November 2021 - Math Problem
A bag contains 10 blue blocks, 10 green blocks and 10 red blocks. What is the minimum number of blocks you have to remove from the bag to ensure that you get 4 blocks of the same colour?
Solution:
You would have to remove 10 blocks to ensure that you get 4 blocks of the same colour.
What if each bag started with 20 blocks of each colour?
October 2021 - Math Problem
Can you find 4 consecutive numbers that add to 30? How about 50 or 90?
Solution:
30=6+7+8+9
50=11+12+13+14
90=21+22+23+24
Can 100 be written as the sum of 4 consecutive numbers? Is there a quick way to determine if a number can be written as the sum of 4 consecutive numbers?
September 2021 - Math Problem
A set of stairs has 24 steps numbered 1 to 24 going up. A rabbit can only hop 3 or 5 steps forward or backward. Starting at the bottom (step 0), is there a step that can not be reached?
Solution:
No, all steps can be reached. Is it possible to get to the 24th step and touch every step exactly once?
June 2021 - Math Problem
What is the smallest number that is divisible by the numbers 1, 2, 3, …, 10?
Solution:
2520. What about the smallest number divisible by the numbers 1, 2, 3, …, 20?
May 2021 - Math Problem
How many seconds does it take the minute hand of a clock to turn 1 degree?
Solution:
It takes 10 seconds to turn 1 degree. How many degrees does the hour hand of a clock turn in an hour?
April 2021 - Math Problem
Problem:
A crate has double the dimensions (length, width and height) of a box.
How many boxes would fit into the crate?
Solution:
You can fit 8 boxes into the crate. What if the crate had triple the dimensions of the box?
March 2021 - Math Problem
Problem:
If someone lived a million hours, how many years would that person live?
Solution:
Assuming 365.25 days per year, the person would live to be about 114 years old! How old are you when you have lived a billion seconds?
February 2021 - Math Problem
The following expression has 6 eights to result in a total of 20:
88/8 + 8/8 +8 =20
Can you write an expression with 6 sixes that results in a total of 20?
Solution:
One possibility is (6+6)/6 + 6 + 6 + 6 =20.
How about if you had 6 twos?
January 2021 - Math Problem
One hundred pennies are arranged in a row on a table. Every second coin is replaced with a nickel. Then every third coin is replaced with a dime. Finally, every fourth coin is replaced with a quarter.
What is the total value of coins left on the table?
Solution:
You will have $9.93.
What if you started with 1000 pennies?
December 2020 - Math Problem
The number 29 is interesting because when the sum of the digits (2+9) is added to the product of the digits (2x9) the answer is 29, the number that we started out with (11+18=29).
Can you think of any other numbers with this property?
Solution:
Another such number is 59 (5 + 9 + 5 x 9 = 14 + 45 = 59). Can you think of any others?