>Four members of parliament—the right honourable gentlemen Addlepate, Bonehead, Crackpott and Dumbcluck—have collectively hired their wives as secretaries.
Prospect invites you to solve the puzzle and send us the solution. Correct answers will be entered into a draw. The winner will receive a copy of Finding Moonshine: A Mathematician's Journey Through Symmetry by Marcus du Sautoy (4th Estate, £18.99).
Although it is of course perfectly legal and respectable to hire members of one's own family, none of the MPs does that, in the interests of transparency, public accountability, and avoiding the unwelcome attentions of the press.
Each wife uses the same surname as her husband. Each MP has only one secretary, and each wife works for only one MP.
Each wife works for the husband of the wife who works for her husband. (That is, X's wife works for the husband of the wife who works for X.)
Mrs Addlepate does not work for Mr Bonehead.
Mrs Bonehead's husband does not employ Mrs Dumbcluck.
Who does Mrs Crackpott work for?
Prospect invites you to solve the puzzle and send us the solution. Correct answers will be entered into a draw. The winner will receive a copy of Finding Moonshine: A Mathematician's Journey Through Symmetry by Marcus du Sautoy (4th Estate, £18.99).
Send answers to info@prospect-magazine.co.uk by 13th March. The winner will be announced in our April issue.
