No winners in May Math Puzzler competition

Mr. Math Puzzler's questions in May were too tough. None of the entrants were able to answer all of the questions.

This shutout came after we'd gone two months in a row with two winners each month.

In May, one contestant got five of six questions correct. It was the Question No. 5 that caused the stumble. Those percentage questions can be tough.

To get to the June Math Puzzler questions, just click here.

Answers to the May, 2002, Puzzlers

1. There are five Koops in a Flan, seven Flans in a Blit and three Blits in a Zorch. What is the number of Koops in a Zorch, divided by the number of Flans in a Zorch?

Answer: 5

The explanation: This is one of those straight-line questions that can be figured out without a definite math formula. Five Koops in a Flan, translates into 35 Koops in a Blit (5x7=35), then 105 Koops in Zorch (35x3=105). Then, since there are seven Flans in a Blit, that means there were 21 Flans in a Zorch (7x3=21). Then, 105 divided by 21 equals the answer of 5.

 

2. Below are three normal playing dice stuck together. If you know the opposite sides of one die always total seven, what is the sum of the numbers on the four faces that are stuck together?

Answer: 11

The explanation: Again, you can figure this out without a math formula. On the left hand cube, the inside number opposite the 4 is 3. In the middle club, after figuring the numbers opposite the exposed 5 and 4, you know the two numbers on the sides next to the other cubes have to be 1 and 6. On the right hand cube, you can reason the number on the exposed side to the right is 6 so the hidden side's number must be 1. Then, add those numbers, 3, 1, 6 and 1 and you get 11.

 

3. The houses on a street are numbered 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, etc., up one side of the street and then continued consecutively down the other side until the last number is opposite house number 1. If house number 12 is opposite house number 29, how many houses are there totally on both sides of the street?

Answer: 40

The explanation: This is one of those problems that can be more easily solved by making an illustration with all the numbers. By using the numbers given and filling in the blanks up and down the street, the answer becomes clear:

40 39 38 37 36 35 34 33 32 31
 1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9 10

30 29 28 27 26 25 24 23 22 21
11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

 

4. A jogger knows three different routes from A Street to B Street. From B street to G Street, the jogger knows six different routes. From G Street to D Street, the jogger knows four different routes. How many different routes from A Street to D Street can this jogger take?

Answer: 72

The explanation: This is a puzzler that can be answered by using the counting principle in math. To get the total number of possible routes, you multiple the number of A-B routes (3) by the number of B-G routes (6) and then the number of G-D routes (4). That equation is 3x6x4=72

 

5. Alpers increased by 30% equals a Bon. Bons decreased by 20% equals a Cite. Cites increased by 40% equals a Dran. What percentage of an Alper is a Dran?

Answer: 145.6%

The explanation: A Bon is 130% of an Alper. Then, a Cite is a Bon decreased by 20% or 104%. By increasing the 104% Cite by 40%, then an Alpers is 145.6% of a Dran. You can express this is a formula (we'll use decimals increase of percentages): 1.4[.8(1.3A)]. (A Bon is 1.3 of Alper; Cite is .8 of a Bon; Dran is 1.4 of Cite)

 

6. What is the missing number in the following series?

43 41 37 31 29 ? 19 17

Answer: 23

The explanation: The left-hand four numbers decrease from the left by 2 (43-41), 4 (41-37) and 6 (37-31). The right-hand four numbers have the same progression if you start on the right end and move to the center, 2 (19-17), 4 (19-23), and 6 (23-29). Another way of looking at this is that all of the numbers are primary numbers and the only primary number between 29 and 19 is 23.