Two kids got all six answers correct in the Math Puzzler contest for March. One of the March winners had won previously and the other was an "almost winner."

Courtney Lauer was one of six kids who answered all the questions right in the November, 2001, contest. She also had her name picked for one of $10 Borders book certificate "extra bonus" prizes.

Kelsey Provance was the "almost winner" in the December contest. She answered all six Puzzlers right that month but couldn't be a winner because her entry wasn't postmarked before the deadline of the 15th of the month.

Kelsey made sure she wasn't late in the March contest. Her entry was postmarked March 8, a whole week ahead of the deadline.

Young Saint Louis.com congratulates both Courtney and Kelsey on answering all the March Puzzlers correctly. Both Courtney and Kelsey will be getting their "extra bonus" book certificates in the mail.

Mr. Math Puzzler and YSL.com are glad we're back on track with winning entries in the Math Puzzler contest.

To try your luck in the April Math Puzzler contest, just click here for the new questions and the entry blank.

Answers to March, 2002, Math Puzzlers

1. In the following number replacement puzzle, each letter stands for a particular digit (from 0 to 9). Can you break the code?

   ES
+  SO
 -----
  SOS 

Answer: 91 + 10 = 101

The explanation: We start with the letters on the right side of the problem. If the sum of S plus O equals S, the O must be a zero. Then the letters E and S above the line on the left side add up to O or zero. Since the answer is S O S, the first S must be 1 because two single digits can't add up to anything but numbers 10 through 18. Therefore, we now found numbers for all but one letter, E.

So far, we have:

   E1
+  10
 -----
  101

E must be 9 and the final answer is:

   91
+  10
 -----
  101

2. What number is three times one-half the number that is one-eighth less than three-sixteenths?

Answer: 3/32

The explanation:

3. A certain box of candy can be equally divided (without cutting any pieces) between three, four or seven people. What is the least number of pieces of candy the box can contain?

Answer: 84

The explanation: You need to find the least common multiple of 3, 4 and 7. Since there are no common prime numbers involved, you multiple 3 x 4 x 7 and the answer is 84.

4. Suppose you have 16 blue socks and 22 black socks in a drawer. If you reach into the drawer without looking at the socks, what is the smallest number of socks you must take from the drawer to be assured of getting one pair of blue socks?

Answer: 24 socks

The explanation: Since you aren't looking, you'll need to take out at least 24 socks to be sure of getting one pair of blue socks. As the very best (which isn't likely) you'd have to draw all 22 black socks plus two more that would have to be blue. Of course, if you took a peek, you'd probably find the blue pair sooner.

5. There are 18 people in the final round for a grand prize. The 18 must stand in a circle and be counted for elimination. Starting the counting with number one, every seventh contestant will be eliminated until one remains to win the prize. Where would you stand to win the contest?

Answer: Position 9

The explanation: You get the answer by putting the numbers 1 through 18 in a circle. Starting with 1, you eliminate every seventh contestant. You keep going round and round until the only contestant left is No. 9 In counting the seven on the second and subsequent go-arounds, you count only the "live" numbers, jumping over the ones that you eliminated in the previous rounds.

6. A strange monster has five arms and, if you cut off an arm, two more grow in its place. Assume that on the first cut, all five arms are cut off, replaced by 10. Then, on the second cut, all 10 arms are cut off, etc. How many arms will be cut off on the sixth cut?

Answer: 160 arms

The explanation: Mr. Math Puzzler encourages his students to use columns, when appropriate, to solve problems. In this case, you have one column for the number of cuts and a second column that represents the numbers of arms that are left.