Solution to December's Puzzle: Rectangle Within a Circle
Solution: We wanted to calculate the radius of the circle shown in Figure A.The tricky part to figure out here is that the circle's radius is the undrawn diagonal in the rectangle. Because the two diagonals in a rectangle are of equal lengths, the radius is 5.
When evaluating problems involving right triangles, most people assume that the solution is based on the Pythagorean Theorem, and they start calculating squares and square roots, which in this case leads to a dead end. It's easy to get confused by making quick assumptions when solving T-SQL problems. It's a good idea to slow down and clear your mind. In many cases, the solution you're looking for is much simpler than your first reaction leads you to believe.
January's Puzzle: Game Show
You're taking part in a game show. You're standing in front of three curtains. One curtain hides the prize: a car. You don't know which is the prize curtain, but the host of the show does.
Your task is to guess where the car is and to point to that curtain. The curtain you choose remains closed while the host opens one of the other curtains, behind which there is no car. The host then gives you a chance to change your mind about which of the two remaining curtains you think hides the car. If you choose the curtain with the car behind it, the car is yours. Should you stick to your original choice, or should you choose the other closed curtain?