I was introduced to "Petals Around the Rose" by Dr. Richard Duke at the University of Michigan . Dr. Duke used to begin each of his gaming/simulation courses with this exercise. While some students would solve the problem right away, others would struggle all semester. It had taken Dr. Duke well over a year himself, and he would always explain that the smarter you were, the longer it took to figure it out.

The game is quite simple. Only a basic understanding of math is required and an open and creative mind. The game can be used as an example of how different people look at the world differently, and how these different ways of looking can yield different answers. In "Petals Around the Rose" there is always one correct answer. The problem is how we define the problem.

"Petals Around the Rose" is traditionally played with 5 six-sided dice. I developed this version using Macromedia Flash as both an exercise for me to learn Flash and as a way to share the game with the world. Let me know what you think!