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Spin and flip brainteaser

By , 16 October 2019

Difficulty: Tricky

I’ve got a square piece of paper, with lines for writing on both sides. Right now, the lines are running up and down the page. To get the lines running left and right, I could rotate the page, but that’s too boring. Can I do it by flipping the page instead?
 

Scroll down or click for a hint, or the answer!

 

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Brainteaser hint

Get a piece of paper and try it yourself – it’s a lot easier than doing it in your head.

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Brainteaser answer

It can be done! Pick up the paper by opposite corners – say, top left and bottom right, and flip it diagonally.

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2 comments

  1. What happens if you flip it across an axis fifteen degrees from vertical and incrementally continue to do this three times?

      Reply
    1. Ooh! that’s clever!

      If I’m interpreting you right,
      do a flip at 15 degrees so the lines end up at 30 degrees,
      then do a flip at 45 degrees so the lines are at 60 degrees
      then finally at 75 degrees to get the lines running at 90 degrees.

      That’s really neat!

        Reply

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