one of the best-known masters of the art of ambigrams, where a word or phrase can be oriented in either of two ways to create the same image, or an entirely new image. Here is an example of one of Kim’s ambigrams:

Scott Kim also designs logos for various companies. Here is a logo for his own work, which is fittingly an ambigram.

Kim speaks regularly about game design and the place of puzzles and games in education. Tim Chartier, who is a mathematician and performing artist, met with Scott to discuss math, art, puzzles, and education. Enjoy the (45 minute) interview below!

And one final puzzle:

Tim Chartier is the Joseph R. Morton Professor of Mathematics and Computer Science at Davidson College.