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May 2023 Challenge

Each month, a new set of puzzles will be posted.  Come back next month for the solutions and a new set of puzzles, or subscribe to have them sent directly to you.

Click here to download the printable version

 

Puzzle One

Six tigers can catch just six rabbits in six minutes. So how many tigers will be needed to catch sixty rabbits in sixty minutes?

Puzzle Two

A wizard was on the way to his house and a few drops from his magic potion fell on to a plant. Now, the plant will double its size every day. It is growing in a circular pond with a circumference of 600 meters. The plant-covered half the pond in 28 days, how many days would it take to cover the full pond?

Puzzle Three

If 1=5,
2=25,
3=325,
4=4325,
5=?

Puzzle Four

Take your favourite number, add this number to itself, then multiply the sum by 4, and finally divide the results by the sum of 3 and 5. What number do you finally get and why?

Feedback

There are more than one way of doing these puzzles and may well be more than one answer.  Please let me and others know what alternatives you find by commenting below.  We also welcome general comments on the subject and any feedback you'd like to give.

If you have a question that needs a response from me or you would like to contact me privately, please use the contact form.

 

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Last month's solutions

Puzzle One

I was 10 years old the day before yesterday. By next year, I will be 13 years old. How is this possible?

Solution: Assume that I am making this statement on January 1st, 2020 and that my birthday is on 31st December. So, this means that my eleventh birthday was on 31st December 2019. Since the day before yesterday (on 31st December 2019.), I was 10 years old, and today, I am 11. By the end of the current year, 2020, I will be 12 years old and so, by the end of next year, 31st December 2021, I will be 13 years old.

Puzzle Two

Last weekend, Nolan went to an exhibition near his house. He rode his new bicycle gifted by his Mother, Kimberly, for winning the Maths puzzle competition. After reaching the exhibition, Nolan saw that there were 14 tricycles and bicycles in total. If there were a total of 38 wheels, how many tricycles were there in the park?

Solution: There were 10 Tricycles.  Since there were 14 cycles in total, we know that all of them have at least 2 wheels. So, 14 x 2 = 28. There was also 38 wheels in total, which means 38 – 28 = 10 or 10 cycles with one extra wheel each, which gives us the answer, 10 tricycles in total.

Puzzle Three

In the following diagram, what parking lot’s number is the car parked in?

Solution: Turning the picture upside down, you will see that the numbers are in sequential order and the parking lot’s number is 87.

Puzzle Four

Using only addition, how do you add eight 8’s and get the number 1000?

Solution: 888 + 88 + 8 + 8 + 8 = 1000

31 Comments

  1. Kimberly on May 1, 2023 at 4:10 pm

    Yet another fun, challenging round of maths puzzles! Keep ’em coming Mr. Burgin!

    Reply
  2. Dan on June 3, 2023 at 2:00 pm

    Had nothing much to do so wrote the number puzzle code in python 😂

    def number_puzzle(multiplier, n=1):
    output = []
    while n < 5:
    if n <=2:
    squared_no = multiplier**n
    output.append(squared_no)
    n+=1
    join_result = str(n) + str(output[-1])
    output.append(join_result)

    results = list(map(int,output))
    return results.pop(-1)

    puzzle = number_puzzle(5)
    print(puzzle)

    Reply

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