Brain Blow Level 31

Overview

A rock sits on grass with a line of small ants crawling near it, and the prompt asks how many ants you see on the screen. Some ants are hidden on the surface of the rock itself, which appears plain from the default view, so a normal glance undercounts them. The rock can be zoomed into to reveal the insects on it, and the combined count of ants on the ground and on the rock is entered in a number field before Ok is pressed. The total number of ants is 16.

• Difficulty: Regular
• Estimated moves: 2

Step-by-Step Solution

1. Count the ants already walking on the grass around the rock, keeping this as a partial figure. Note that the rock surface itself may carry more ants that are too small to see at the default zoom.

1. Perform a zoom-in or pinch-open gesture on the rock to enlarge it and reveal the ants crawling across its surface. Keep the rock centered so every insect on it becomes visible.

1. Count the newly exposed ants on the rock, then add them to the ants already on the grass until the full total reaches 16. Scan the enlarged surface for ants sitting near the edges that might be missed.

1. Enter 16 into the number field below the board and press Ok to submit the total. The level completes when the ant count matches; any lower figure misses the insects hidden on the rock.

1. After zooming in, count the ants on the rock separately from the trail on the grass, then add the two groups so no surface is counted twice. The enlarged rock may show small ants near its rim that were invisible at the default zoom, so sweep its edges before finalizing the total. If the entered count is rejected, zoom back in to recheck the rock rather than the grass trail, because the concealed ants on the stone are the easiest group to undercount.

Strategy & Reasoning

Hidden-count levels conceal part of the answer on an object that must be magnified, not moved aside. The rock here is a surface covered with tiny ants, and the default view makes those markings look like texture rather than insects. Zooming in separates the texture from the creatures, after which the count can be taken honestly.

Once magnified, the ants on the rock join the trail on the grass in one combined total. The Ok button expects this full number, so counting only the open trail gives a partial answer. There are no ants to add beyond those on the grass and rock, and the zoom simply exposes what was already drawn.

Tips & Common Mistakes

• Zoom in on the rock before counting; ants on its surface are the most likely insects to be missed at the default view.
• Combine the trail on the grass with the ants on the rock; the answer counts all ants on the whole screen, not just the open trail.
• Check the enlarged rock edges for small ants that sit half at the boundary, since these are easy to overlook during the count.