Petals Around the Rose facts for kids
Petals Around the Rose is a fun and tricky puzzle that uses dice. It challenges you to figure out a secret rule to get a number from rolling five or six dice. It's a great way to practice how you think and solve problems by finding patterns. This puzzle became very popular in the 1970s, especially among people who loved computers. There's even a famous story about Bill Gates solving it at an airport!
How to Play the Puzzle
The puzzle is usually played as a challenge. One person, called the "presenter," already knows the secret rule. They roll the dice and then tell everyone the correct number for that roll. They keep rolling the dice and announcing the numbers over and over.
Your job, as a player, is to watch carefully and try to guess the secret rule. Once you think you know the rule, you can start saying the number for each roll along with the presenter. The idea is to keep the formula a secret from other players.
Unlocking the Secret Formula
The biggest hint for solving this puzzle is hidden right in its name: "Petals Around the Rose." The presenter should say the puzzle's name clearly, as it's a big clue!
To find the correct number for a dice roll, you only count the "petals around the rose." A "rose" is any die face that has a dot in the very center. On a normal six-sided die, the numbers 1, 3, and 5 have a center dot. These are your "roses."
The "petals" are the dots that surround the center dot.
- The number 1 has a center dot, but no dots around it. So, it has zero petals.
- The numbers 2, 4, and 6 do not have a center dot. So, they have no "rose" and count as zero petals.
- The number 3 has a center dot and two dots around it. So, it has two petals.
- The number 5 has a center dot and four dots around it. So, it has four petals.
So, to solve a roll, you simply add up all the petals from all the dice. For example, if you roll a 3 and a 5, the 3 gives you two petals, and the 5 gives you four petals. Two plus four equals six!
