POTWC 12 Combined7 8

The problems in this booklet are organized into strands.
A
problem often appears in multiple strands. The problems are
suitable for most students in Grade 7 or higher.
WWW.C E M C .U WAT E R LO O.C A | T h e C E N T R E fo r E D U C AT I O N i n M AT H E M AT I C S a n d CO M P U T I N G
Problem of the Week

Problem C
Retiring and Hiring
A small technology company is beginning to expand. The company currently
has 100 employees. At the end of each year for the next 4 years, 25 employees
will retire and a new employee will be hired for each of the remaining
employees.
After this four year cycle of retiring and hiring is complete, determine the
average number of employees that the company grows by each year.
Extension: Using your results and assuming the pattern continues, predict
the number of employees if this cycle of retiring and hiring were to continue for
ten years.
Problem of the Week

Problem C and Solution
Retiring and Hiring
Problem
A small technology company is beginning to expand. The company currently has 100
employees. At the end of each year for the next 4 years, 25 employees will retire and a new
employee will be hired for each of the remaining employees.
After this four year cycle of retiring and hiring is complete, determine the average number of
employees that the company grows by each year.
Solution
The following chart will look at the process of retiring and hiring over the four year period.
The number remaining will be 25 less than the number at the start of the year. The number
hired in a year will be the same as the number remaining. The number of employees at the end
of the year will be twice as many as the number of employees remaining.
Year
1
2
3
4
# of Employees
at Start of Year
100
150
250
450
# Retiring
# Remaining
# Hired
25
25
25
25
75
125
225
425
75
125
225
425
# of Employees
at End of Year
150
250
450
850
After four years of retiring and hiring the company employs 850 people. The number of
employees increased by 850 100 = 750 people in four years. The average increase per year
was 750 4 = 187.5 employees.
Another way to look at this problem would be to take the average number of people hired per
year and subtract the average number of people retiring in a year. The average number hired
per year is (75 + 125 + 225 + 425) 4 = 850 4 = 212.5. The average retiring each year was
25. Therefore the average increase per year was 212.5 25 = 187.5, as above.
Therefore the number of employees increased by approximately 188 per year.
Solution to Extension
Observe a couple of patterns in the column labelled # of Employees at End of Year. First,
each number ends in 50. The leading digits are 1, 2, 4, and 8. These digits are powers of 2. In
year 2, the leading digit is 21 . In year 3, the leading digit is 22 . In year 4, the leading digit is
23 . The exponent appears to be one less than the year number. So in year 10, a good
prediction for the leading digits would be 29 = 512. After 10 years of retiring and hiring, there
would be 51 250 employees. (We can verify this prediction by continuing the table.)
Problem of the Week

Problem C
Who Brought What When?
Xavier, Yvonne and Zak arrived at school at three different times. They each
brought one of their favourite snacks to share with the other two (one brought
pretzels; one brought cookies; one brought licorice), and their favourite sports
apparatus (one brought a baseball; one brought a soccer ball; one brought a
football).
We know a few other facts:
1. The first to arrive did not bring cookies.
2. Xavier arrived second and brought a football.
3. Yvonne arrived before Zak.
4. The person who brought cookies also brought a baseball.
5. The person who brought pretzels did not bring a soccer ball.
Determine the order they arrived in, what they each brought for a snack, and
which sports apparatus they each brought.
Problem of the Week

Problem
Xavier, Yvonne and Zak arrived at school at three different times. They each brought one of
their favourite snacks to share with the other two (one brought pretzels; one brought cookies;
one brought licorice), and their favourite sports apparatus (one brought a baseball; one
brought a soccer ball; one brought a football).
Determine the order they arrived in, what they each brought for a snack, and which sports
apparatus they each brought.
Solution
When solving logic problems, setting up a chart to fill in is generally a good way to start.
Order of Arrival
Snack
Sports Apparatus
Xavier
Yvonne
Zak
Some of the given information is often more helpful than other information. For example, in
the second statement we learn that Xavier arrived second and brought a football. Now the
third statement gets us the fact that Yvonne arrived first and Zak arrived third. (This is true
since Yvonne arrived before Zak and she could not arrive second leaving only the first and
third spots left.) We can add this information to the chart.
Xavier
Yvonne
Zak
Order of Arrival
2nd
1st
3rd
Snack
Sports Apparatus
football
We can combine the first statement and the fourth statement. Yvonne did not bring cookies.
The person who brought cookies also brought a baseball. This cannot be Xavier since he
brought a football. Therefore, Zak brought cookies and a baseball. Since there is only one
piece of sports apparatus unaccounted for, Yvonne must have brought the soccer ball. We will
add this new information to our chart.
Xavier
Yvonne
Zak
Order of Arrival
2nd
1st
3rd
Snack
cookies
Sports Apparatus
football
soccer ball
baseball
We can now use the fifth statement to conclude that Xavier brought pretzels since the person
bringing pretzels did not bring a soccer ball and Xavier is the only one without a snack
accounted for other than Yvonne (who brought the soccer ball).
Xavier
Yvonne
Zak
Order of Arrival
2nd
1st
3rd
Snack
pretzels
cookies
Sports Apparatus
football
soccer ball
baseball
The only snack unaccounted for is the licorice and Yvonne is the only one whose snack is
unknown. Therefore, Yvonne brought licorice and our chart can be completed.
Xavier
Yvonne
Zak
Order of Arrival
2nd
1st
3rd
Snack
pretzels
licorice
cookies
Sports Apparatus
football
soccer ball
baseball
The information is summarized in the chart but will be stated below for completeness.
Yvonne arrived first bringing licorice and a soccer ball.
Xavier arrived second bringing pretzels and a football.
Zak arrived third bringing cookies and a baseball.
Problem of the Week

Problem C
Quick Change
A die has the numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, and 8 on its six faces. When this die is
rolled, if an odd number appears on the top face, all of the odd numbers on the
die magically double. For example, if the number appearing on the top face
was a 1, the 1 and 3 on the original die would double and the other four
numbers would remain the same. (This is illustrated below.)
However, if an even number appears on the top face as a result of the first roll,
all of the even numbers on the die are halved. For example, if the number
appearing on the top face was an 8, the 2, 4, 6, and 8 on the original die would
change to half of their initial value and the other two numbers would remain
the same.
Suppose the die with 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, and 8 on its six faces is rolled once and
changes as described above. The changed die is rolled again. No change occurs
when the die is rolled this time. What is the probability that the number
appearing on the top face after this roll is a 2?
Problem of the Week

Problem C and Solutions
Quick Change
Problem
A die has the numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, and 8 on its six faces. When this die is rolled, if an odd
number appears on the top face, all of the odd numbers on the die magically double. For
example, if the number appearing on the top face was a 1, the 1 and 3 on the original die
would double and the other four numbers would remain the same. However, if an even number
appears on the top face as a result of the first roll, all of the even numbers on the die are
halved. For example, if the number appearing on the top face was an 8, the 2, 4, 6, and 8 on the
original die would change to half of their initial value and the other two numbers would remain
the same. Suppose the die with 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, and 8 on its six faces is rolled once and changes as
described above. The changed die is rolled again. No change occurs when the die is rolled this
time. What is the probability that the number appearing on the top face after this roll is a 2?
Solution 1
In this solution, we will determine the possibilities for the first and second roll to count the
total number of possible outcomes. We will then count the number of outcomes in which the
second roll is a 2 and determine the probability.
If the first roll is odd, the numbers on the die change from {1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8} to {2, 2, 6, 4, 6, 8}
as a result of doubling the odd numbers. If we write the possible first and second rolls as an
ordered pair, then the following 12 combinations are possible:
First roll 1: (1, 2), (1, 2), (1, 6), (1, 4), (1, 6), (1, 8)
First roll 3: (3, 2), (3, 2), (3, 6), (3, 4), (3, 6), (3, 8)
If the first roll is even, the numbers on the die change from {1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8} to
{1, 1, 3, 2, 3, 4} as a result of halving the even numbers. If we write the possible first and
second rolls as an ordered pair, then the following 24 combinations are possible:
First roll 2: (2, 1), (2, 1), (2, 3), (2, 2), (2, 3), (2, 4)
First roll 4: (4, 1), (4, 1), (4, 3), (4, 2), (4, 3), (4, 4)
First roll 6: (6, 1), (6, 1), (6, 3), (6, 2), (6, 3), (6, 4)
First roll 8: (8, 1), (8, 1), (8, 3), (8, 2), (8, 3), (8, 4)
There are 36 total possible outcomes. Of these outcomes, 8 have a second roll of 2. The
2
8
= .
probability of rolling a 2 on the second roll is
36
9
Problem
A die has the numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, and 8 on its six faces. When this die is rolled, if an odd
number appears on the top face, all of the odd numbers on the die magically double. For
example, if the number appearing on the top face was a 1, the 1 and 3 on the original die
would double and the other four numbers would remain the same. However, if an even number
appears on the top face as a result of the first roll, all of the even numbers on the die are
halved. For example, if the number appearing on the top face was an 8, the 2, 4, 6, and 8 on the
original die would change to half of their initial value and the other two numbers would remain
the same. Suppose the die with 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, and 8 on its six faces is rolled once and changes as
described above. The changed die is rolled again. No change occurs when the die is rolled this
time. What is the probability that the number appearing on the top face after this roll is a 2?
Solution 2
In this solution, we solve the problem in a more theoretical manner using two known results
from probability theory.
1. Two events are independent if the outcome of one event does not effect the outcome of
the other. If two events are independent, then the probability of both events happening
is the product of their two probabilities.
2. Two events are disjoint if they cannot happen at the same time. The probability of two
disjoint events is the sum of their individual probabilities.
1
2
= chance of getting an odd number on the first roll. The die then changes from
6
3
{1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8} to {2, 2, 6, 4, 6, 8} as a result of doubling the odd numbers. For each of the
2
1
possible odd rolls, there is now a = chance of rolling a 2 on the second roll. Since the two
6
3
1 1
1
events are independent, we would multiply the two probabilities to obtain = . This is
3 3
9
the probability of rolling a 2 on the second roll when the first roll is odd.
There is a
2
4
= chance of getting an even number on the first roll. The die then changes from
6
3
{1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8} to {1, 1, 3, 2, 3, 4} as a result of halving the even numbers. For each of the
1
possible even rolls, there is now a chance of rolling a 2 on the second roll. Since the two
6
2 1
2
1
events are independent, we would multiply the two probabilities to obtain =
= .
3 6
18
9
This is the probability of rolling a 2 on the second roll when the first roll is even.
There is a
1 1
2
Since the two cases are disjoint we add the probabilities to obtain + = . The probability
9 9
9
2
of rolling a 2 on the second roll is .
9
Problem of the Week

Problem C
Circle-Go-Round
A circle with centre O is drawn around 4OBD so that B and D lie on the
circumference of the circle. BO is extended to A on the circle. Chord AC
intersects OD and BD at F and E, respectively.
If BAC = 19 and OF A = 99 , determine the measure of BEC.
(BEC is marked x on the diagram.)
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Problem of the Week

Circle-Go-Round
Problem
A circle with centre O is drawn around 4OBD so
that B and D lie on the circumference of the circle.
BO is extended to A on the circle. Chord AC intersects OD and BD at F and E, respectively. If
BAC = 19 and OF A = 99 , determine the measure of BEC. (BEC is marked x on the diagram.)
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Solution 1
In a triangle, the angles add to 180 . So in 4OF A,
F OA = 180 99 19 = 62 = a.
BOA is a diameter and is therefore a straight line. Two angles on a straight
line add to 180 , so
BOD = 180 a = 180 62 = 118 = b.
O is the centre of the circle with B and D on the circumference. Therefore,
OD and OB are radii of the circle and OD = OB. It follows that 4ODB is
isosceles and ODB = OBD = c.
Then in 4ODB,
c + c + b
2c + 118
2c
c
=
=
=
=
180
180
62
31
Opposite angles are equal so it follows that CEB = DEF = x and

DF E = AF O = 99 = d.
In 4F ED,
BEC = 50 .
x + c + d
x + 31 + 99
x + 130
x
=
=
=
=
180
180
180
50
"
Problem
A circle with centre O is drawn around 4OBD so that
B and D lie on the circumference of the circle. BO is
extended to A on the circle. Chord AC intersects OD
and BD at F and E, respectively. If BAC = 19 and
OF A = 99 , determine the measure of BEC. (BEC
is marked x on the diagram.)
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Solution 2
In a triangle, the angle formed at a vertex between the extension of a side and
an adjacent side is called an exterior angle. In the following diagram, XZW
is exterior to 4XY Z. The exterior angle theorem states: the exterior angle of
a triangle equals the sum of the two opposite interior angles. In the diagram,
r = p + q . We will use this result and two of the pieces of information we
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found in Solution 1.
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F OA = 180 99 19 = 62 = a.
F OA is exterior to 4ODB.
F OA
a
62
31
=
=
=
=
ODB + OBD
c + c
2c
c
CEB is exterior to 4EBA.

CEB
x
x
x
=
=
=
=
EAB + EBA
19 + c
19 + 31
50
BEC = 50 .
"
Problem of the Week

Problem C
Square On
ABCD is a square with area 64 m2 . E, F, G, and H are points on sides
AB, BC, CD, and DA, respectively, such that AE = BF = CG = DH = 2 m.
E, F, G, and H are connected to form square EF GH.
Determine the area of EF GH.
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Problem of the Week

Square On
Problem

E, F, G, and H are connected to form square EF GH. Determine the area of
EF GH.
Solution
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The area of square ABCD is 64 m2 . Therefore the side lengths are 8 m since 8 8 = 64 and
the area is calculated by multiplying the length and the width.
Each of the smaller parts of the sides of square ABCD are 2 m so the longer parts of the sides
are 8 2 = 6 m.
Approach #1 to finding the area of square EF GH
In right 4HAE, AE = 2 and AH = 6. We can use one side as the base and the other as the
height in the calculation of the area of the triangle since they are perpendicular to each other.
Therefore the area of 4HAE = AEAH
= 26
= 6 m2 . Since each of the triangles has the same
2
2
base length and height, their areas are equal and the total area of the four triangles is
4 6 = 24 m2 .
The area of square EF GH can be determined by subtracting the area of the four triangles
from the area of square ABCD. Therefore the area of square EF GH = 64 24 = 40 m2 .
Some students may be familiar with the Pythagorean Theorem. This theorem states that in a
right triangle, the square of the length of the hypotenuse (the longest side) is equal to the sum
of the squares of the other two sides. The longest side is located opposite the right angle.
In right 4HAE, AE = 2, AH = 6 and HE is the hypotenuse. Therefore,
HE 2 = AE 2 + AH 2
= 2 2 + 62
= 4 + 36
= 40
40 m
Taking the square root,
HE =
But EF GH is a square so all of its side lengths equal 40. The

by
areais calculated
2
multiplying the length and the width. The area of EF GH = 40 40 = 40 m .
Therefore the area of square EF GH is 40 m2 .
Problem of the Week

Problem C
Triangle Triumph
In the diagram, 4ABC is a right triangle with ABC = 90 , BD = 6 m,
AB = 8 m, and the area of 4ADC is 50% more than the area of 4ABD.
Determine the perimeter of 4ADC.
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The P ythagorean T heorem states, In a right triangle, the square of the

length of hypotenuse (the side opposite the right angle) equals the sum of the
squares of the lengths of the other two sides.
In the following right triangle, p2 = r2 + q 2 .
"
Problem of the Week

Triangle Triumph
#
Problem
In the diagram, 4ABC is a right triangle with
ABC = 90 , BD = 6 m, AB = 8 m, and the
area of 4ADC is 50% more than the area of
4ABD. Determine the perimeter of 4ADC.
Solution
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Let a be the length of side DC, b be the length of side AC, and c be the length
of side AD. Draw a line through A parallel to BC. The distance between this
line and BC is 8 m and is the height of 4ABD and 4ADC.
To find the area of a triangle, multiply the length of the base by the height and
divide by 2. The area of 4ABD = AB BD 2 = 8 6 2 = 24 m2 .
The area of 4ADC is 50% more than the area of 4ABD. Therefore, the
area of 4ADC = area of 4ABD +
1
area of 4ABD = 24 + 12 = 36 m2 .
2
But the area of 4ADC = (AB)(DC) 2 = 8(DC) 2 = 4(DC). Therefore,

4(DC) = 36 and DC = 9 m. Then BC = BD + DC = 6 + 9 = 15 m.
Since 4ABD
has a right angle, AD2 = AB 2 + BD2 = 82 + 62 = 100. Then
AD = 100 = 10 since AD > 0.

Also, 4ABC has a right angle, so
AC 2 = AB 2 + BC 2 = 82 + 152 = 64 + 225 = 289. Then AC = 289 = 17 since

AC > 0.
The perimeter of 4ADC =
=
=
=
The perimeter of 4ADC is 36 m.
a+b+c
DC + AC + AD
9 + 17 + 10
36 m
Problem of the Week

Problem C
The Great Tricycle Race
Two paths are built from A to F as shown.
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The distance from A to F in a straight line is 100 m. Points B, C, D, and E

lie along AF such that AB = BC = CD = DE = EF .
The upper path, shown with a dashed line, is a semi-circle with diameter AF .
The lower path, shown with a solid line, consists of five semi-circles with
diameters AB, BC, CD, DE, and EF .
Starting at the same time, Bev and Mike ride their tricycles along these paths
from A to F . Bev rides along the upper path from A to F while Mike rides
along the lower path from A to F . If they ride at the same speed, who will get
to F first?
Problem of the Week

Problem
Two paths are built from A to F as shown. The distance from A to F in a straight line is 100
m. Points B, C, D, and E lie along AF such that AB = BC = CD = DE = EF . The upper
path, shown with a dashed line, is a semi-circle with diameter AF . The lower path, shown
with a solid line, consists of five semi-circles with diameters AB, BC, CD, DE, and EF .
Starting at the same time, Bev and Mike ride their tricycles along these paths from A to F .
Bev rides along the upper path from A to F while Mike rides along the lower path from A to
F . If they ride at the same speed, who will get to F first?
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Solution
The circumference of a circle is found by multiplying its diameter by . To find the
circumference of a semi-circle, divide its circumference by 2.
The length of the upper path is equal to half the circumference of a circle with diameter 100 m.
The length of the upper path equals 100 2 = 50 m. (This is approximately 157.1 m.)
Each of the semi-circles along the lower path have the same diameter. The diameter of each of
these semi-circles is 100 5 = 20 m. The length of the lower path is equal to half the
circumference of five circles, each with diameter 20 m. The distance along the lower path
equals 5 ( 20 2) = 5 (10) = 50 m.
Since both Bev and Mike ride at the same speed and both travel the same distance, they will
arrive at point F at the same time. Neither wins the race since both arrive at the same time.
The answer to the problem may surprise you. Most people, at first glance, would think that
the upper path is longer.
If you were to extend the problem so that Bev travels the same route but Mike travels along a
lower path made up of 100 semi-circles of equal diameter from A to F , they would still both
travel exactly the same distance, 50 m. Check it out!
Problem of the Week

Problem C
One Step at a Time
A circle with centre O has a point A on the circumference. Radius OA is
rotated 20 clockwise about the centre, resulting in the image OB. Point A is
then connected to point B. Radius OB is rotated 20 clockwise about the
centre, resulting in the image OC. Point B is then connected to point C.
The process of clockwise rotations continues until some radius rotates back
onto OA. Every point on the circumference is connected to the points
immediately adjacent to it as a result of the process. A polygon is created.
nth point
A
A
O
20
20
20
20
20
C
D
D
E
E
F
Construction
F
Resulting Polygon
a) Determine the number of sides of the polygon.

b) Determine the sum of the angles in the polygon. That is, determine the
sum of the angles at each of the vertices of the polygon.
Problem of the Week

One Step at a Time
Problem
A circle with centre O has a point A on the circumference. Radius OA is rotated 20 clockwise
about the centre, resulting in the image OB. Point A is then connected to point B. Radius
OB is rotated 20 clockwise about the centre, resulting in the image OC. Point B is then
connected to point C. The process of clockwise rotations continues until some radius rotates
back onto OA. Every point on the circumference is connected to the points immediately
adjacent to it as a result of the process. A polygon is created.
b) Determine the sum of the angles in the polygon. That is, determine the sum of the
angles at each of the vertices of the polygon.
Solution
Each time the process is repeated, another congruent triangle is created. Each of these
triangles has a 20 angle at O, the centre of the circle. But a complete rotation at the centre is
360 . Since each angle in the triangles at the centre of the circle is 20 and the total measure
at the centre is 360 , then there are 360 20 = 18 triangles formed. This means that there are
18 distinct points on the circumference of the circle and the polygon has 18 sides. An 18-sided
polygon is called an octadecagon, from octa meaning 8 and deca meaning 10.
The other two angles in the each of the congruent triangles are equal. (Two sides of the
triangle are radii of the circle. The triangles are therefore isosceles.) The angles in a triangle
sum to 180 so after the 20 angle is removed, there is 160 remaining for the other two angles.
It follows that each of the other two angles in each triangle measures 160 2 = 80 . The
following diagram illustrates this information for the two adjacent triangles AOB and BOC.
A
80
20
20
80
80
80
B
C
Each angle in the polygon is formed by an 80 angle from one triangle and the adjacent 80
angle from the next triangle. For example, ABC = ABO + OBC = 80 + 80 = 160 .
There are 18 vertices in the octadecagon and the angle at each vertex is 160 . Therefore the
sum of the angles in the octadecagon is 18 160 = 2 880 .
Diagrams are provided on the next page to further support the solution.
Angle at the Centre of a Circle
360
Completing the Construction

Q
P
N
80
80
80 80
R
80
80
80
80
80
80
20
80
20 20
20
80
80
20
20
20
80
80
20
80
80
80
20
20 20
20
80
80
80
80
80
80
80
20
20
20
20
20
80
80
80
20
80
80
80
80 80
80 80
80
The Octadecagon - 18 sided Polygon

P
N
160
Q
160
R
160
160
M
L
K
160
160
160
160
160
160
160
160
160
160
160
160
160
160
Notice the vertices of the octadecagon are labelled A to S, but the letter O is missing since it
was used in the original construction as the centre of the circle.
Problem of the Week

Problem C
Overlapping Areas
The area of 4ACD is twice the area of square BCDE. AC and AD meet BE
at K and L respectively such that KL = 6 cm.
If the side length of the square is 8 cm, determine the area of 4AKL.
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Problem of the Week

'
Overlapping Areas
Problem
The area of 4ACD is twice the area of square BCDE. AC and
AD meet BE at K and L respectively such that KL = 6 cm.
If the side length of the square is 8 cm, determine the area of
4AKL.
!
Solution 1
In the first solution we will find the area of square BCDE, the
area of 4ACD and the area of trapezoid KCDL.
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To find the area of a square, multiply the length times the width. To find the
area of a trapezoid, multiply the sum of the lengths of the two parallel sides by
the height and divide the product by 2.
Area of square BCDE =
=
Area 4ACD =
=
=
88
64 cm2
2 Area of Square BCDE
2 64
128 cm2
In trapezoid KCDL, the two parallel sides are KL and CD, and the height is
the width of square BCDE, namely BC.
Area of trapezoid KCDL =
=
=
=
Area 4AKL =
=
=
(KL + CD) BC 2
(6 + 8) 8 2
14 8 2
56 cm2
Area 4ACD Area of trapezoid KCDL
128 56
72 cm2
Therefore, the area of 4AKL is 72 cm2 .
'
Problem
The area of 4ACD is twice the area of square BCDE.
AC and AD meet BE at K and L respectively such that
KL = 6 cm. If the side length of the square is 8 cm,
determine the area of 4AKL.
Solution 2
Construct the altitude of 4ACD intersecting BE at P
and CD at Q. In this solution we will find the height of
4AKL and then use the formula for the area of a triangle
to find the required area.
To find the area of a square, multiply the length times the

width. To find the area of a triangle, multiply the length
of the base times the height and divide the product by 2.
"

=
Area 4ACD =
=
=
But Area 4ACD
128
128
AQ
=
=
=
=
88
64 cm2
2 64
128 cm2
&
CD AQ 2
8 AQ 2
4 AQ
32 cm
We know that AQ = AP + P Q, AQ = 32 cm and P Q = 8 cm, the side length

of the square. It follows that AP = AQ P Q = 32 8 = 24 cm.
Area 4AKL = KL AP 2
= 6 24 2
= 72 cm2
Problem of the Week

Problem C
Floor Plan
The rectangular floor plan of the first level of a house is shown in the following
diagram.
("3"#$
%&&'
()*#+,%&&'
!"#"#$
%&&'
."/012#
Both the laundry room and the dining room are square with areas of 4 m2 and
25 m2 , respectively. The living room is rectangular with an area of 30 m2 .
Determine the area of the kitchen.
Problem of the Week

Floor Plan
Problem
diagram. Both the laundry room and the dining room are square with areas of
4 m2 and 25 m2 , respectively. The living room is rectangular with an area of
30 m2 . Determine the area of the kitchen.
("3"#$
%&&'
!"#"#$
%&&'
()*#+,%&&'
."/012#
Solution
Let the width of a room be the distance represented top to bottom on the
diagram. Let the length of a room be the distance represented horizontally on
the diagram.
The dining room is a square and has an area of 25 m2 . Its length and width
must both be 5 m since Area = 5 5 = 25 m2 . The width of the dining room
and living room are the same. So the width of the living room is 5 m. But the
area of the living room is 30 m2 so the length of the living room is 6 m since
Area = 5 6 = 30 m2 .
The laundry room is a square and has an area of 4 m2 . Its length and width
must both be 2 m since Area = 2 2 = 4 m2 . The width of the laundry room
and kitchen are the same. So the width of the kitchen is 2 m.
(Length of Laundry Room
+ Length of Kitchen)
2 + Length of Kitchen
Length of Kitchen
=
=
=
(Length of Living Room

+ Length of Dining Room)
6+5
9m
Since the width of the kitchen is 2 m and the length of the kitchen is 9 m, the
area of the kitchen is 2 9 = 18 m2 .
Problem of the Week

Problem C
Square On
E, F, G, and H are connected to form square EF GH.
Determine the area of EF GH.
'
"
&
Problem of the Week

Square On
Problem

E, F, G, and H are connected to form square EF GH. Determine the area of
EF GH.
Solution
'
"
&
The area of square ABCD is 64 m2 . Therefore the side lengths are 8 m since 8 8 = 64 and
the area is calculated by multiplying the length and the width.
Each of the smaller parts of the sides of square ABCD are 2 m so the longer parts of the sides
are 8 2 = 6 m.
In right 4HAE, AE = 2 and AH = 6. We can use one side as the base and the other as the
height in the calculation of the area of the triangle since they are perpendicular to each other.
Therefore the area of 4HAE = AEAH
= 26
= 6 m2 . Since each of the triangles has the same
2
2
base length and height, their areas are equal and the total area of the four triangles is
4 6 = 24 m2 .
The area of square EF GH can be determined by subtracting the area of the four triangles
from the area of square ABCD. Therefore the area of square EF GH = 64 24 = 40 m2 .
Some students may be familiar with the Pythagorean Theorem. This theorem states that in a
right triangle, the square of the length of the hypotenuse (the longest side) is equal to the sum
of the squares of the other two sides. The longest side is located opposite the right angle.
In right 4HAE, AE = 2, AH = 6 and HE is the hypotenuse. Therefore,
HE 2 = AE 2 + AH 2
= 2 2 + 62
= 4 + 36
= 40
40 m
Taking the square root,
HE =
But EF GH is a square so all of its side lengths equal 40. The

by
areais calculated
2
multiplying the length and the width. The area of EF GH = 40 40 = 40 m .
Therefore the area of square EF GH is 40 m2 .
Problem of the Week

Problem C
Triangle Triumph
#
"

"
Problem of the Week

Triangle Triumph
#
Problem
Solution
&
$"#
"
'
!"#
1
area of 4ABD = 24 + 12 = 36 m2 .
2

Since 4ABD
AD = 100 = 10 since AD > 0.


AC > 0.
=
=
=
a+b+c
DC + AC + AD
9 + 17 + 10
36 m
Problem of the Week

Problem C
Two paths are built from A to F as shown.
" #
$ %
&
The distance from A to F in a straight line is 100 m. Points B, C, D, and E

lie along AF such that AB = BC = CD = DE = EF .
The upper path, shown with a dashed line, is a semi-circle with diameter AF .
The lower path, shown with a solid line, consists of five semi-circles with
diameters AB, BC, CD, DE, and EF .
Starting at the same time, Bev and Mike ride their tricycles along these paths
from A to F . Bev rides along the upper path from A to F while Mike rides
along the lower path from A to F . If they ride at the same speed, who will get
to F first?
Problem of the Week

Problem
Two paths are built from A to F as shown. The distance from A to F in a straight line is 100
m. Points B, C, D, and E lie along AF such that AB = BC = CD = DE = EF . The upper
path, shown with a dashed line, is a semi-circle with diameter AF . The lower path, shown
with a solid line, consists of five semi-circles with diameters AB, BC, CD, DE, and EF .
Starting at the same time, Bev and Mike ride their tricycles along these paths from A to F .
Bev rides along the upper path from A to F while Mike rides along the lower path from A to
F . If they ride at the same speed, who will get to F first?
" #
$ %
&
Solution
The circumference of a circle is found by multiplying its diameter by . To find the
circumference of a semi-circle, divide its circumference by 2.
The length of the upper path is equal to half the circumference of a circle with diameter 100 m.
The length of the upper path equals 100 2 = 50 m. (This is approximately 157.1 m.)
Each of the semi-circles along the lower path have the same diameter. The diameter of each of
these semi-circles is 100 5 = 20 m. The length of the lower path is equal to half the
circumference of five circles, each with diameter 20 m. The distance along the lower path
equals 5 ( 20 2) = 5 (10) = 50 m.
Since both Bev and Mike ride at the same speed and both travel the same distance, they will
arrive at point F at the same time. Neither wins the race since both arrive at the same time.
The answer to the problem may surprise you. Most people, at first glance, would think that
the upper path is longer.
If you were to extend the problem so that Bev travels the same route but Mike travels along a
lower path made up of 100 semi-circles of equal diameter from A to F , they would still both
travel exactly the same distance, 50 m. Check it out!
Problem of the Week

Problem C
Slightly Irregular
In the following slightly irregular shape,
AB = 50 cm, CD = 15 cm, EF = 30 cm;
the area of the shaded triangle, 4DEF , is 210 cm2 ; and
the area of the entire figure, ABCDE, is 1000 cm2 .
Determine the length of AE.
!
&
'
"
Problem of the Week

Slightly Irregular
Problem
In the following slightly irregular shape, AB = 50 cm, CD = 15 cm, EF = 30 cm, the area of
the shaded triangle, 4DEF , is 210 cm2 ; and the area of the entire figure, ABCDE, is
1000 cm2 . Determine the length of AE.
!
Solution
The first task is to mark the given information on the diagram.

This has been completed on the diagram to the right.
To find the area of a triangle, multiply the base length by the
height and divide by 2. In 4DEF , the base, EF , has length 30
cm. The height of 4DEF is the perpendicular distance from
EF (extended) to vertex D, namely GD. The area is given. So
'#$%&
(#$%&
&
30 GD
2
210 = 15 GD
14 = GD
Area 4DEF =
We know that EH = AB = 50, GH = DC = 15, and

EH = EF + F G + GH. It follows that 50 = 30 + F G + 15 and
F G = 5 cm.
!"#$%&!
'
"($%&
"
Now we can relate the total area to the areas contained inside.
Area ABCDE = Area ABHE + Area CDGH + Area 4DF G + Area 4DEF
F G GD
1000 = AB AE + DG DC +
+ 210
2
5 14
1000 = 50 AE + 14 15 +
+ 210
2
1000 = 50 AE + 210 + 35 + 210
1000 = 50 AE + 455
1000 455 = 50 AE
545 = 50 AE
545
= AE
50
AE = 10.9 cm.
Problem of the Week

Problem C
A Little Tiling
Tyler, the tiler, has an unlimited supply of square tiles. He has 1 cm by 1 cm
tiles, 2 cm by 2 cm tiles, 3 cm by 3 cm tiles, and so on. Every tile has integer
side lengths.
A rectangular table top with an 84 cm by 112 cm surface is to be completely
covered by identical square tiles, none of which can be cut. Tyler knows that
he can cover the table top with 1 cm 1 cm tiles, 9 408 in total, since
84 112 = 9 408 cm2 . However, Tyler wants to use the minimum number of
identical tiles to complete the job in order to reduce his overall material cost.
Determine the minimum number of tiles required to completely cover the table
top.
Problem of the Week

A Little Tiling
Problem
side lengths. A rectangular table top with an 84 cm by 112 cm surface is to be
completely covered by identical square tiles, none of which can be cut. Tyler
knows that he can cover the table top with 1 cm 1 cm tiles, 9 408 in total,
since 84 112 = 9 408 cm2 . However, Tyler wants to use the minimum number
of identical tiles to complete the job in order to reduce his overall material
cost. Determine the minimum number of tiles required to completely cover the
table top.
Solution
To use the smallest number of tiles we must use the largest tile possible. The
square tile must have sides less than or equal to 84 cm. If it was greater than
84 cm, the tile would have to be cut to fit the width of the table.
Since the tiles are square and must completely cover the top surface, the side
length of the tile must be a number that is a factor of both 84 and 112. In fact,
since we need the largest side length, we are looking for the greatest common
factor of 84 and 112.
The factors of 84 are
1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 12, 14, 21, 28, 42, and 84.
1, 2, 4, 7, 8, 14, 16, 28, 56, and 112.
The largest number common to both lists is 28. Therefore the greatest
common factor of 84 and 112 is 28. The required tiles are 28 cm 28 cm.
Since 84 28 = 3, the surface is 3 tiles wide. Since 112 28 = 4, the surface is
4 tiles long. The minimum number of tiles required is 3 4 = 12 tiles.
The number of 28 cm 28 cm tiles required to cover the top of the table is 12.
This is the minimum number of tiles required.
Problem of the Week

Problem C
One Step at a Time
A circle with centre O has a point A on the circumference. Radius OA is
rotated 20 clockwise about the centre, resulting in the image OB. Point A is
then connected to point B. Radius OB is rotated 20 clockwise about the
centre, resulting in the image OC. Point B is then connected to point C.
The process of clockwise rotations continues until some radius rotates back
onto OA. Every point on the circumference is connected to the points
immediately adjacent to it as a result of the process. A polygon is created.
nth point
A
A
O
20
20
20
20
20
C
D
D
E
E
F
Construction
F
Resulting Polygon

b) Determine the sum of the angles in the polygon. That is, determine the
sum of the angles at each of the vertices of the polygon.
Problem of the Week

One Step at a Time
Problem
A circle with centre O has a point A on the circumference. Radius OA is rotated 20 clockwise
about the centre, resulting in the image OB. Point A is then connected to point B. Radius
OB is rotated 20 clockwise about the centre, resulting in the image OC. Point B is then
connected to point C. The process of clockwise rotations continues until some radius rotates
back onto OA. Every point on the circumference is connected to the points immediately
adjacent to it as a result of the process. A polygon is created.
b) Determine the sum of the angles in the polygon. That is, determine the sum of the
angles at each of the vertices of the polygon.
Solution
Each time the process is repeated, another congruent triangle is created. Each of these
triangles has a 20 angle at O, the centre of the circle. But a complete rotation at the centre is
360 . Since each angle in the triangles at the centre of the circle is 20 and the total measure
at the centre is 360 , then there are 360 20 = 18 triangles formed. This means that there are
18 distinct points on the circumference of the circle and the polygon has 18 sides. An 18-sided
polygon is called an octadecagon, from octa meaning 8 and deca meaning 10.
The other two angles in the each of the congruent triangles are equal. (Two sides of the
triangle are radii of the circle. The triangles are therefore isosceles.) The angles in a triangle
sum to 180 so after the 20 angle is removed, there is 160 remaining for the other two angles.
It follows that each of the other two angles in each triangle measures 160 2 = 80 . The
following diagram illustrates this information for the two adjacent triangles AOB and BOC.
A
80
20
20
80
80
80
B
C
Each angle in the polygon is formed by an 80 angle from one triangle and the adjacent 80
angle from the next triangle. For example, ABC = ABO + OBC = 80 + 80 = 160 .
There are 18 vertices in the octadecagon and the angle at each vertex is 160 . Therefore the
sum of the angles in the octadecagon is 18 160 = 2 880 .
Diagrams are provided on the next page to further support the solution.
Angle at the Centre of a Circle
360
Completing the Construction

Q
P
N
80
80
80 80
R
80
80
80
80
80
80
20
80
20 20
20
80
80
20
20
20
80
80
20
80
80
80
20
20 20
20
80
80
80
80
80
80
80
20
20
20
20
20
80
80
80
20
80
80
80
80 80
80 80
80
The Octadecagon - 18 sided Polygon

P
N
160
Q
160
R
160
160
M
L
K
160
160
160
160
160
160
160
160
160
160
160
160
160
160
Notice the vertices of the octadecagon are labelled A to S, but the letter O is missing since it
was used in the original construction as the centre of the circle.
Problem of the Week

Problem C
This is Sum Problem
The number 90 can be expressed as the sum of 3 consecutive whole numbers.
That is, 90 = 29 + 30 + 31. The number 90 can also be written as the sum of 4
consecutive whole numbers. That is, 90 = 21 + 22 + 23 + 24.
Express the number 220 as the sum of 5 consecutive whole numbers and then
as the sum of 8 consecutive whole numbers.
This problem is extended this week in Problem D and Problem E of Problem

of the Week.
Problem of the Week

This is Sum Problem
Problem
The number 90 can be expressed as the sum of 3 consecutive whole numbers. That is,
90 = 29 + 30 + 31. The number 90 can also be written as the sum of 4 consecutive whole
numbers. That is, 90 = 21 + 22 + 23 + 24. Express the number 220 as the sum of 5 consecutive
whole numbers and then as the sum of 8 consecutive whole numbers.
Solution
First, we want to express 220 as the sum of 5 consecutive whole numbers.
When 90 is expressed as the sum of 3 consecutive whole numbers, the average is 90 3 = 30.
Since 30 is a whole number and there is an odd number of consecutive whole numbers in the
sum, 29, 30 and 31 will produce the correct sum.
If we apply the same idea to 220, the average would be 220 5 = 44. Since 44 is a whole
number and there is an odd number of consecutive whole numbers in the sum, 42, 43, 44, 45,
and 46, should produce the correct sum. Checking, 42 + 43 + 44 + 45 + 46, we obtain 220 as
required.
Next, we want to express 220 as the sum of 8 consecutive whole numbers.
When 90 is expressed as the sum of 4 consecutive whole numbers, the average is 90 4 = 22.5.
We need consecutive whole numbers such that two are below and two are above 22.5. This
gives the numbers 21, 22, 23, and 24, as in the example. This would only work for an even
number of consecutive whole numbers if the average is half way between two consecutive whole
numbers.
Applying the same idea to 220, the average would be 220 8 = 27.5. This number is half way
between 27 and 28. We would need four consecutive whole numbers below the average and four
consecutive whole numbers above the average giving us the eight numbers 24, 25, 26, 27, 28,
29, 30, and 31. Checking, 24 + 25 + 26 + 27 + 28 + 29 + 30 + 31, we obtain 220 as required.
As a concluding note, it is not possible to express 220 as the sum of four consecutive whole
numbers. 220 4 = 55. The number 55 is the average of the four numbers but 55 is a whole
number. We could try 54 + 55 + 56 + 57 = 222 6= 220 or 53 + 54 + 55 + 56 = 218 6= 220.
It is possible to express 220 as the sum of n consecutive whole numbers when n is odd provided
that the average 220 n is a whole number.
It is possible to express 220 as the sum of n consecutive whole numbers when n is even
provided that the average 220 n is half way between two consecutive whole numbers.
Problem of the Week

Problem C
Playing With Blocks
Ten blocks are arranged as illustrated in the following diagram. Each letter
shown on the front of a block represents a number.
The sum of the numbers on any three consecutive blocks is 19.

Determine the value of S.
Problem of the Week

Playing With Blocks
Problem
shown on the front of a block represents a number. The sum of the numbers on
any three consecutive blocks is 19. Determine the value of S.
Solution
Since the sum of the numbers on any three consecutive blocks is the same,
4+P +Q = P +Q+R
4+ 6 P + 6 Q = 6 P + 6 Q + R
R = 4
since P + Q is common to both sides
Again, since the sum of the numbers on any three consecutive blocks is the
same,
T +U +V = U +V +8
T + 6U + 6V = 6U + 6V + 8
T = 8
since U + V is common to both sides
Since the sum of any three consecutive numbers is 19:

R+S+T
4+S+8
S + 12
S
The value of S is 7.
=
=
=
=
19
19
19
7
substituting R = 4 and T = 8
Problem of the Week

Problem C
Show Me The Money
Over the past several years, Ima Saver collected nickels (5 cent coins) and
dimes (10 cent coins) and put them in his pink piggy bank. Only nickels and
dimes went in his bank.
Finally, one day, the bank was full so Ima counted his money and discovered
that he had exactly $10 in the bank. He also observed that he had 11 more
nickels than dimes in his bank.
How many coins were in Ima Savers pink piggy bank?
Problem of the Week

Show Me The Money
Problem
Over the past several years, Ima Saver collected nickels (5 cent coins) and dimes (10 cent
coins) and put them in his pink piggy bank. Only nickels and dimes went in his bank. Finally,
one day, the bank was full so Ima counted his money and discovered that he had exactly $10 in
the bank. He also observed that he had 11 more nickels than dimes in his bank. How many
coins were in Ima Savers pink piggy bank?
Solution 1
In this solution we will solve the problem without using equations.
Ima had 11 more nickels than dimes. These 11 nickels are worth 11 5 = 55 or $0.55. The
remaining $10.00 $0.55 = $9.45 would be made up using an equal number of nickels and
dimes. Each nickel-dime combination is worth 15 or $0.15. By dividing $9.45 by $0.15 we
determine the number of 15 cent combinations that are required to make the total. Since
$9.45 $0.15 = 63 we need 63 nickel-dime pairs. That is, we need 63 nickels and 63 dimes to
make $9.45. But there are 11 more nickels. Therefore, there is a total of 63 + 63 + 11 = 137
coins in his bank.
Solution 2
In this solution we will solve the problem using an equation.
Let n represent the number of nickels and (n 11) represent the number of dimes. Since each
nickel is worth 5, the value of n nickels is (5n). Since each dime is worth 10, the value of
n 11 dimes is 10(n 11). The bank contains a total value of $10 or 1 000. Therefore,
Value of Nickels (in ) + Value of Dimes (in )
5n + 10(n 11)
5n + 10n 110
15n
15n
n
n 11
=
=
=
=
=
=
=
Total Value (in )

1 000
1 000
1 000 + 110
1 110
74
63
There are 74 nickels and 63 dimes for a total of 74 + 63 = 137 coins in his bank.
Problem of the Week

Problem C
Thats Odd
1 = 12
1 + 3 = 4 = 22
1 + 3 + 5 = 9 = 32
1 + 3 + 5 + 7 = 16 = 42
Did you know that the sum of the first n positive odd integers is n2 ? The
diagram above illustrates the first four possible sums. The sum of the first
five positive odd integers would be 52 or 25. We can easily check to see that
1 + 3 + 5 + 7 + 9 = 25.
When adding the first a positive odd integers to the first b positive odd
integers, the sum is 180. If p is the largest odd number in the first set of
numbers and q is the largest odd number in the second set of numbers, then
determine the sum p + q.
Problem of the Week

Thats Odd
Problem
Did you know that the sum of the first n positive odd integers is n2 ? The sum of the first five
positive odd integers would be 52 or 25. We can easily check to see that 1 + 3 + 5 + 7 + 9 = 25.
When adding the first a positive odd integers to the first b positive odd integers, the sum is
180. If p is the largest odd number in the first set of numbers and q is the largest odd number
in the second set of numbers, then determine the sum p + q.
Solution
Since there are a positive odd integers and the largest is p, then 1 + 3 + 5 + + p = a2 .
Since there are b positive odd integers and the largest is q, then 1 + 3 + 5 + + q = b2 .
We also know that when these two sets of odd numbers are added together, the sum is 180 so
(1 + 3 + 5 + + p) + (1 + 3 + 5 + + q) = a2 + b2 = 180.
One way to proceed is to pick values for a, determine a2 and then determine if the remaining
number required to sum to 180 is a perfect square. The results are summarized in the table
below.
a
a2 b2 = 180 a2 b (b > 0) Solution?
1
1
180-1=179
13.4
no
2
4
180-4=176
13.3
no
3
9
180-9=171
13.1
no
4
16
180-16=164
12.8
no
5
25
180-25=155
12.4
no
6
36
180-36=144
12
yes
7
49
180-49=131
11.4
no
8
64
180-64=116
10.8
no
9
81
180-81=99
9.9
no
10 100 180-100=80
8.9
no
11 121 180-121=59
7.7
no
12 144 180-144=36
6
yes
13 169 180-169=11
3.3
no
If a = 14, then a2 = 196. This produces a value greater than 180 and cannot be a possible
solution.
There appear to be two possible solutions. When a = 6 and b = 12, then
a2 + b2 = 36 + 144 = 180. This means that adding the first 6 odd positive integers to the first
12 odd positive integers results in a sum of 180. So p is the sixth odd positive integer, namely
11, and q is the twelfth odd positive integer, namely 23. The sum, p + q, is 11 + 23 or 34. The
second solution, a = 12 and b = 6, produces p = 23 and q = 11. The sum, p + q, is still 34.
Problem of the Week

Problem C
Clock Talk
My clock is a perfectly good clock. It keeps exact time. But it only has an
hour hand. Today, in the afternoon, I looked at my clock and discovered that
the hour hand was 87 of the distance between the 4 and the 5.
Determine the exact time (hours, minutes and seconds).
Problem of the Week

Clock Talk
Problem
My clock is a perfectly good clock. It keeps exact time. But it only has an
hour hand. Today, in the afternoon, I looked at my clock and discovered that
the hour hand was 87 of the distance between the 4 and the 5. Determine
the exact time (hours, minutes and seconds).
Solution
1
To solve this problem we note that in one hour, the hour hand travels 12
of a
complete revolution while the minute hand travels a complete revolution or
60 minutes.
Since the hour hand is 78 of the distance between the 4 and the 5, the
minute hand will travel 87 of a complete revolution or 87 of 60 minutes
which is 78 60 or 52 12 minutes.
Since we want the time in hours, minutes and seconds, we need to convert
minute to seconds.
1
2
The number of seconds may be obvious but the calculation,

1
60 seconds
2 minute 1 minute = 30 seconds, is provided for completeness.
Therefore the precise time is 30 seconds after 4:52 p.m. This can be written
4:52:30 p.m. or 16:52:30 using the twenty-four hour clock.
Problem of the Week

Problem C
Ride On, Ride On!
A motorcycle and a delivery truck left a roadside diner at the same time. After
travelling in the same direction for one and one-quarter hours, the motorcycle
had travelled 25 km farther than the delivery truck. If the average speed of the
motorcycle was 60 km/h, find the average speed of the delivery truck.
Problem of the Week

Ride On, Ride On!
Problem
A motorcycle and a delivery truck left a roadside diner at the same time. After
travelling in the same direction for one and one-quarter hours, the motorcycle
had travelled 25 km farther than the delivery truck. If the average speed of the
motorcycle was 60 km/h, find the average speed of the delivery truck.
Solution
We can calculate distance by multiplying the average speed by the time.
In one and one-quarter hours at 60 km/h, the motorcycle would travel
60 1 41 = 60 54 = 75 km.
In the same time, the delivery truck travels 25 km less. The delivery truck has
travelled 75 25 = 50 km. Since the distance travelled equals the average
speed multiplied by the time, then the average speed will equal the distance
travelled divided by the time travelled. Thus, the average speed of the delivery
truck equals 50 1 14 = 50 54 = 50 45 = 40 km/h.
Therefore the average speed of the delivery truck is 40 km/h.
The calculations in this problem could be done using decimals by converting
one and one-quarter hours to 1.25 hours.
Problem of the Week

Problem C
Balloon Breaker
A wall is covered with balloons. Each balloon has the number 5, 3 or 2 printed
on it. You are given 7 darts to throw at the wall. If your dart breaks a balloon,
then you earn the number of points printed on the balloon. If your dart does
not break a balloon, then you are awarded 0 points for that shot. You win a
prize if your total score is exactly 16 points on seven shots. If your total is over
16 or under 16, then you lose.
Determine the number of different point combinations that can be used to win
the game.
Problem of the Week

Balloon Breaker
Problem
A wall is covered with balloons. Each balloon has the number 5, 3 or 2 printed on it. You are
given 7 darts to throw at the wall. If your dart breaks a balloon, then you earn the number of
points printed on the balloon. If your dart does not break a balloon, then you are awarded 0
points for that shot. You win a prize if your total score is exactly 16 points on seven shots. If
your total is over 16 or under 16, then you lose. Determine the number of different point
combinations that can be used to win the game.
Solution 1
Let us consider cases.
1. You break three balloons with a 5 printed on them. You have a total of 3 5 = 15
points. There is no possible way to get 16 points since the other balloon values are 2 or
3. There is no way to win by breaking three (or more) balloons with a 5 printed on them.
2,. You break two balloons with a 5 printed on them. You have a total of 2 5 = 10 points.
You need to get 16 10 = 6 points by breaking balloons with 2 or 3 printed on them.
There are two ways to do this. Break three balloons with a 2 printed on them and miss
on two shots or break two balloons with 3 printed on them and miss on three shots.
There are 2 ways to win if you break two balloons with a 5 printed on them.
3. You break one balloon with a 5 printed on it. You have a total of 5 points. You need to
get 16 5 = 11 points by breaking balloons with 2 or 3 printed on them. You cannot get
11 points breaking only balloons with a 2 printed on them and you cannot get 11 points
breaking only balloons with a 3 printed on them. However, you can get 11 points by
breaking one 3 and four 2s or by breaking three 3s and one 2. There are 2 ways to win
if you break one balloon with a 5 printed on it.
4. You break no balloons with a 5 printed on it. You need to make 16 points by breaking
only balloons with a 2 or 3 printed on them. You cannot get 16 points breaking only
balloons with a 3 printed on them. You cannot get 16 points breaking only balloons with
a 2 printed on them because you only have seven darts giving a maximum of 14 points.
It is possible to get 16 points using combinations of 3 point and 2 point balloons. If you
break two 3 point balloons and five 2 point balloons, then you win in seven shots. If you
break four 3 point balloons and two 2 point balloons, then you have 16 points in six shots
and would have to miss on one of your shots. There are 2 ways to win if you do not
break any 5 point balloons.
There are 0 + 2 + 2 + 2 = 6 combinations that allow you to win by getting 16 points in seven
shots.
Problem
Solution 2
In this solution we will complete a chart to determine the valid possibilities.
Let the number of 5 point balloons be a, the number of 3 point balloons be b, and the number
of 2 point balloons be c. We want 5a + 3b + 2c = 16 and a + b + c 7.
Number
of 5 Point
Balloons
a
3
3
3
2
2
2
2
1
1
1
1
1
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
Number
of 3 Point
Balloons
b
0
0
1
2
1
1
0
4
3
3
2
2
1
6
5
5
4
3
3
2
1
0
Number
of 2 Point
Balloons
c
0
1
0
0
1
2
3
0
0
1
2
3
4
0
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
Total
Points
Scored
5a + 3b + 2c
15
17
18
16
15
17
16
17
14
16
15
17
16
18
15
17
16
15
17
16
15
14
Number
of Missed Shots
Needed
16 a b c
WIN
or
LOSE
LOSE
LOSE
LOSE
WIN
LOSE
LOSE
WIN
LOSE
LOSE
WIN
LOSE
LOSE
WIN
LOSE
LOSE
LOSE
WIN
LOSE
LOSE
WIN
LOSE
LOSE
There are only 6 combinations that allow you to win by getting 16 points in seven shots. (In
following a method like the above method, one must be careful to systematically examine all
possible cases.)
Problem of the Week

Problem C
Photo Fun
Five of Santas elves: Alpha, Beta, Delta, Epsilon and Gamma, are lined up in
alphabetical order from left to right. They can each choose one of five festive
hats to wear for a photo. The hats are identical except for colour. Three of the
hats are red and two of the hats are green.
How many different photos can be taken?
Problem of the Week

Photo Fun
Problem
Five of Santas elves: Alpha, Beta, Delta, Epsilon and Gamma, are lined up in
alphabetical order from left to right. They can each choose one of five festive
hats to wear for a photo. The hats are identical except for colour. Three of the
hats are red and two of the hats are green. How many different photos can be
taken?
Solution
Since the elves are already organized in alphabetical order, we are looking for
the number of different ways that we can distribute the hats among the elves.
We will consider cases:
1. If the first elf gets a green hat, there are four ways to give out the second
green hat. Once the green hats are distributed, the remaining three elves
must each get a red hat. Therefore, there are 4 ways to distribute the hats
so that the first elf receives a green hat.
2. If the first elf gets a red hat and the second elf gets a green hat, there are
three ways to give out the second green hat. Once the green hats are
distributed, the remaining two elves must each get a red hat. Therefore,
there are 3 ways to distribute the hats so that the first elf receives a red
hat and the second elf receives a green hat.
3. If the first two elves each get a red hat and the third elf gets a green hat,
there are two ways to give out the second green hat. Once the green hats
are distributed, the remaining elf must get a red hat. Therefore, there are
2 ways to distribute the hats so that the first two elves each receive a red
hat and the third elf receives a green hat.
4. If the first three elves each get a red hat and the fourth elf gets a green
hat, the fifth elf must get the second green hat. Therefore, there is only
1 way to distribute the hats so that the first three elves each receive a red
hat and the fourth elf receives a green hat.
There are no other cases to consider. The total number of ways to distribute
the hats is the sum of the number of ways from each of the cases. Therefore,
there are 4 + 3 + 2 + 1 = 10 ways to distribute the hats. There are 10 different
photos that can be taken.
Problem of the Week

Problem C
A Powerful Problem For The New Year
53 is a power with base 5 and exponent 3.
53 means 5 5 5 and equals 125 when expressed as an integer.
When 52013 is expressed as an integer, what are the last three digits?
Problem of the Week

Problem
Solution
Lets start by examining the last three digits of various powers of 5.
51 =
52 =
005
025
53 =
54 =
125
625
55 =
56 =
3 125
15 625
57 = 78 125
58 = 390 625
Notice that there is a pattern for the last three digits after the first two powers
of 5. For every odd integral exponent greater than 2, the last three digits are
125. For every even integral exponent greater than 2, the last three digits
are 625. The pattern continues so 59 will end 125 since the exponent 9 is
odd and 510 will end 625 since the exponent 10 is even. This is easily verified
since 59 = 1 953 125 and 510 = 9 765 625.
For 52013 , the exponent 2013 is greater than 2 and is an odd number.
the last three digits of 52013 are 125.
Problem of the Week

Problem C
Triangle Triumph
#
"

"
Problem of the Week

Triangle Triumph
#
Problem
Solution
&
$"#
"
'
!"#
1
area of 4ABD = 24 + 12 = 36 m2 .
2

Since 4ABD
AD = 100 = 10 since AD > 0.


AC > 0.
=
=
=
a+b+c
DC + AC + AD
9 + 17 + 10
36 m
Problem of the Week

Problem C
Positively Perfect Prime Products
A prime number is any number that has exactly two positive integer factors, 1
and the number itself. A composite number has more than two positive integer
factors. The number 1 is neither prime nor composite.
Four distinct prime numbers have a product of d10: a three-digit number with
hundreds digit d. Determine all possible values of the sum of these four prime
numbers.
Problem of the Week

Positively Perfect Prime Products
Problem
A prime number is any number that has exactly two positive integer factors, 1 and the number
itself. A composite number has more than two positive integer factors. The number 1 is neither
prime nor composite. Four distinct prime numbers have a product of d10: a three-digit number
with hundreds digit d. Determine all possible values of the sum of these four prime numbers.
Solution
Since the product d10 ends in 0, it must be divisible by 10, which is the product of the two
primes 2 and 5.
When d10 is divided by 10, the quotient is d10 10 = d1. This two-digit number must be
composite and must be the product of two distinct prime numbers, neither of which is 2 or 5.
We can rule out any two-digit prime numbers for d1 since these numbers would only have one
prime factor. Therefore, we can rule out 11, 31, 41, 61, and 71: the five prime numbers
ending with a 1. Then, d cannot be 1, 3, 4, 6, or 7. Since d10 is a three-digit number, d 6= 0
because d10 = 010 = 10 is not a three-digit number. The remaining possibilities for d are
2, 5, 8, and 9.
If d = 2, then the two-digit number would be 21, which has prime factors 7 and 3. The four
prime factors of d10 = 210 are 2, 3, 5, and 7, producing a sum of 2 + 3 + 5 + 7 = 17.
If d = 8, then the two-digit number would be 81, which is the product 9 9. There are already
four factors, two of which are composite so d10 = 810 cannot be expressed as the product of
four distinct prime numbers. Therefore, 8 can be ruled out as a possible value for d. (Note that
810 = 2 3 3 3 3 5, which is the product of six prime numbers not all of which are
distinct.
However, we already have the sum 27.
Since there are no other possible cases to consider, the only possible sums of the four distinct
prime factors that multiply to d10 are 17 and 27.
Problem of the Week

Problem C
Xavier, Yvonne and Zak arrived at school at three different times. They each
brought one of their favourite snacks to share with the other two (one brought
pretzels; one brought cookies; one brought licorice), and their favourite sports
apparatus (one brought a baseball; one brought a soccer ball; one brought a
football).
Determine the order they arrived in, what they each brought for a snack, and
which sports apparatus they each brought.
Problem of the Week

Problem
Xavier, Yvonne and Zak arrived at school at three different times. They each brought one of
their favourite snacks to share with the other two (one brought pretzels; one brought cookies;
one brought licorice), and their favourite sports apparatus (one brought a baseball; one
brought a soccer ball; one brought a football).
Determine the order they arrived in, what they each brought for a snack, and which sports
apparatus they each brought.
Solution
When solving logic problems, setting up a chart to fill in is generally a good way to start.
Order of Arrival
Snack
Sports Apparatus
Xavier
Yvonne
Zak
Some of the given information is often more helpful than other information. For example, in
the second statement we learn that Xavier arrived second and brought a football. Now the
third statement gets us the fact that Yvonne arrived first and Zak arrived third. (This is true
since Yvonne arrived before Zak and she could not arrive second leaving only the first and
third spots left.) We can add this information to the chart.
Xavier
Yvonne
Zak
Order of Arrival
2nd
1st
3rd
Snack
Sports Apparatus
football
We can combine the first statement and the fourth statement. Yvonne did not bring cookies.
The person who brought cookies also brought a baseball. This cannot be Xavier since he
brought a football. Therefore, Zak brought cookies and a baseball. Since there is only one
piece of sports apparatus unaccounted for, Yvonne must have brought the soccer ball. We will
add this new information to our chart.
Xavier
Yvonne
Zak
Order of Arrival
2nd
1st
3rd
Snack
cookies
Sports Apparatus
football
soccer ball
baseball
We can now use the fifth statement to conclude that Xavier brought pretzels since the person
bringing pretzels did not bring a soccer ball and Xavier is the only one without a snack
accounted for other than Yvonne (who brought the soccer ball).
Xavier
Yvonne
Zak
Order of Arrival
2nd
1st
3rd
Snack
pretzels
cookies
Sports Apparatus
football
soccer ball
baseball
The only snack unaccounted for is the licorice and Yvonne is the only one whose snack is
unknown. Therefore, Yvonne brought licorice and our chart can be completed.
Xavier
Yvonne
Zak
Order of Arrival
2nd
1st
3rd
Snack
pretzels
licorice
cookies
Sports Apparatus
football
soccer ball
baseball
The information is summarized in the chart but will be stated below for completeness.
Yvonne arrived first bringing licorice and a soccer ball.
Xavier arrived second bringing pretzels and a football.
Zak arrived third bringing cookies and a baseball.
Problem of the Week

Problem C
Good to Plan and Prepare but ...
In preparing to write an examination, Stu Deus made the following
observations:
The exam had 20 questions.
He estimated that he would spend 6 minutes per question.
The exam would take him 2 hours to complete.
However, during the actual examination, Stu discovered some difficult

questions which each required 15 minutes to complete. He also discovered some
questions which were much easier than he expected and only took him 2
minutes per question to complete. Seven of the questions, however, still
required 6 minutes each to complete. Surprisingly, Stu was still able to
complete the exam in 2 hours.
How many of the 20 examination questions did Stu find difficult?
Problem of the Week

Problem
In preparing to write an examination, Stu Deus made the following observations: the exam had
20 questions, he would spend 6 minutes per question, and the exam would take him 2 hours to
complete. However, during the actual examination, Stu discovered some difficult questions
which each required 15 minutes to complete. He also discovered some questions which were
much easier than he expected and only took him 2 minutes per question to complete. Seven of
the questions, however, still required 6 minutes each to complete. Surprisingly, Stu was still
able to complete the exam in 2 hours. How many of the 20 examination questions did Stu find
difficult?
Solution 1: Systematic Trial

Since 7 of the questions required 6 minutes each to complete, it took Stu 7 6 = 42 minutes to
complete these questions. The total exam took 2 hours or 120 minutes. He had 120 42 = 78
minutes to complete 20 7 = 13 questions.
Let d represent the number of difficult questions and e represent the number of easier
questions. We know that d + e = 13.
Since each difficult question took 15 minutes, it took 15d minutes to complete all of the difficult
questions. Since each easier question took 2 minutes, it took 2e minutes to complete all of the
easier questions. Since Stus total remaining time was 78 minutes, 15d + 2e = 78 minutes.
At this point we can pick values for d and e that add to 13 and substitute into the equation
15d + 2e = 78 to find the combination that works. (We can observe that d < 6 since
15 6 = 90 > 78. If this were the case, then e would have to be a negative number.)
If d = 3 then e = 13 3 = 10. The time to complete these would be
15 3 + 2 10 = 45 + 20 = 65 minutes and he would complete the exam in less than 2 hours.
15 4 + 2 9 = 60 + 18 = 78 minutes and he would complete the exam in exactly 2 hours.
Therefore, Stu found 4 of the questions to be more difficult and time-consuming than he
expected.
Solution 2 involves algebra and equation solving.
Problem
difficult?
Solution 2: Using Algebra and Equations

Let d represent the number of difficult questions and (13 d) represent the number of easier
questions.
Since each difficult question took 15 minutes, it took 15d minutes to complete all of the
difficult questions. Since each easier question took 2 minutes, it took 2(13 d) minutes to
complete all of the easier questions.
Since Stus total remaining time was 78 minutes,
15d + 2(13 d)
15d + 26 2d
13d + 26
Subtracting 26 from both sides:
13d
Dividing both sides by 13:
d
=
=
=
=
=
78
78
78
52
4
expected.
Problem of the Week

Problem C
CUT!
Kuri Uz is given some red licorice that is wrapped in a coil. Upon flattening
the licorice, Kuri discovers that the total length is 60 cm. She then cuts the
licorice into two pieces such that the ratio of the lengths of the two pieces is
7 : 3. Each piece is then bent to form a square.
What is the total area of the two squares?
Problem of the Week

CUT!
Problem
Kuri Uz is given some red licorice that is wrapped in a coil. Upon flattening the
licorice, Kuri discovers that the total length is 60 cm. She then cuts the licorice
into two pieces such that the ratio of the lengths of the two pieces is 7 : 3. Each
piece is then bent to form a square. What is the total area of the two squares?
Solution
Since the licorice is cut in the ratio 7 : 3, let the longer piece be 7x cm and the
shorter piece be 3x cm. Then 7x + 3x = 60 or 10x = 60 and x = 60 10 = 6.
Therefore, the longer piece is 7x = 7 6 = 42 cm and the shorter piece is
3x = 3 6 = 18 cm.
Each of the two pieces is then bent to form a square. The perimeter of each
square is the length of the licorice used to form it. The side length of the
longer square is 42 4 = 10.5 cm and the side length of the shorter square is
18 4 = 4.5 cm.
To find the area of each square, we multiply length by width. In effect, to find
the area of the square, we square the side length. The area of the larger square
is 10.5 10.5 = 10.52 = 110.25 cm2 and the area of the smaller square is
4.5 4.5 = 4.52 = 20.25 cm2 .
Therefore, if Kuri Uz cuts the licorice into pieces of length 42 cm and 18 cm,
she can form two squares with area 110.25 cm2 and 20.25 cm2 , respectively.
The total area of the two squares is 110.25 + 20.25 = 130.5 cm2 .
As a slight extension, the ratio of the area of the larger square to the area of
the smaller square is
110.25 : 20.25 = 11025 : 2025 = 441 : 81 = 49 : 9 = 72 : 32 .
The ratio of the perimeters is 7 : 3 and the ratio of the areas is 72 : 32 . In
general, if the ratio of the perimeters of two squares is a : b, is it true that the
ratio of the areas of the two squares is a2 : b2 ?
Problem of the Week

Problem C
Trickling Down
The number in an unshaded square in the grid below is obtained by adding the
numbers connected to it from the row above. For example, the 5 in the second
row is obtained by adding the numbers, 2 and 3, connected to it in the row
above. The numbers trickle down until the final square containing 2x.
Determine the value of x.
"
"
!"
Problem of the Week

Trickling Down
Problem
The number in an unshaded square in the grid is obtained by adding the numbers connected to it from the
row above. For example, the 5 in the second row is
obtained by adding the numbers, 2 and 3, connected
to it in the row above. The numbers trickle down until the final square containing 2x. Determine the value of x.
"
"
!"
Solution 1
In the first solution a trial and error type solution will be presented. We will
pick a value for x and then complete the table.
Let x = 0. We would expect 2x = 2(0) = 0. However,

after completing the table, 2x = 12 6= 0. Therefore,
x 6= 0.
Let x = 5. We would expect 2x = 2(5) = 10. After
completing the table, 2x = 27 6= 10. Therefore, x 6= 5.
For our next trial we should choose a number lower than
x = 0.
Let x = 5. We would expect 2x = 2(5) = 10.
However, after completing the table, 2x = 3 6= 10.
Therefore, x 6= 5.
Let x = 12. We would expect 2x = 2(12) = 24. After completing the table, 2x = 24, the expected value.
Therefore, x = 12.
"
&
"
"
#!
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'
$
&
#'
!(
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$ %! %&
" %'
%"
!
#"
"
%'
%&
%!'
%#!
%!(
%##
This solution is valid but not efficient. To reach the solution could take many,
many trials. In the second solution, we will look at an algebraic solution.
Solution 2
For easy reference label all of the empty, unshaded squares in the diagram as
shown.
"
%
#
!"
"
&
We can complete the second row using the addition rule for the table,
a = 3 + x and b = x + 1.
Moving to the third row, c = 5 + a = 5 + 3 + x = 8 + x and
d = a + b = 3 + x + x + 1 = 4 + 2x.
Finally, in the fourth row, 2x = c + d = 8 + x + 4 + 2x.
We can now solve the equation.
2x
2x 2x
0
0 12
12
=
=
=
=
=
8 + x + 4 + 2x
8 + x + 4 + 2x 2x
12 + x
12 + x 12
x
Subtracting 2x from both sides

Simplifying
Subtracting 12 from both sides
Therefore, x = 12.
An algebraic solution to this problem is much more efficient. Some students
may not quite have the necessary background to complete this solution on
their own at this point.
Problem of the Week

Problem C
Cant Get There From Here
A list consists of the integers
1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, and 34.
!%
"!
"
A second list of integers is created that contains

all possible integers that can be formed by adding
two different integers from the first list. The
smallest integer in this list is 1 + 2 = 3 and the
largest integer in this list is 21 + 34 = 55.
A third list of integers contains all of the integers
from 3 to 55 that are not contained in the second
list.
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Determine the number of integers in the third list.
For your information:

The integers in the first list are numbers found in the F ibonacci Sequence. The
rectangle shown above is often referred to as T he F ibonacci Rectangle. The
numbers inside the squares correspond to the side length of the square that
contains the number. The two smallest squares (the white one and the black
one) in the diagram each have side length 1. The rectangle spirals out from
these two smallest squares. You may wish to investigate this sequence further.
Problem of the Week

Problem
A list consists of the integers 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, and 34. A second list of integers is created
that contains all possible integers that can be formed by adding two different integers from the
first list. The smallest integer in this list is 1 + 2 = 3 and the largest integer in this list is
21 + 34 = 55. A third list of integers contains all of the integers from 3 to 55 that are not
contained in the second list. Determine the number of integers in the third list.
Solution
Notice that in the first list, each integer after the first two integers is the sum of the previous
two integers.
It is easiest to determine the number of numbers in the second list. We are able to
systematically do this.
If 34 is added to each of the seven smaller integers in the first list, seven unique integers in the
range 35 to 55 can be formed, namely 35, 36, 37, 39, 42, 47, and 55.
If 21 is added to each of the six smaller integers in the first list, six unique integers in the range
22 to 34 can be formed, namely 22, 23, 24, 26, 29, and 34.
If 13 is added to each of the five smaller integers in the first list, five unique integers in the
range 14 to 21 can be formed, namely 14, 15, 16, 18, and 21.
If 8 is added to each of the four smaller integers in the first list, four unique integers in the
range 9 to 13 can be formed, namely 9, 10, 11, and 13.
If 5 is added to each of the three smaller integers in the first list, three unique integers in the
range 6 to 8 can be formed, namely 6, 7, and 8.
If 3 is added to each of the two smaller integers in the first list, two unique integers in the
range 4 to 5 can be formed, namely 4 and 5.
If the first two integers in the first list are added, the number 3 is obtained.
The second list contains 7 + 6 + 5 + 4 + 3 + 2 + 1 = 28 integers. The number of integers from 3
to 55 is the same as the number of integers from 1 to 53. There are 53 integers from 3 to 55.
Therefore, the third list contains 53 28 = 25 integers.
Problem of the Week

Problem C
A Little Tiling
side lengths.
A rectangular table top with an 84 cm by 112 cm surface is to be completely
covered by identical square tiles, none of which can be cut. Tyler knows that
he can cover the table top with 1 cm 1 cm tiles, 9 408 in total, since
84 112 = 9 408 cm2 . However, Tyler wants to use the minimum number of
identical tiles to complete the job in order to reduce his overall material cost.
Determine the minimum number of tiles required to completely cover the table
top.
Problem of the Week

A Little Tiling
Problem
side lengths. A rectangular table top with an 84 cm by 112 cm surface is to be
completely covered by identical square tiles, none of which can be cut. Tyler
knows that he can cover the table top with 1 cm 1 cm tiles, 9 408 in total,
since 84 112 = 9 408 cm2 . However, Tyler wants to use the minimum number
of identical tiles to complete the job in order to reduce his overall material
cost. Determine the minimum number of tiles required to completely cover the
table top.
Solution
To use the smallest number of tiles we must use the largest tile possible. The
square tile must have sides less than or equal to 84 cm. If it was greater than
84 cm, the tile would have to be cut to fit the width of the table.
Since the tiles are square and must completely cover the top surface, the side
length of the tile must be a number that is a factor of both 84 and 112. In fact,
since we need the largest side length, we are looking for the greatest common
factor of 84 and 112.
1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 12, 14, 21, 28, 42, and 84.
1, 2, 4, 7, 8, 14, 16, 28, 56, and 112.
The largest number common to both lists is 28. Therefore the greatest
common factor of 84 and 112 is 28. The required tiles are 28 cm 28 cm.
Since 84 28 = 3, the surface is 3 tiles wide. Since 112 28 = 4, the surface is
4 tiles long. The minimum number of tiles required is 3 4 = 12 tiles.
The number of 28 cm 28 cm tiles required to cover the top of the table is 12.
This is the minimum number of tiles required.
Problem of the Week

Problem C
E-I-E-I-O
Old MacDonald had a farm, E-I-E-I-O, says the old childrens song. But Old
MacDonald did have a farm! And on that farm he had some horses, cows, pigs
and 69 water troughs for the animals to drink from. Only horses drank from
the horse troughs, exactly two horses for each trough. Only cows drank from
cow troughs, exactly three cows per trough. And only pigs drank from pig
troughs, exactly eight pigs per trough. Old MacDonalds farm has the same
number of cows, horses and pigs.
How many animals does Old MacDonald have on his farm?
Problem of the Week

E-I-E-I-O
Problem
number of cows, horses and pigs. How many animals does Old MacDonald
have on his farm?
Solution 1
Let n represent the number of each type of animal.
Since there are two horses for every horse trough, then n must be divisible by
2. Since there are three cows for every cow trough, then n must be divisible by
3. Since there are eight pigs for every pig trough, then n must be divisible by
8. Therefore, n must be divisible by 2, 3 and 8. The smallest number divisible
by 2, 3, and 8 is 24. (This number is called the lowest common multiple or
LCM , for short.)
If there are 24 of each kind of animal, there would be 24 2 = 12 troughs for
horses, 24 3 = 8 troughs for cows and 24 8 = 3 troughs for pigs. This
would require a total of 12 + 8 + 3 = 23 troughs. Since there are 69 troughs
and 69 23 = 3, we require 3 times more of each type of animal. That is, there
would be 24 3 = 72 of each type of animal. The total number of animals is
72 + 72 + 72 or 216.
We can check the correctness of this solution. Since there are two horses for
every horse trough, there are 72 2 = 36 horse troughs. Since there are three
cows for every cow trough, there are 72 3 = 24 cow troughs. Since there are
eight pigs for every pig trough, there are 72 8 = 9 pig troughs. The total
number of troughs is 36 + 24 + 9 = 69, as expected.
Solution 2
In this solution, algebra and equation solving will be used to solve the problem.
Since there are n horses and there are two horses for every horse trough, then there would be n2
troughs for horses. Since there are n cows and there are three cows for every cow trough, then
there would be n3 troughs for cows. Since there are n pigs and there are eight pigs for every pig
trough, then there would be n8 troughs for pigs. Since there are 69 troughs in total,
n n n
+ +
= 69
2
3
8
12n 8n 3n
+
+
= 69
common denominator 24
24
24
24
23n
= 69
simplify the fractions
24
23n = 24 69
23n = 1656
1656
n =
23
n = 72
multiply both sides by 24

simplify
divide both sides by 23
There are 72 of each type of animal, a total of 216 animals.
Solution 3
In this solution, ratios will be used to solve the problem.
Let n represent the number of each type of animal. The ratio of the number of troughs
required for the pigs to the number of troughs required for the cows is
3n 8n
n n
: =
:
= 3n : 8n = 3 : 8.
8 3
24 24
Similarly, the ratio of the number of troughs required for the cows to the number of troughs
required for the horses is 2 : 3 = 8 : 12. So the ratio of the number of troughs required for the
pigs to the number required for the cows to the number required for the horses is 3 : 8 : 12.
Let the number of troughs required for the pigs be 3k, for the cows be 8k and for the horses be
12k, for some positive integer value of k.
Since the total number of troughs required is 69, then
3k + 8k + 12k = 69
23k = 69
k = 3
The number of troughs required for the pigs is 3k = 9. There are 8 pigs at each trough. There
are a total of 9 8 = 72 pigs. Since there are the same number of each animal, there are also 72
cows and 72 horses. There are a total of 72 + 72 + 72 = 216 animals on Old MacDonalds farm.
Problem of the Week

Problem C
The Bead Goes On
Jill has been making two types of bracelets. The smaller bracelets contain four
birthstone-coloured beads each and the larger bracelets contain seven
birthstone-coloured beads each. So far Jill has used a total of 99 beads.
How many of each type of bracelet has Jill made? (There may be more than
one possible answer.)
Problem of the Week

The Bead Goes On
Problem
birthstone-coloured beads each and the larger bracelets contain seven birthstone-coloured
beads each. So far Jill has used a total of 99 beads. How many of each type of bracelet has Jill
made? (There may be more than one possible answer.)
Solution
Let S represent the number of small bracelets and L represent the number of large bracelets.
Since the small bracelets use 4 beads each, S bracelets would use 4 S or 4S beads in total.
Since the large bracelets use 7 beads each, L bracelets would use 7 L or 7L beads in total.
Since Jill has used a total of 99 beads, 4S + 7L = 99, with L and S integers greater than or
equal to 0.
We can also determine a maximum value for L. Each large bracelet uses 7 beads. We know
that 99 7=14.1
so L must be a positive integer less than or equal to 14. We could at this

point check all of the possible integer values for L from 0 to 14. However, we can narrow down
the possibilities even more.
In the equation, 4S + 7L = 99, 4S will always be an even number since 4 times any number is
always even. We then have an even number plus 7L equals the odd number 99. This means
that 7L must be an odd number. (An even number plus an even number would be an even
number, not an odd number.) For 7L to be an odd number, L must be odd. (If L is even, 7L
would be even.) This observation reduces the possible values for L to the odd positive integers
between 0 and 14, namely 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13. Now we can test the possible values of L to see
which ones, if any, produce a valid possibility for S.
Number
of Large
Bracelets
L
1
3
5
7
9
11
13
Number
of Beads
Used
7L
71=7
7 3 = 21
7 5 = 35
7 7 = 49
7 9 = 63
7 11 = 77
7 13 = 91
Number
of Beads
Remaining
99 7L
99-7=92
99-21=78
99-35=64
99-49=50
99-63=36
99-77=22
99-91=8
Number
of Small
Bracelets
(99 7L) 4
92 4 = 23
78 4 = 19.5
64 4 = 16
50 4 = 12.5
36 4 = 9
22 4 = 5.5
84=2
Valid or Invalid
Possibility?
valid, it is an integer
invalid, not an integer
There are four valid possibilities. Jill has either made 1 large bracelet and 23 small bracelets,
or 5 large bracelets and 16 small bracelets, or 9 large bracelets and 9 small bracelets, or 13
large bracelets and 2 small bracelets.
Problem of the Week

Problem C
Road Trip
A cyclist rode 560 km in seven days. Each day she travelled 15 km more than
the day before.
Determine how far she rode on the seventh day.
Problem of the Week

Road Trip
Problem
the day before. Determine how far she rode on the seventh day.
Solution 1
We will begin by representing the information on a diagram.
!"#$%
!"#$*
!"#$+
!"#$,
!"#$'
!"#$-
!"#$.
!"#$%
!"#$%$&$%'$()
!"#$%$&$%'$()$&$%'$()
!"#$%$&$%'$()$&$%'$()$&$%'$()
!"#$%$&$%'$()$&$%'$()$&$%'$()$&$%'$()
!"#$%$&$%'$()$&$%'$()$&$%'$()$&$%'$()$&$%'$()
!"#$%$&$%'$()$&$%'$()$&$%'$()$&$%'$()$&$%'$()$&$%'$()
The total distance is made up of seven trips with the same length as Day 1 plus
15 + 2(15) + 3(15) + 4(15) + 5(15) + 6(15) = 15 + 30 + 45 + 60 + 75 + 90 = 315 km.
So seven days riding the same distance as Day 1 would total
560 315 = 245 km. On Day 1, the cyclist rode 245 7 = 35 km.
On Day 7, the cyclist rode the Day 1 distance plus 6 15 = 90 km. The total
distance travelled on the seventh day was 35 + 90 = 125 km.
This first solution deliberately avoids algebra and equations. Many solvers
would be able to reason the solution in a similar way.
The second and third solutions will present more algebraic approaches.
Solution 2
Let x be the distance travelled on the first day. Then the cyclist rides
x + 15, x + 30, x + 45, x + 60, x + 75, and x + 90 km on days two through
seven, respectively. Then,
x + (x + 15) + (x + 30) + (x + 45) + (x + 60) + (x + 75) + (x + 90)
7x + 15 + 30 + 45 + 60 + 75 + 90
7x + 315
7x + 315 315
7x
7x
7
x
=
=
=
=
=
560
560
560
560 315
245
245
=
7
= 35
The cyclist rode 35 km on the first day. On the seventh day, the cyclist rode
x + 90 = 35 + 90 = 125 km.
Solution 3
Let m be the distance travelled on the middle day, which is day four. On day
five the cyclist would ride (m + 15) km; on day six the cyclist would ride
m + 15 + 15 = (m + 30) km; and on day seven the cyclist would ride
m + 30 + 15 = (m + 45) km. We can also work backwards by reducing the
distance the cyclist rode by 15 km. On day three the cyclist would ride
(m 15) km; on day two the cyclist would ride m 15 15 = (m 30) km;
and on day one the cyclist would ride m 30 15 = (m 45) km. Then,
m + (m + 15) + (m + 30) + (m + 45) + (m 15) + (m 30) + (m 45)
7m + 15 + 30 + 45 15 30 45
7m + 15 15 + 30 30 + 45 45
7m
7m
7
m
=
=
=
=
560
560
560
560
560
=
7
= 80
The cyclist rode 80 km on the fourth day. On the seventh day, the cyclist rode
m + 45 = 80 + 45 = 125 km.
This third solution always works well when there is an odd number of terms in
a sequence that increases (or decreases) by a constant amount.
Problem of the Week

Problem C
This One is For the Birds
One hundred pigeons are to be housed in identical-sized cages under the
following conditions:
each cage must contain at least one pigeon;
no two cages can contain the same number of pigeons; and
no cages can go inside any other cage.
Determine the maximum number of cages required to house the pigeons.
Problem of the Week

Problem
One hundred pigeons are to be housed in identical-sized cages under the following conditions:
Solution
In order to maximize the number of cages, each cage must contain the smallest number of birds
possible. However, no two cages can contain the same number of pigeons. The simplest way to
determine this number is to put one pigeon in the first cage and then let the number of pigeons
in each cage after that be one more than the number of pigeons in the cage before it, until all
100 pigeons are housed.
Put 1 pigeon in the first cage, 2 pigeons in the second cage, 3 pigeons in the third cage, and so
on. After filling 12 cages in this manner, we have 1 + 2 + 3 + + 11 + 12 = 78 pigeons
housed. After putting 13 pigeons in the thirteenth cage, 78 + 13 = 91 pigeons are housed.
There are 9 pigeons left to house. But we already have a cage containing 9 pigeons. The
remaining 9 pigeons must be distributed among the existing cages while maintaining the
condition that no two cages contain the same number of pigeons.
The most obvious way to do this is to put the 9 pigeons in the last cage which already contains
13 pigeons. This would mean that the final cage would contain 13 + 9 = 22 birds! A better
solution might be to increase the number of birds in each of the final nine cages by one bird
each. This solution is summarized below:
Cage #
# of birds
1
1
2
2
3
3
4
4
5
6
6
7
7
8
8
9
9
10
10
11
11
12
12
13
13
14
The maximum number of cages required is 13. If you had 14 cages, with the first cage holding
1 pigeon and each cage after that holding one more pigeon than the cage before, you could
house 105 pigeons, five more than the number of pigeons that we have.
Problem of the Week

Problem C
Overlapping Areas
The area of 4ACD is twice the area of square BCDE. AC and AD meet BE
at K and L respectively such that KL = 6 cm.
If the side length of the square is 8 cm, determine the area of 4AKL.
'
"
&
Problem of the Week

'
Overlapping Areas
Problem
The area of 4ACD is twice the area of square BCDE. AC and
AD meet BE at K and L respectively such that KL = 6 cm.
If the side length of the square is 8 cm, determine the area of
4AKL.
!
Solution 1
In the first solution we will find the area of square BCDE, the
area of 4ACD and the area of trapezoid KCDL.
&
"
To find the area of a square, multiply the length times the width. To find the
area of a trapezoid, multiply the sum of the lengths of the two parallel sides by
the height and divide the product by 2.
=
Area 4ACD =
=
=
88
64 cm2
2 64
128 cm2
In trapezoid KCDL, the two parallel sides are KL and CD, and the height is
the width of square BCDE, namely BC.
Area of trapezoid KCDL =
=
=
=
Area 4AKL =
=
=
(KL + CD) BC 2
(6 + 8) 8 2
14 8 2
56 cm2
Area 4ACD Area of trapezoid KCDL
128 56
72 cm2
'
Problem
The area of 4ACD is twice the area of square BCDE.
AC and AD meet BE at K and L respectively such that
KL = 6 cm. If the side length of the square is 8 cm,
determine the area of 4AKL.
Solution 2
Construct the altitude of 4ACD intersecting BE at P
and CD at Q. In this solution we will find the height of
4AKL and then use the formula for the area of a triangle
to find the required area.
To find the area of a square, multiply the length times the

width. To find the area of a triangle, multiply the length
of the base times the height and divide the product by 2.
"

=
Area 4ACD =
=
=
But Area 4ACD
128
128
AQ
=
=
=
=
88
64 cm2
2 64
128 cm2
&
CD AQ 2
8 AQ 2
4 AQ
32 cm
We know that AQ = AP + P Q, AQ = 32 cm and P Q = 8 cm, the side length

of the square. It follows that AP = AQ P Q = 32 8 = 24 cm.
Area 4AKL = KL AP 2
= 6 24 2
= 72 cm2
Problem of the Week

Problem C
This is Sum Problem
The number 90 can be expressed as the sum of 3 consecutive whole numbers.
That is, 90 = 29 + 30 + 31. The number 90 can also be written as the sum of 4
consecutive whole numbers. That is, 90 = 21 + 22 + 23 + 24.
Express the number 220 as the sum of 5 consecutive whole numbers and then
as the sum of 8 consecutive whole numbers.
This problem is extended this week in Problem D and Problem E of Problem

of the Week.
Problem of the Week

This is Sum Problem
Problem
The number 90 can be expressed as the sum of 3 consecutive whole numbers. That is,
90 = 29 + 30 + 31. The number 90 can also be written as the sum of 4 consecutive whole
numbers. That is, 90 = 21 + 22 + 23 + 24. Express the number 220 as the sum of 5 consecutive
whole numbers and then as the sum of 8 consecutive whole numbers.
Solution
First, we want to express 220 as the sum of 5 consecutive whole numbers.
When 90 is expressed as the sum of 3 consecutive whole numbers, the average is 90 3 = 30.
Since 30 is a whole number and there is an odd number of consecutive whole numbers in the
sum, 29, 30 and 31 will produce the correct sum.
If we apply the same idea to 220, the average would be 220 5 = 44. Since 44 is a whole
number and there is an odd number of consecutive whole numbers in the sum, 42, 43, 44, 45,
and 46, should produce the correct sum. Checking, 42 + 43 + 44 + 45 + 46, we obtain 220 as
required.
Next, we want to express 220 as the sum of 8 consecutive whole numbers.
When 90 is expressed as the sum of 4 consecutive whole numbers, the average is 90 4 = 22.5.
We need consecutive whole numbers such that two are below and two are above 22.5. This
gives the numbers 21, 22, 23, and 24, as in the example. This would only work for an even
number of consecutive whole numbers if the average is half way between two consecutive whole
numbers.
Applying the same idea to 220, the average would be 220 8 = 27.5. This number is half way
between 27 and 28. We would need four consecutive whole numbers below the average and four
consecutive whole numbers above the average giving us the eight numbers 24, 25, 26, 27, 28,
29, 30, and 31. Checking, 24 + 25 + 26 + 27 + 28 + 29 + 30 + 31, we obtain 220 as required.
As a concluding note, it is not possible to express 220 as the sum of four consecutive whole
numbers. 220 4 = 55. The number 55 is the average of the four numbers but 55 is a whole
number. We could try 54 + 55 + 56 + 57 = 222 6= 220 or 53 + 54 + 55 + 56 = 218 6= 220.
It is possible to express 220 as the sum of n consecutive whole numbers when n is odd provided
that the average 220 n is a whole number.
It is possible to express 220 as the sum of n consecutive whole numbers when n is even
provided that the average 220 n is half way between two consecutive whole numbers.
Problem of the Week

Problem C
Playing With Blocks
shown on the front of a block represents a number.
The sum of the numbers on any three consecutive blocks is 19.

Determine the value of S.
Problem of the Week

Playing With Blocks
Problem
shown on the front of a block represents a number. The sum of the numbers on
any three consecutive blocks is 19. Determine the value of S.
Solution
Since the sum of the numbers on any three consecutive blocks is the same,
4+P +Q = P +Q+R
4+ 6 P + 6 Q = 6 P + 6 Q + R
R = 4
since P + Q is common to both sides
Again, since the sum of the numbers on any three consecutive blocks is the
same,
T +U +V = U +V +8
T + 6U + 6V = 6U + 6V + 8
T = 8
since U + V is common to both sides
Since the sum of any three consecutive numbers is 19:

R+S+T
4+S+8
S + 12
S
The value of S is 7.
=
=
=
=
19
19
19
7
substituting R = 4 and T = 8
Problem of the Week

Problem C
Floor Plan
diagram.
("3"#$
%&&'
()*#+,%&&'
!"#"#$
%&&'
."/012#
Both the laundry room and the dining room are square with areas of 4 m2 and
25 m2 , respectively. The living room is rectangular with an area of 30 m2 .
Determine the area of the kitchen.
Problem of the Week

Floor Plan
Problem
diagram. Both the laundry room and the dining room are square with areas of
4 m2 and 25 m2 , respectively. The living room is rectangular with an area of
30 m2 . Determine the area of the kitchen.
("3"#$
%&&'
!"#"#$
%&&'
()*#+,%&&'
."/012#
Solution
Let the width of a room be the distance represented top to bottom on the
diagram. Let the length of a room be the distance represented horizontally on
the diagram.
The dining room is a square and has an area of 25 m2 . Its length and width
must both be 5 m since Area = 5 5 = 25 m2 . The width of the dining room
and living room are the same. So the width of the living room is 5 m. But the
area of the living room is 30 m2 so the length of the living room is 6 m since
Area = 5 6 = 30 m2 .
The laundry room is a square and has an area of 4 m2 . Its length and width
must both be 2 m since Area = 2 2 = 4 m2 . The width of the laundry room
and kitchen are the same. So the width of the kitchen is 2 m.
(Length of Laundry Room
+ Length of Kitchen)
2 + Length of Kitchen
Length of Kitchen
=
=
=
(Length of Living Room

+ Length of Dining Room)
6+5
9m
Since the width of the kitchen is 2 m and the length of the kitchen is 9 m, the
area of the kitchen is 2 9 = 18 m2 .
Problem of the Week

Problem C
Show Me The Money
Over the past several years, Ima Saver collected nickels (5 cent coins) and
dimes (10 cent coins) and put them in his pink piggy bank. Only nickels and
dimes went in his bank.
Finally, one day, the bank was full so Ima counted his money and discovered
that he had exactly $10 in the bank. He also observed that he had 11 more
nickels than dimes in his bank.
How many coins were in Ima Savers pink piggy bank?
Problem of the Week

Show Me The Money
Problem
Over the past several years, Ima Saver collected nickels (5 cent coins) and dimes (10 cent
coins) and put them in his pink piggy bank. Only nickels and dimes went in his bank. Finally,
one day, the bank was full so Ima counted his money and discovered that he had exactly $10 in
the bank. He also observed that he had 11 more nickels than dimes in his bank. How many
coins were in Ima Savers pink piggy bank?
Solution 1
In this solution we will solve the problem without using equations.
Ima had 11 more nickels than dimes. These 11 nickels are worth 11 5 = 55 or $0.55. The
remaining $10.00 $0.55 = $9.45 would be made up using an equal number of nickels and
dimes. Each nickel-dime combination is worth 15 or $0.15. By dividing $9.45 by $0.15 we
determine the number of 15 cent combinations that are required to make the total. Since
$9.45 $0.15 = 63 we need 63 nickel-dime pairs. That is, we need 63 nickels and 63 dimes to
make $9.45. But there are 11 more nickels. Therefore, there is a total of 63 + 63 + 11 = 137
coins in his bank.
Solution 2
In this solution we will solve the problem using an equation.
Let n represent the number of nickels and (n 11) represent the number of dimes. Since each
nickel is worth 5, the value of n nickels is (5n). Since each dime is worth 10, the value of
n 11 dimes is 10(n 11). The bank contains a total value of $10 or 1 000. Therefore,
Value of Nickels (in ) + Value of Dimes (in )
5n + 10(n 11)
5n + 10n 110
15n
15n
n
n 11
=
=
=
=
=
=
=
Total Value (in )

1 000
1 000
1 000 + 110
1 110
74
63
There are 74 nickels and 63 dimes for a total of 74 + 63 = 137 coins in his bank.
Problem of the Week

Problem C
Circle-Go-Round
A circle with centre O is drawn around 4OBD so that B and D lie on the
circumference of the circle. BO is extended to A on the circle. Chord AC
intersects OD and BD at F and E, respectively.
If BAC = 19 and OF A = 99 , determine the measure of BEC.
(BEC is marked x on the diagram.)
$
%
&
!
!"
""
'
#
"
Problem of the Week

Circle-Go-Round
Problem
A circle with centre O is drawn around 4OBD so
that B and D lie on the circumference of the circle.
BO is extended to A on the circle. Chord AC intersects OD and BD at F and E, respectively. If
BAC = 19 and OF A = 99 , determine the measure of BEC. (BEC is marked x on the diagram.)
&
!
!"
* ,
""
(
#
,
'
Solution 1
F OA = 180 99 19 = 62 = a.
BOA is a diameter and is therefore a straight line. Two angles on a straight
line add to 180 , so
BOD = 180 a = 180 62 = 118 = b.
Then in 4ODB,
c + c + b
2c + 118
2c
c
=
=
=
=
180
180
62
31
Opposite angles are equal so it follows that CEB = DEF = x and

DF E = AF O = 99 = d.
In 4F ED,
BEC = 50 .
x + c + d
x + 31 + 99
x + 130
x
=
=
=
=
180
180
180
50
"
Problem
A circle with centre O is drawn around 4OBD so that
B and D lie on the circumference of the circle. BO is
extended to A on the circle. Chord AC intersects OD
and BD at F and E, respectively. If BAC = 19 and
OF A = 99 , determine the measure of BEC. (BEC
is marked x on the diagram.)
&
!
!"
* ,
""
(
'
#
,
+
Solution 2
In a triangle, the angle formed at a vertex between the extension of a side and
an adjacent side is called an exterior angle. In the following diagram, XZW
is exterior to 4XY Z. The exterior angle theorem states: the exterior angle of
a triangle equals the sum of the two opposite interior angles. In the diagram,
r = p + q . We will use this result and two of the pieces of information we
$
found in Solution 1.
"
&
#
'

F OA = 180 99 19 = 62 = a.
F OA is exterior to 4ODB.
F OA
a
62
31
=
=
=
=
ODB + OBD
c + c
2c
c
CEB is exterior to 4EBA.

CEB
x
x
x
=
=
=
=
EAB + EBA
19 + c
19 + 31
50
BEC = 50 .
"
Problem of the Week

Problem C
Thats Odd
1 = 12
1 + 3 = 4 = 22
1 + 3 + 5 = 9 = 32
1 + 3 + 5 + 7 = 16 = 42
Did you know that the sum of the first n positive odd integers is n2 ? The
diagram above illustrates the first four possible sums. The sum of the first
five positive odd integers would be 52 or 25. We can easily check to see that
1 + 3 + 5 + 7 + 9 = 25.
When adding the first a positive odd integers to the first b positive odd
integers, the sum is 180. If p is the largest odd number in the first set of
numbers and q is the largest odd number in the second set of numbers, then
determine the sum p + q.
Problem of the Week

Thats Odd
Problem
Did you know that the sum of the first n positive odd integers is n2 ? The sum of the first five
positive odd integers would be 52 or 25. We can easily check to see that 1 + 3 + 5 + 7 + 9 = 25.
When adding the first a positive odd integers to the first b positive odd integers, the sum is
180. If p is the largest odd number in the first set of numbers and q is the largest odd number
in the second set of numbers, then determine the sum p + q.
Solution
Since there are a positive odd integers and the largest is p, then 1 + 3 + 5 + + p = a2 .
Since there are b positive odd integers and the largest is q, then 1 + 3 + 5 + + q = b2 .
We also know that when these two sets of odd numbers are added together, the sum is 180 so
(1 + 3 + 5 + + p) + (1 + 3 + 5 + + q) = a2 + b2 = 180.
One way to proceed is to pick values for a, determine a2 and then determine if the remaining
number required to sum to 180 is a perfect square. The results are summarized in the table
below.
a
a2 b2 = 180 a2 b (b > 0) Solution?
1
1
180-1=179
13.4
no
2
4
180-4=176
13.3
no
3
9
180-9=171
13.1
no
4
16
180-16=164
12.8
no
5
25
180-25=155
12.4
no
6
36
180-36=144
12
yes
7
49
180-49=131
11.4
no
8
64
180-64=116
10.8
no
9
81
180-81=99
9.9
no
10 100 180-100=80
8.9
no
11 121 180-121=59
7.7
no
12 144 180-144=36
6
yes
13 169 180-169=11
3.3
no
If a = 14, then a2 = 196. This produces a value greater than 180 and cannot be a possible
solution.
There appear to be two possible solutions. When a = 6 and b = 12, then
a2 + b2 = 36 + 144 = 180. This means that adding the first 6 odd positive integers to the first
12 odd positive integers results in a sum of 180. So p is the sixth odd positive integer, namely
11, and q is the twelfth odd positive integer, namely 23. The sum, p + q, is 11 + 23 or 34. The
second solution, a = 12 and b = 6, produces p = 23 and q = 11. The sum, p + q, is still 34.
Problem of the Week

Problem C
Retiring and Hiring
A small technology company is beginning to expand. The company currently
has 100 employees. At the end of each year for the next 4 years, 25 employees
will retire and a new employee will be hired for each of the remaining
employees.
After this four year cycle of retiring and hiring is complete, determine the
average number of employees that the company grows by each year.
Extension: Using your results and assuming the pattern continues, predict
the number of employees if this cycle of retiring and hiring were to continue for
ten years.
Problem of the Week

Retiring and Hiring
Problem
A small technology company is beginning to expand. The company currently has 100
employees. At the end of each year for the next 4 years, 25 employees will retire and a new
employee will be hired for each of the remaining employees.
After this four year cycle of retiring and hiring is complete, determine the average number of
employees that the company grows by each year.
Solution
The following chart will look at the process of retiring and hiring over the four year period.
The number remaining will be 25 less than the number at the start of the year. The number
hired in a year will be the same as the number remaining. The number of employees at the end
of the year will be twice as many as the number of employees remaining.
Year
1
2
3
4
# of Employees
at Start of Year
100
150
250
450
# Retiring
# Remaining
# Hired
25
25
25
25
75
125
225
425
75
125
225
425
# of Employees
at End of Year
150
250
450
850
After four years of retiring and hiring the company employs 850 people. The number of
employees increased by 850 100 = 750 people in four years. The average increase per year
was 750 4 = 187.5 employees.
Another way to look at this problem would be to take the average number of people hired per
year and subtract the average number of people retiring in a year. The average number hired
per year is (75 + 125 + 225 + 425) 4 = 850 4 = 212.5. The average retiring each year was
25. Therefore the average increase per year was 212.5 25 = 187.5, as above.
Therefore the number of employees increased by approximately 188 per year.
Solution to Extension
Observe a couple of patterns in the column labelled # of Employees at End of Year. First,
each number ends in 50. The leading digits are 1, 2, 4, and 8. These digits are powers of 2. In
year 2, the leading digit is 21 . In year 3, the leading digit is 22 . In year 4, the leading digit is
23 . The exponent appears to be one less than the year number. So in year 10, a good
prediction for the leading digits would be 29 = 512. After 10 years of retiring and hiring, there
would be 51 250 employees. (We can verify this prediction by continuing the table.)
Problem of the Week

Problem C
Balloon Breaker
A wall is covered with balloons. Each balloon has the number 5, 3 or 2 printed
on it. You are given 7 darts to throw at the wall. If your dart breaks a balloon,
then you earn the number of points printed on the balloon. If your dart does
not break a balloon, then you are awarded 0 points for that shot. You win a
prize if your total score is exactly 16 points on seven shots. If your total is over
16 or under 16, then you lose.
Determine the number of different point combinations that can be used to win
the game.
Problem of the Week

Balloon Breaker
Problem
Solution 1
Let us consider cases.
1. You break three balloons with a 5 printed on them. You have a total of 3 5 = 15
points. There is no possible way to get 16 points since the other balloon values are 2 or
3. There is no way to win by breaking three (or more) balloons with a 5 printed on them.
2,. You break two balloons with a 5 printed on them. You have a total of 2 5 = 10 points.
You need to get 16 10 = 6 points by breaking balloons with 2 or 3 printed on them.
There are two ways to do this. Break three balloons with a 2 printed on them and miss
on two shots or break two balloons with 3 printed on them and miss on three shots.
There are 2 ways to win if you break two balloons with a 5 printed on them.
3. You break one balloon with a 5 printed on it. You have a total of 5 points. You need to
get 16 5 = 11 points by breaking balloons with 2 or 3 printed on them. You cannot get
11 points breaking only balloons with a 2 printed on them and you cannot get 11 points
breaking only balloons with a 3 printed on them. However, you can get 11 points by
breaking one 3 and four 2s or by breaking three 3s and one 2. There are 2 ways to win
if you break one balloon with a 5 printed on it.
4. You break no balloons with a 5 printed on it. You need to make 16 points by breaking
only balloons with a 2 or 3 printed on them. You cannot get 16 points breaking only
balloons with a 3 printed on them. You cannot get 16 points breaking only balloons with
a 2 printed on them because you only have seven darts giving a maximum of 14 points.
It is possible to get 16 points using combinations of 3 point and 2 point balloons. If you
break two 3 point balloons and five 2 point balloons, then you win in seven shots. If you
break four 3 point balloons and two 2 point balloons, then you have 16 points in six shots
and would have to miss on one of your shots. There are 2 ways to win if you do not
break any 5 point balloons.
There are 0 + 2 + 2 + 2 = 6 combinations that allow you to win by getting 16 points in seven
shots.
Problem
Solution 2
In this solution we will complete a chart to determine the valid possibilities.
Let the number of 5 point balloons be a, the number of 3 point balloons be b, and the number
of 2 point balloons be c. We want 5a + 3b + 2c = 16 and a + b + c 7.
Number
of 5 Point
Balloons
a
3
3
3
2
2
2
2
1
1
1
1
1
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
Number
of 3 Point
Balloons
b
0
0
1
2
1
1
0
4
3
3
2
2
1
6
5
5
4
3
3
2
1
0
Number
of 2 Point
Balloons
c
0
1
0
0
1
2
3
0
0
1
2
3
4
0
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
Total
Points
Scored
5a + 3b + 2c
15
17
18
16
15
17
16
17
14
16
15
17
16
18
15
17
16
15
17
16
15
14
Number
of Missed Shots
Needed
16 a b c
WIN
or
LOSE
LOSE
LOSE
LOSE
WIN
LOSE
LOSE
WIN
LOSE
LOSE
WIN
LOSE
LOSE
WIN
LOSE
LOSE
LOSE
WIN
LOSE
LOSE
WIN
LOSE
LOSE
There are only 6 combinations that allow you to win by getting 16 points in seven shots. (In
following a method like the above method, one must be careful to systematically examine all
possible cases.)
Problem of the Week

Problem C
Problem of the Week

Problem
Solution
Lets start by examining the last three digits of various powers of 5.
51 =
52 =
005
025
53 =
54 =
125
625
55 =
56 =
3 125
15 625
57 = 78 125
58 = 390 625
Notice that there is a pattern for the last three digits after the first two powers
of 5. For every odd integral exponent greater than 2, the last three digits are
125. For every even integral exponent greater than 2, the last three digits
are 625. The pattern continues so 59 will end 125 since the exponent 9 is
odd and 510 will end 625 since the exponent 10 is even. This is easily verified
since 59 = 1 953 125 and 510 = 9 765 625.
For 52013 , the exponent 2013 is greater than 2 and is an odd number.
the last three digits of 52013 are 125.
Problem of the Week

Problem C
In preparing to write an examination, Stu Deus made the following
observations:
The exam had 20 questions.
He estimated that he would spend 6 minutes per question.
The exam would take him 2 hours to complete.
However, during the actual examination, Stu discovered some difficult

questions which each required 15 minutes to complete. He also discovered some
questions which were much easier than he expected and only took him 2
minutes per question to complete. Seven of the questions, however, still
required 6 minutes each to complete. Surprisingly, Stu was still able to
complete the exam in 2 hours.
How many of the 20 examination questions did Stu find difficult?
Problem of the Week

Problem
difficult?
Solution 1: Systematic Trial

Let d represent the number of difficult questions and e represent the number of easier
questions. We know that d + e = 13.
Since each difficult question took 15 minutes, it took 15d minutes to complete all of the difficult
questions. Since each easier question took 2 minutes, it took 2e minutes to complete all of the
easier questions. Since Stus total remaining time was 78 minutes, 15d + 2e = 78 minutes.
At this point we can pick values for d and e that add to 13 and substitute into the equation
15d + 2e = 78 to find the combination that works. (We can observe that d < 6 since
15 6 = 90 > 78. If this were the case, then e would have to be a negative number.)
15 3 + 2 10 = 45 + 20 = 65 minutes and he would complete the exam in less than 2 hours.
15 4 + 2 9 = 60 + 18 = 78 minutes and he would complete the exam in exactly 2 hours.
expected.
Solution 2 involves algebra and equation solving.
Problem
difficult?
Solution 2: Using Algebra and Equations

Let d represent the number of difficult questions and (13 d) represent the number of easier
questions.
Since each difficult question took 15 minutes, it took 15d minutes to complete all of the
difficult questions. Since each easier question took 2 minutes, it took 2(13 d) minutes to
complete all of the easier questions.
Since Stus total remaining time was 78 minutes,
15d + 2(13 d)
15d + 26 2d
13d + 26
Subtracting 26 from both sides:
13d
Dividing both sides by 13:
d
=
=
=
=
=
78
78
78
52
4
expected.
Problem of the Week

Problem C
CUT!
Kuri Uz is given some red licorice that is wrapped in a coil. Upon flattening
the licorice, Kuri discovers that the total length is 60 cm. She then cuts the
licorice into two pieces such that the ratio of the lengths of the two pieces is
7 : 3. Each piece is then bent to form a square.
What is the total area of the two squares?
Problem of the Week

CUT!
Problem
Kuri Uz is given some red licorice that is wrapped in a coil. Upon flattening the
licorice, Kuri discovers that the total length is 60 cm. She then cuts the licorice
into two pieces such that the ratio of the lengths of the two pieces is 7 : 3. Each
piece is then bent to form a square. What is the total area of the two squares?
Solution
Since the licorice is cut in the ratio 7 : 3, let the longer piece be 7x cm and the
shorter piece be 3x cm. Then 7x + 3x = 60 or 10x = 60 and x = 60 10 = 6.
Therefore, the longer piece is 7x = 7 6 = 42 cm and the shorter piece is
3x = 3 6 = 18 cm.
Each of the two pieces is then bent to form a square. The perimeter of each
square is the length of the licorice used to form it. The side length of the
longer square is 42 4 = 10.5 cm and the side length of the shorter square is
18 4 = 4.5 cm.
To find the area of each square, we multiply length by width. In effect, to find
the area of the square, we square the side length. The area of the larger square
is 10.5 10.5 = 10.52 = 110.25 cm2 and the area of the smaller square is
4.5 4.5 = 4.52 = 20.25 cm2 .
Therefore, if Kuri Uz cuts the licorice into pieces of length 42 cm and 18 cm,
she can form two squares with area 110.25 cm2 and 20.25 cm2 , respectively.
The total area of the two squares is 110.25 + 20.25 = 130.5 cm2 .
As a slight extension, the ratio of the area of the larger square to the area of
the smaller square is
110.25 : 20.25 = 11025 : 2025 = 441 : 81 = 49 : 9 = 72 : 32 .
The ratio of the perimeters is 7 : 3 and the ratio of the areas is 72 : 32 . In
general, if the ratio of the perimeters of two squares is a : b, is it true that the
ratio of the areas of the two squares is a2 : b2 ?
Problem of the Week

Problem C
Trickling Down
The number in an unshaded square in the grid below is obtained by adding the
numbers connected to it from the row above. For example, the 5 in the second
row is obtained by adding the numbers, 2 and 3, connected to it in the row
above. The numbers trickle down until the final square containing 2x.
Determine the value of x.
"
"
!"
Problem of the Week

Trickling Down
Problem
The number in an unshaded square in the grid is obtained by adding the numbers connected to it from the
row above. For example, the 5 in the second row is
obtained by adding the numbers, 2 and 3, connected
to it in the row above. The numbers trickle down until the final square containing 2x. Determine the value of x.
"
"
!"
Solution 1
In the first solution a trial and error type solution will be presented. We will
pick a value for x and then complete the table.
Let x = 0. We would expect 2x = 2(0) = 0. However,

after completing the table, 2x = 12 6= 0. Therefore,
x 6= 0.
Let x = 5. We would expect 2x = 2(5) = 10. After
completing the table, 2x = 27 6= 10. Therefore, x 6= 5.
For our next trial we should choose a number lower than
x = 0.
Let x = 5. We would expect 2x = 2(5) = 10.
However, after completing the table, 2x = 3 6= 10.
Therefore, x 6= 5.
Let x = 12. We would expect 2x = 2(12) = 24. After completing the table, 2x = 24, the expected value.
Therefore, x = 12.
"
&
"
"
#!
%
'
$
&
#'
!(
! " %$ #
$ %! %&
" %'
%"
!
#"
"
%'
%&
%!'
%#!
%!(
%##
This solution is valid but not efficient. To reach the solution could take many,
many trials. In the second solution, we will look at an algebraic solution.
Solution 2
For easy reference label all of the empty, unshaded squares in the diagram as
shown.
"
%
#
!"
"
&
We can complete the second row using the addition rule for the table,
a = 3 + x and b = x + 1.
Moving to the third row, c = 5 + a = 5 + 3 + x = 8 + x and
d = a + b = 3 + x + x + 1 = 4 + 2x.
Finally, in the fourth row, 2x = c + d = 8 + x + 4 + 2x.
We can now solve the equation.
2x
2x 2x
0
0 12
12
=
=
=
=
=
8 + x + 4 + 2x
8 + x + 4 + 2x 2x
12 + x
12 + x 12
x
Subtracting 2x from both sides

Simplifying
Subtracting 12 from both sides
Therefore, x = 12.
An algebraic solution to this problem is much more efficient. Some students
may not quite have the necessary background to complete this solution on
their own at this point.
Problem of the Week

Problem C
Slightly Irregular
In the following slightly irregular shape,
AB = 50 cm, CD = 15 cm, EF = 30 cm;
the area of the shaded triangle, 4DEF , is 210 cm2 ; and
the area of the entire figure, ABCDE, is 1000 cm2 .
Determine the length of AE.
!
&
'
"
Problem of the Week

Slightly Irregular
Problem
In the following slightly irregular shape, AB = 50 cm, CD = 15 cm, EF = 30 cm, the area of
the shaded triangle, 4DEF , is 210 cm2 ; and the area of the entire figure, ABCDE, is
1000 cm2 . Determine the length of AE.
!
Solution
The first task is to mark the given information on the diagram.

This has been completed on the diagram to the right.
To find the area of a triangle, multiply the base length by the
height and divide by 2. In 4DEF , the base, EF , has length 30
cm. The height of 4DEF is the perpendicular distance from
EF (extended) to vertex D, namely GD. The area is given. So
'#$%&
(#$%&
&
30 GD
2
210 = 15 GD
14 = GD
Area 4DEF =
We know that EH = AB = 50, GH = DC = 15, and

EH = EF + F G + GH. It follows that 50 = 30 + F G + 15 and
F G = 5 cm.
!"#$%&!
'
"($%&
"
Now we can relate the total area to the areas contained inside.
Area ABCDE = Area ABHE + Area CDGH + Area 4DF G + Area 4DEF
F G GD
1000 = AB AE + DG DC +
+ 210
2
5 14
1000 = 50 AE + 14 15 +
+ 210
2
1000 = 50 AE + 210 + 35 + 210
1000 = 50 AE + 455
1000 455 = 50 AE
545 = 50 AE
545
= AE
50
AE = 10.9 cm.
Problem of the Week

Problem C
A list consists of the integers
1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, and 34.
!%
"!
"
A second list of integers is created that contains

all possible integers that can be formed by adding
two different integers from the first list. The
smallest integer in this list is 1 + 2 = 3 and the
largest integer in this list is 21 + 34 = 55.
A third list of integers contains all of the integers
from 3 to 55 that are not contained in the second
list.
%&
Determine the number of integers in the third list.
For your information:

The integers in the first list are numbers found in the F ibonacci Sequence. The
rectangle shown above is often referred to as T he F ibonacci Rectangle. The
numbers inside the squares correspond to the side length of the square that
contains the number. The two smallest squares (the white one and the black
one) in the diagram each have side length 1. The rectangle spirals out from
these two smallest squares. You may wish to investigate this sequence further.
Problem of the Week

Problem
A list consists of the integers 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, and 34. A second list of integers is created
that contains all possible integers that can be formed by adding two different integers from the
first list. The smallest integer in this list is 1 + 2 = 3 and the largest integer in this list is
21 + 34 = 55. A third list of integers contains all of the integers from 3 to 55 that are not
contained in the second list. Determine the number of integers in the third list.
Solution
Notice that in the first list, each integer after the first two integers is the sum of the previous
two integers.
It is easiest to determine the number of numbers in the second list. We are able to
systematically do this.
If 34 is added to each of the seven smaller integers in the first list, seven unique integers in the
range 35 to 55 can be formed, namely 35, 36, 37, 39, 42, 47, and 55.
If 21 is added to each of the six smaller integers in the first list, six unique integers in the range
22 to 34 can be formed, namely 22, 23, 24, 26, 29, and 34.
If 13 is added to each of the five smaller integers in the first list, five unique integers in the
range 14 to 21 can be formed, namely 14, 15, 16, 18, and 21.
If 8 is added to each of the four smaller integers in the first list, four unique integers in the
range 9 to 13 can be formed, namely 9, 10, 11, and 13.
If 5 is added to each of the three smaller integers in the first list, three unique integers in the
range 6 to 8 can be formed, namely 6, 7, and 8.
If 3 is added to each of the two smaller integers in the first list, two unique integers in the
range 4 to 5 can be formed, namely 4 and 5.
If the first two integers in the first list are added, the number 3 is obtained.
The second list contains 7 + 6 + 5 + 4 + 3 + 2 + 1 = 28 integers. The number of integers from 3
to 55 is the same as the number of integers from 1 to 53. There are 53 integers from 3 to 55.
Therefore, the third list contains 53 28 = 25 integers.
Problem of the Week

Problem C
E-I-E-I-O
number of cows, horses and pigs.
How many animals does Old MacDonald have on his farm?
Problem of the Week

E-I-E-I-O
Problem
number of cows, horses and pigs. How many animals does Old MacDonald
have on his farm?
Solution 1
Since there are two horses for every horse trough, then n must be divisible by
2. Since there are three cows for every cow trough, then n must be divisible by
3. Since there are eight pigs for every pig trough, then n must be divisible by
8. Therefore, n must be divisible by 2, 3 and 8. The smallest number divisible
by 2, 3, and 8 is 24. (This number is called the lowest common multiple or
LCM , for short.)
If there are 24 of each kind of animal, there would be 24 2 = 12 troughs for
horses, 24 3 = 8 troughs for cows and 24 8 = 3 troughs for pigs. This
would require a total of 12 + 8 + 3 = 23 troughs. Since there are 69 troughs
and 69 23 = 3, we require 3 times more of each type of animal. That is, there
would be 24 3 = 72 of each type of animal. The total number of animals is
72 + 72 + 72 or 216.
We can check the correctness of this solution. Since there are two horses for
every horse trough, there are 72 2 = 36 horse troughs. Since there are three
cows for every cow trough, there are 72 3 = 24 cow troughs. Since there are
eight pigs for every pig trough, there are 72 8 = 9 pig troughs. The total
number of troughs is 36 + 24 + 9 = 69, as expected.
Solution 2
In this solution, algebra and equation solving will be used to solve the problem.
Since there are n horses and there are two horses for every horse trough, then there would be n2
troughs for horses. Since there are n cows and there are three cows for every cow trough, then
there would be n3 troughs for cows. Since there are n pigs and there are eight pigs for every pig
trough, then there would be n8 troughs for pigs. Since there are 69 troughs in total,
n n n
+ +
= 69
2
3
8
12n 8n 3n
+
+
= 69
common denominator 24
24
24
24
23n
= 69
simplify the fractions
24
23n = 24 69
23n = 1656
1656
n =
23
n = 72
multiply both sides by 24

simplify
divide both sides by 23
There are 72 of each type of animal, a total of 216 animals.
Solution 3
In this solution, ratios will be used to solve the problem.
Let n represent the number of each type of animal. The ratio of the number of troughs
required for the pigs to the number of troughs required for the cows is
3n 8n
n n
: =
:
= 3n : 8n = 3 : 8.
8 3
24 24
Similarly, the ratio of the number of troughs required for the cows to the number of troughs
required for the horses is 2 : 3 = 8 : 12. So the ratio of the number of troughs required for the
pigs to the number required for the cows to the number required for the horses is 3 : 8 : 12.
Let the number of troughs required for the pigs be 3k, for the cows be 8k and for the horses be
12k, for some positive integer value of k.
Since the total number of troughs required is 69, then
3k + 8k + 12k = 69
23k = 69
k = 3
The number of troughs required for the pigs is 3k = 9. There are 8 pigs at each trough. There
are a total of 9 8 = 72 pigs. Since there are the same number of each animal, there are also 72
cows and 72 horses. There are a total of 72 + 72 + 72 = 216 animals on Old MacDonalds farm.
Problem of the Week

Problem C
The Bead Goes On
birthstone-coloured beads each and the larger bracelets contain seven
birthstone-coloured beads each. So far Jill has used a total of 99 beads.
How many of each type of bracelet has Jill made? (There may be more than
one possible answer.)
Problem of the Week

The Bead Goes On
Problem
birthstone-coloured beads each and the larger bracelets contain seven birthstone-coloured
beads each. So far Jill has used a total of 99 beads. How many of each type of bracelet has Jill
made? (There may be more than one possible answer.)
Solution
Let S represent the number of small bracelets and L represent the number of large bracelets.
Since the small bracelets use 4 beads each, S bracelets would use 4 S or 4S beads in total.
Since the large bracelets use 7 beads each, L bracelets would use 7 L or 7L beads in total.
Since Jill has used a total of 99 beads, 4S + 7L = 99, with L and S integers greater than or
equal to 0.
We can also determine a maximum value for L. Each large bracelet uses 7 beads. We know
that 99 7=14.1
so L must be a positive integer less than or equal to 14. We could at this

point check all of the possible integer values for L from 0 to 14. However, we can narrow down
the possibilities even more.
In the equation, 4S + 7L = 99, 4S will always be an even number since 4 times any number is
always even. We then have an even number plus 7L equals the odd number 99. This means
that 7L must be an odd number. (An even number plus an even number would be an even
number, not an odd number.) For 7L to be an odd number, L must be odd. (If L is even, 7L
would be even.) This observation reduces the possible values for L to the odd positive integers
between 0 and 14, namely 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13. Now we can test the possible values of L to see
which ones, if any, produce a valid possibility for S.
Number
of Large
Bracelets
L
1
3
5
7
9
11
13
Number
of Beads
Used
7L
71=7
7 3 = 21
7 5 = 35
7 7 = 49
7 9 = 63
7 11 = 77
7 13 = 91
Number
of Beads
Remaining
99 7L
99-7=92
99-21=78
99-35=64
99-49=50
99-63=36
99-77=22
99-91=8
Number
of Small
Bracelets
(99 7L) 4
92 4 = 23
78 4 = 19.5
64 4 = 16
50 4 = 12.5
36 4 = 9
22 4 = 5.5
84=2
Valid or Invalid
Possibility?
There are four valid possibilities. Jill has either made 1 large bracelet and 23 small bracelets,
or 5 large bracelets and 16 small bracelets, or 9 large bracelets and 9 small bracelets, or 13
large bracelets and 2 small bracelets.
Problem of the Week

Problem C
Road Trip
the day before.
Determine how far she rode on the seventh day.
Problem of the Week

Road Trip
Problem
the day before. Determine how far she rode on the seventh day.
Solution 1
We will begin by representing the information on a diagram.
!"#$%
!"#$*
!"#$+
!"#$,
!"#$'
!"#$-
!"#$.
!"#$%
!"#$%$&$%'$()
!"#$%$&$%'$()$&$%'$()
!"#$%$&$%'$()$&$%'$()$&$%'$()
!"#$%$&$%'$()$&$%'$()$&$%'$()$&$%'$()
!"#$%$&$%'$()$&$%'$()$&$%'$()$&$%'$()$&$%'$()
!"#$%$&$%'$()$&$%'$()$&$%'$()$&$%'$()$&$%'$()$&$%'$()
The total distance is made up of seven trips with the same length as Day 1 plus
15 + 2(15) + 3(15) + 4(15) + 5(15) + 6(15) = 15 + 30 + 45 + 60 + 75 + 90 = 315 km.
So seven days riding the same distance as Day 1 would total
560 315 = 245 km. On Day 1, the cyclist rode 245 7 = 35 km.
On Day 7, the cyclist rode the Day 1 distance plus 6 15 = 90 km. The total
distance travelled on the seventh day was 35 + 90 = 125 km.
This first solution deliberately avoids algebra and equations. Many solvers
would be able to reason the solution in a similar way.
The second and third solutions will present more algebraic approaches.
Solution 2
Let x be the distance travelled on the first day. Then the cyclist rides
x + 15, x + 30, x + 45, x + 60, x + 75, and x + 90 km on days two through
seven, respectively. Then,
x + (x + 15) + (x + 30) + (x + 45) + (x + 60) + (x + 75) + (x + 90)
7x + 15 + 30 + 45 + 60 + 75 + 90
7x + 315
7x + 315 315
7x
7x
7
x
=
=
=
=
=
560
560
560
560 315
245
245
=
7
= 35
The cyclist rode 35 km on the first day. On the seventh day, the cyclist rode
x + 90 = 35 + 90 = 125 km.
Solution 3
Let m be the distance travelled on the middle day, which is day four. On day
five the cyclist would ride (m + 15) km; on day six the cyclist would ride
m + 15 + 15 = (m + 30) km; and on day seven the cyclist would ride
m + 30 + 15 = (m + 45) km. We can also work backwards by reducing the
distance the cyclist rode by 15 km. On day three the cyclist would ride
(m 15) km; on day two the cyclist would ride m 15 15 = (m 30) km;
and on day one the cyclist would ride m 30 15 = (m 45) km. Then,
m + (m + 15) + (m + 30) + (m + 45) + (m 15) + (m 30) + (m 45)
7m + 15 + 30 + 45 15 30 45
7m + 15 15 + 30 30 + 45 45
7m
7m
7
m
=
=
=
=
560
560
560
560
560
=
7
= 80
The cyclist rode 80 km on the fourth day. On the seventh day, the cyclist rode
m + 45 = 80 + 45 = 125 km.
This third solution always works well when there is an odd number of terms in
a sequence that increases (or decreases) by a constant amount.
Problem of the Week

Problem C
One hundred pigeons are to be housed in identical-sized cages under the
following conditions:
Problem of the Week

Problem
One hundred pigeons are to be housed in identical-sized cages under the following conditions:
Solution
In order to maximize the number of cages, each cage must contain the smallest number of birds
possible. However, no two cages can contain the same number of pigeons. The simplest way to
determine this number is to put one pigeon in the first cage and then let the number of pigeons
in each cage after that be one more than the number of pigeons in the cage before it, until all
100 pigeons are housed.
Put 1 pigeon in the first cage, 2 pigeons in the second cage, 3 pigeons in the third cage, and so
on. After filling 12 cages in this manner, we have 1 + 2 + 3 + + 11 + 12 = 78 pigeons
housed. After putting 13 pigeons in the thirteenth cage, 78 + 13 = 91 pigeons are housed.
There are 9 pigeons left to house. But we already have a cage containing 9 pigeons. The
remaining 9 pigeons must be distributed among the existing cages while maintaining the
condition that no two cages contain the same number of pigeons.
The most obvious way to do this is to put the 9 pigeons in the last cage which already contains
13 pigeons. This would mean that the final cage would contain 13 + 9 = 22 birds! A better
solution might be to increase the number of birds in each of the final nine cages by one bird
each. This solution is summarized below:
Cage #
# of birds
1
1
2
2
3
3
4
4
5
6
6
7
7
8
8
9
9
10
10
11
11
12
12
13
13
14
The maximum number of cages required is 13. If you had 14 cages, with the first cage holding
1 pigeon and each cage after that holding one more pigeon than the cage before, you could
house 105 pigeons, five more than the number of pigeons that we have.

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The problems in this booklet are organized into strands.

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Opposite angles are equal so it follows that CEB = DEF = x and

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In a triangle, the angles add to 180 . So in 4OF A,

CEB is exterior to 4EBA.

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ABCD is a square with area 64 m2 . E, F, G, and H are points on sides

But EF GH is a square so all of its side lengths equal 40. The

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The P ythagorean T heorem states, In a right triangle, the square of the

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But the area of 4ADC = (AB)(DC) 2 = 8(DC) 2 = 4(DC). Therefore,

AD = 100 = 10 since AD > 0.

AC 2 = AB 2 + BC 2 = 82 + 152 = 64 + 225 = 289. Then AC = 289 = 17 since

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The distance from A to F in a straight line is 100 m. Points B, C, D, and E

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a) Determine the number of sides of the polygon.

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Angle at the Centre of a Circle

Completing the Construction

The Octadecagon - 18 sided Polygon

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Therefore, the area of 4AKL is 72 cm2 .

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To find the area of a square, multiply the length times the

Area of square BCDE =

We know that AQ = AP + P Q, AQ = 32 cm and P Q = 8 cm, the side length

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