I first heard of this quite a few years ago but I learned it as Campers around the Campfire.

http://crux.baker.edu/cdavis09/roses.html

Post how long it takes you to figure it out.

I picked it up in about 10 seconds.

... It'd help if I understood what I was meant to do. What rose? Huh?
(Or is that the point?)

Clink the link and read the background. Saying anything else will give it away.

Aye, same for me Cron... first go correct.

Wait a moment... I didn't even read the background... this means I'm stupid?!

...well, it's confusing the Nil out of me.

I wish I could pretend I was smart like it said, but oh well.

Maybe I'll give it another go in the morning when I'm less tired. :/

Took me a few tries but some lateral and simple thinking was all I needed.

That's exactly the kind of thinking I'm NOT good at. It drives my Business & Economics teacher up the wall. I keep trying maths here, damnit. It ain't working. Transposing the things onto each other isn't working either. Umm...nor is adding them up...

Just...gah I don't want to give it away. Read the instructions very closely.

Yeah, basically the smarter you are, the harder it is to figure it out! *stares at the dice some more*

Aye, this thing is a pain in the arse.

I didn't get it untill I rolled the dice, then it only took me 2 seconds. Yes I was counting.

There there.

I think it has more to do with how you think than how smart you are, the Professor was just trying to make himself feel better.

Took me 5 rolls, solved it mathematically. I didn't get the non mathematics based solution until later. 'Petals around the rose' really shows the answer

It helps if you played games such as "You can have cubbies but not lockers"

How do you solve something like that mathamatically?

Very very basic maths. I don't know what the equivalent level of maths would be over there, but here it would be year 3-6 ish (around 10 - 12 year olds).

EDIT: Also remember that maths had a lot to do with shape/geometry back then.

Well, the difficulty in solving it mathematically is to figure out which data points don't matter. You could also solve it with a six equations, six unknowns if you get the rolls you need. The answer should come really easily then.

I was asking bobstar, he seemed to imply he used some sort of sequence set up, that removed options in a logical progression, much how you would mathimatically solve the puzzles about which kid lives in which house and likes which type of candy.

I solved it more intuitively, but it was utilizing something not unlike six equations, six unknowns. I just had a logic jump that gave me the solution more quickly.