We all know that staying sharp and keeping your brain flexible and adaptable are vital in the modern world. We face so much new information every day in our lives and our jobs that it’s difficult to keep up. While technology seems to do most of the work for many people, there’s nothing more valuable than an independent mind.
Companies value employees that can think quickly, spot problems, and solve them. But while these skills can definitely be learned, if you don’t maintain your brain, it will atrophy just like an unused muscle.
That’s where puzzles can be an incredible resource. Because they are so fun, you don’t realize that you’re “learning,” which is definitely the best way to go about it. Today, we'll look at two challenges that test your visual discrimination and visual processing skills.
These are scientific terms that refer to how well you can distinguish between similarities and differences of shapes, people, and objects in images, and how quickly you can see how the parts fit into the whole. Think you’re up to the challenge?
Then let’s get going. Your mission, should you accept it, is as follows. Look at the letters below and find all the Qs among the Os in less than 10 seconds. Ready, set, go!
And stop! Well, how did you do? Not so easy, huh? After all, they look so similar. Plus with the black background and yellow font, it just isn’t so easy to see what’s what. The best tip you’ve got is the little legs of the Qs reaching down below the line.
So if you look at the puzzle again, instead of reading the lines from the middle of the Os, look down! What you'll see should help you solve the problem. Counting the diagonal lines, we can see that every line of the puzzle has at least one Q except for the last one. And the grand total is ... 9!
Given that the puzzle has eight lines, one of which only has Os, if there are nine total Qs, that means that there must be two different lines that have two Qs. Can you spot which ones they are? That’s right, lines four and six both have two Qs hiding in plain sight. Good work!
But the challenge isn’t over just yet. Now, let’s look at some numbers to switch things up a bit. In the puzzle below, you'll need to sort through a huge field of fractions to find the one that’s different. Look carefully. While you might think that they’re all the same, there’s definitely an odd one out hidden in their midst.
Make sure you only give yourself 10 seconds maximum, as this will really test your visual skills and make your brain work hard! No pain, no gain. Whenever you’ve got your timer ready, get started.
How did you do? Did you find the one that didn’t belong with the rest? Or did you just see an unending line of 1s and 4s? Well, if you look very closely in the middle of all of these one fourths, you'll see a cleverly hidden 3/4 on the second line!
If you enjoyed these challenges, share them with your friends and family. You can even keep track of everybody’s time and see who’s the fastest! Enjoy.
