Page 250 - Mind Games The Aging Brain and How to Keep it Healthy

234 • Chapter 7

Another nifty fact about dice is that the opposite sides al-
ways add up to seven. That means that the 1 is opposite the
6, the 2 is opposite the 5, and the 3 is opposite the 4. Using
this extra fact, along with strategies you learned in the ear-
lier example, find the die on the right that is a copy of the die
on the left in Figure 7-7.

a b

c d

Figure 7-7

Did you select c? Visualize the rotation of the die on the
left to match the die lettered c. First turn the die 180 degrees
clockwise until you can see the 1 on the front. Then roll it
over on its side, so that the 5 is on top. Now the die matches
view c. This will take some practice. Use the die if that helps.
You also could solve this puzzle by eliminating incorrect
dice. You can eliminate both dice a and d, because they have
adjacent (not opposite) faces that add up to seven pips. Ad-
ditionally, die b has an incorrect face. The two pips on the
top face are in the wrong corners. Check this with a regula-
tion die if you like.
Interestingly enough, men generally perform better at this
type of activity than women, so women will require a bit
more practice to be just as agile with spatial relationships.

D Visit the Web site www.mentalagility.com for an in-
teractive version of this exercise.