Actuary of the future

SOLUTIONS FOR MARCH 2013 puzzles@theactuary.com

Pick up the pace Mensa puzzle 539

A cyclist is on a fi ve-day expedition. On the fi rst day, she covers a quarter of the total distance. The next day she covers a third of what is left. The following day she covers a quarter of the remainder and, on the fourth day, half of the remaining distance. The cyclist now has 16 miles left. How many miles has she travelled?

ANSWER: 69.3333

Congratulations to this month’s winner – Kirk Bevins at Aviva

Swallow the dictionary Mensa puzzle 541

Move from square to touching square to fi nd the longest possible word.

T I N C O A O R R S N

What is it?

Mighty milometer Mensa puzzle 540

How many miles should it be to Miami on this strange signpost?

ANSWER: 23. The fi rst digit in the miles is the number of consonants and the second digit is the number of vowels.

Indianapolis 66 Dallas 42 Philadelphia 75 Miami ?

P A T I

ANSWER: PROCRASTINATION

Cash in hand Mensa puzzle 542

A bank cashier transposed the pounds for pence and vice versa on a cheque, giving the customer far too much money. After the customer had spent £6.23 he still had exactly three times the amount of the original cheque. spent£6.23 he still had exactly e ount of h e amountof the e.

What was the amount of the original cheque? ANSWER: £7.28 e ANSWER: £7.28

Spadework Bridge puzzle 31

♠6534 ♥10 ♦432 ♣AK1096 ♠KQJ1098 ♠A72 ♥Q653 ♥42 ♦A ♦8765 ♣J7 ♣Q832 N W E S

♠- ♥AKJ987 ♦KQJ109 ♣54 Bidding: Game All W N E S 1♠ P 2♠ 4♥ P P P Justifi ably unwilling to defend, you punt 4♥. West could bid 4♠ but fancies his chances of beating 4♥. West leads K♠. You ruff with 7♥ and draw 2 rounds of trumps, both defenders following. Plan the play. Whenever the defence wins a trick, they will continue to play spades.

ANSWER: You have 3 trumps; West has 2. If you play another round, West will win and play another spade. When you ruff , this reduces you to 1 each. If you draw it and then play K♦, West will win and will have spades to cash. You can aff ord to lose 2 trumps. Don’t draw any more. Simply play K♦. West will play spades again but you are in control. Ruff . This gives you and West 2 trumps each. Let West have his 2 trumps. Simply play your minor suit winners. West only makes his 2 trumps and the A♦.

ACTUARY OF THE FUTURE

MARK HELLER

Employer and area of work Austin Professional Resourcing LLP and life insurance.

How would your best friend describe you?

The fount of all knowledge. What motivates you? My unceasing quest to bestride the actuarial profession like a colossus for centuries after my death.

What would be your personal motto?

Keep up the good work.

Name five dream guests you would invite to a

dinner party? Chris “The Big Dog” Makomereh – my actuarial inspiration; Silvio Berlusconi, to add some gravitas and class to proceedings; the late Kim Jong-Il, so he can give me tips on my golf swing; and Vicky Pryce and Chris Huhne, to teach us the secret of a happy marriage.

What’s your most ‘actuarial’ habit?

My hard partying lifestyle Favourite Excel function? ‘CUBEKPIMEMBER’, no contest. It’s got me out of a few sticky situations I can tell you. How do you relax away from the office? When in Edinburgh I relax by attending my favourite local nightspot, The Hive. I revel in the exclusive and rarefi ed atmosphere of the place and have realised my dream of becoming a gold card holder. Alternative career choice? Editor of The Actuary.

Tell us something unusual about yourself

I was a (surprisingly unsuccessful) contestant on X Factor in 2012. It’s a fi x, and not at all like what you see on television. Greatest risk you have ever taken? I put £100k on red in a Las Vegas casino last summer. I regret nothing. It would have been a hell of a night if it had come up.

What’s your most treasured possession?

My razor-sharp wit.

What are the top 3 things you would like to

achieve in your lifetime? See Tottenham Hotspur win the league, marry a supermodel, win the lottery.

If you ruled the world, what would you change

first? Nothing. Nobody likes change.

Do you know an actuary destined for greatness? You can nominate an Actuary of the Future by emailing aotf@theactuary.com