Some Puzzles of Geography

The Complexity of Some Combinatorial Puzzles

Two puzzles that repeatedly appeared in the Munich newspaper tz are Knossos and The Hour-Glass (“Das Stundenglas”) [Bul10a, Bul10b, Bul10c, Bul11], see also [Pre]. Knossos asks the reader to insert walls into a grid of cells representing the famous palace of Knossos. Every room is described by a number that indicates the length of its walls in terms of segments enclosing the room (we assume tha...

Inequality and Redistribution: Some Continuing Puzzles

Anunequal distribution of income and wealth is an inherent feature of all complex societies, and up to a point, a desirable one. A highly skewed distribution, however, raises questions of seriousmoral and practical concern:Towhat extent does socioeconomic inequality undermine the principle of political equality on which democratic societies are based? Under what conditions does it lead to lead ...

Phototropism: some history, some puzzles, and a look ahead.

Though few and far between, phototropism studies through 1937 established a number of important principles. (1) Blue light is the active spectral region. (2) The phototropic stimulus is perceived by the coleoptile tip, and the consequences of the stimulation progress down into the growing region. (3) Lateral transport of auxin mediates the curvature response. (4) The reciprocity law holds for f...

Some Apparent Puzzles for Contemporary Monetary Policy

Smithian Answers to Some Experimental Puzzles