GCHQ spy bosses release new puzzle book for kids – but do YOU have what it takes to crack their brain teaser?
- The GCHQ spy bosses have released a new fruit bowl puzzle for budding spy kids
- You only have to color the fruit bowl with four colors, but there’s a catch
- You should have a green pear, a red apple, an orange orange, and a yellow banana
- But two touching shapes can’t be the same color, can you crack them?
GCHQ spy bosses have released a new puzzle book for kids – but do YOU have what it takes to solve their brain teaser?
It sounds easy, you only have to color the fruit bowl with four colors so that the pear is green, the orange is orange, the apple is red and the banana is yellow.
However, no two touching shapes can be the same color, which will really test your thinking skills.
can you crack the code
Can you color the fruit bowl above using only four colors so that the pear is green, the orange is orange, the apple is red, the banana is yellow, and no two shapes that touch are the same color?
The puzzle is an example of the lateral thinking, ingenuity and perseverance required by GCHQ staff in their missions to protect the country.
It illustrates the four color theorem, a theory dating back to 1852 that states that to paint a picture, no more than four colors are needed so that no shapes touching are the same color.
This was not proven until over a hundred years later when it became the first major theorem to be proved using a computer.
The fruit peel test is one of many in a new book titled Puzzles for Spies, the Intelligence Agency’s first children’s cyber and security services puzzle book, released today.
The puzzle is an example of the lateral thinking, ingenuity and perseverance required by GCHQ staff (pictured) in their missions to protect the country
The book focuses on languages, engineering, code-breaking, analysis, coding, math, and cybersecurity – all essential spy skills.
GCHQ director Sir Jeremy Fleming said that after “thoroughly baffling the adults” they decided to make a puzzle book specifically for children.
Colin, whose unofficial title at GCHQ is Chief Puzzler, said: “You don’t have to be a quiz champion – let alone top of your class – to work at GCHQ. All you need is an interest in finding out and an infectious curiosity. This is why so many of us love puzzles.
The Government Communications Headquarters in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire is known as ‘The Donut’ because of its shape.
‘The Donut’: The headquarters of Government Communications Headquarters in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire
“We don’t spend all of our time assembling puzzles and completing crosswords — but creating and solving puzzles in our free time requires the same skills that our teams use when they approach new problems in different and inventive ways to contribute to the safety of the community.” to contribute to the nation. It’s really fun too!’
GCHQ protects the UK and its citizens, keeps deployed forces safe and helps law enforcement prevent terrorist activity and serious and organized crime.
The agency identifies cyberespionage activities targeting UK industry and individuals and gathers intelligence to better understand new and emerging threats.
It also strives to protect current systems, communications and electronic data.
