Sleight of mind.

October's puzzle--trying to figure out how big Art Otto's fish was--went quite well. We had a record turnout of dose to 70 answers. The first three correct replies came from: Stephan H. Witt, sr. vice-president, Centrex Bank, N.H; Ernesto A. Lopez, National Bank of Pakistan, New York, N.Y., and

It seems that Art's trout was a big one. As you wilt recall, we were told that when asked, Art's answer was: "Let us suppose the tail weighs nine ounces, the head as much as the tail and haft the body, and the body weighs as much as the head and tail together."

It weighed 72 oz which is 4 1/2 pounds! The tail weighed g ounces. The head 27 ounces and the body was 36 ounces, for a total of 72 ounces. Then, dividing 72 by 16 (the number of ounces to a pound), you arrive at 4.5 pounds, which is a good sized trout. Most solved it using algebra, showing how it can be used, white another used Excel to get the same answer!

Well, now for our holiday puzzle:

ICICLE

December. The days are short, the weather is cold, but it is a lovely time of the year. Children are all excited about the holidays, and adults seem mellowed by the spirit of the Season.

December's puzzle is quite interesting. An icicle forming from a dripping gutter in the shape of a cone five times as tong as it is wide (at the top). A few hours tater it has doubted in Length and the generating angle has also doubted. How does the present weight compare with the previous weight?

Find a comfortable chair by the fireplace and see what you can do with this teaser. Send your responses to us at PUZZLES on our website: www.obabj.com. BUT be sure to give us your name, title, company, city & state as well as any comments you wish to make.