You'll need educated guesses in May Puzzlers

Mr. Math Puzzler has come up with a bunch of unusual questions for Young Saint Louis.com's May Puzzlers. You'll need educated guesses to get most of them.

Remember, there may not be a clear-cut math formula for each questions. Sometimes, you have to experiment with a variety of answers until the right one makes sense. "Educated guesses can be a part of successful math figuring," Mr. Math Puzzler reminds all of you.

Also, there are a couple of questions where the answers look simple but aren't. The operative phrase for them is "thinking outside the box." The direct answer may not be the right one this month.

Mr. Math Puzzler wants to give you a bit brain-teasing sendoff in this last quiz of the 2002-03 school year. But, don't worry, He's has agreed to have more Puzzlers during the summer months. YSL.com wants you can have fun with math over the summer also.

In April, some of the new winners repeated their success from March.

Why don't you invite some of your summer buddies to play along with the Math Puzzlers. You can answer the questions and then each sent your own entry form.

If you are a new entrant in the Puzzlers, we suggest you review some of the past Puzzlers questions and answers to see how Mr. Math Puzzler thinks. Mr. Math Puzzler is Wayne Hesse, a math teacher at Green Park Lutheran School in south St. Louis County.

The YSL.com Puzzlers have been on website since September, 2001. If you click on the home page's Past Stories tab, you can find all the past questions and answers.

Just click on any month since the start and call up the Math Puzzler stories.

After checking a month's questions, move to the following month for those answers. By studying both questions and answers, you'll understand how Mr. Math Puzzler thinks.

(For a listing of winners and answers to the April competition, click here.)

Young Saint Louis.com likes it when kids who enter the Math Puzzler competition get the correct answers. We get to list the winners the following month. We also give out up to three $10 Borders gift certificates as an extra bonus.

Now, you should be ready for the May contest.

A reminder: These Math Puzzlers can be quite challenging, especially for younger kids. Remember, we don't mind if you get help from a parent or older brother or sister. In fact, you might want to make this a family activity.

Here's how to enter:

1. Print out the following entry form.
2. Fill out your name, address and telephone number.
3. Give your answers to the six Math Puzzlers.
4. Put your completed entry into a stamped envelope.
5. Mail your entry to:
   
   Math Puzzler Contest
   Young Saint Louis.com
   231 So. Bemiston Ave., Suite 800
   Clayton, MO 63105
   
   
6. All entries must be postmarked by the 15th of the month to be eligible.

-------------Clip here to make entry-------------

Entry for May, 2003, Math Puzzler Contest:

Name: _______________________________ Age: ______

Address: ____________________ School: _____________

City:______________________, State:____ ZIP_________

Contact phone no.(____)____________________

The Math Puzzlers
(May, 2003)

1. How many ways can you read ACE off the diagram below? You can move horizontally, vertically or any combination of horizontal or vertical as long as the letters are adjacent.

              A
            A C A
          A C E C A
            A C A
              A

 

Answer: _______________

 

 

2. Timmy rents a car to drive to a city 100km away. He stops halfway and pick up a friend, who rides the last 50km with him. Returning in the evening with his friend, Timmy drops him where he picked him up, then drives on to his starting point, where he is charged $24 for car rental. Timmy and his friend share expenses equitably. How much should each pay?

 

Answer: _____________

 

 

3. Tammy is preparing for a 42,000km trip in her car, a traditional four-wheel model. Buying tires which each last 24,000km, Tammy contends that 7 would be enough. Is she right? Prove it.

 

Answer:_____________

 

 

4. Jenny is having dinner with a friend. She brought five dishes and her friend three dishes. At the last minute, another friend comes and eats with them. The second friend pays $4 as her share. If all dishes have the same value, how can the money be divided between Jenny and her first friend? (Be careful.)

 

Answer: _____________

 

 

5. Nine schoolchildren form a circle. To choose a leader, they decide to start from one of them, count up to 5 clockwise, ask the fifth player to leave the circle, and so on. The last player left in the circle is the leader. Andrew does the counting. He wants to take advantage of this to become the leader. Let's call him and his friends by the first letter of each child's first name using the letters A (for Andrew) through I, clockwise. With which child should Andrew start his counting so he becomes the leader?

 

Answer: _____________

 

 

6. The locomotive, which is 24 feet long, plus a Pullman car equal the length of 3 coaches. The four Pullman cars equal the length of the locomotive plus the length of the 3 coaches. The diner car is 2 feet longer than a Pullman car. One of the 3 coaches is 1 foot longer than the other two. How long is each car?

 

Answer: _____________