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1

How Scott Bessent used financial engineering to finance the $2 trillion deficit while leaving it untouched—and created a $1.45 trillion shortfall

2

Meet the 33-year-old CEO betting on boomers chasing their grandkids—and millennials selling their first house

3

The tables have turned: Florida and Texas are the biggest losers in the housing market as Ohio emerges a surprise winner
Lifestylebrain games

Try these eight puzzles this weekend, part of Harvard’s most popular class

Geoff Colvin
By
Geoff Colvin
Geoff Colvin
Senior Editor-at-Large
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Geoff Colvin
By
Geoff Colvin
Geoff Colvin
Senior Editor-at-Large
Down Arrow Button Icon
April 12, 2020, 11:00 AM ET
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After too many long days of home confinement, you may feel unable to face another jigsaw or crossword puzzle. Fear not. Harvard’s most popular course, Computer Science 50, has exactly what you need.

CS50 has become a phenomenon within and beyond the university, taught simultaneously at Yale (a first) and offered for free on the EdX education platform, where it’s the No. 1 course. The EdX version recently held its fifth annual Puzzle Day, which is actually four days, inviting teams from around the world to solve eight puzzles, none of which involve programming. Perhaps because so many people are stuck at home, the number of participants jumped 49% from last year to 13,427.

These eight problems are challenging. Really challenging. But they aren’t computer problems. A goal of the event is to emphasize that “computer science isn’t about programming but about problem-solving more generally,” says the course’s professor, David Malan. And they aren’t impossible; teams comprising 46% of participants submitted answers, and nearly all those teams answered at least some of the problems correctly.

Yes, there is an answer key, but we’re not giving it to you. You’ll fight longer and be more likely to solve a problem if finding the answer isn’t convenient. And if you eventually must surrender, you can at least take pride in finding the answer key online—though it isn’t all that hard.

More must-read lifestyle coverage from Fortune:

—Chefs and restaurateurs argue SBA loans don’t protect the restaurant industry
—How I have been involved in the U.S. response to COVID-19 as a social epidemiologist
—Marie Kondo’s new book wants you to rethink how you work (from home)
—Listen to Leadership Next, a Fortune podcast examining the evolving role of CEO
—What happens to your frequent-flier status and miles during the pandemic
—WATCH: Can San Francisco Be Saved?

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About the Author
Geoff Colvin
By Geoff ColvinSenior Editor-at-Large
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Geoff Colvin is a senior editor-at-large at Fortune, covering leadership, globalization, wealth creation, the infotech revolution, and related issues.

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