September answers
8 Math Mania winners in first month
The September Math Mania contest got off
to a pretty good start with eight kids getting both of the
puzzle answers correct.
Ms. Amy Ruzicka is the creator of the Math Mania puzzles.
She has a new school this year--Bayless Middle--but her puzzles
for the 2008-09 school year have the same feel.
They involve of unique types of math and require close attention.
The kids who got all September answers correct are:
Abraham Bluestone, Steven Hillis, Peter Lueng, Miranda
Reese, Shiori Tomatsu, Viet Ulrich, Kaylo Wood and
John Woolf. All are from St. Louis, except for Steven
Hillis, who lives in St. Charles.
Young Saint Louis.com awards up to three $10
Borders book certificates to kids who got all the answers
correct. Since there were eight with all answers correct,
YSL.com had a random drawing to select the
three winners.
Drawing winners were Miranda Reese, Steven Hillis
and Abraham Bluestone.
As a new addition to the Math Mania feature
this school year, we're also awarding a Borders certificate
to one of the math teachers who sent in their students' entries.
The September drawing winner is Ms. Jessica Johnston,
a 7th grade math teacher at Wydown Middle School in Clayton.
(If you'd like to enter Math Mania during October, just
click here.)
Here are the answers to the September Math Mania competition:
September Math Mania SOLUTIONS
1. GRANDMA AND TROLLS
You are on your way to visit your Grandma, who lives at
the end of the valley. It's her birthday, and you want
to give her the cakes you've made.
Between your house and her house, you
have to cross 7 bridges, and as it goes in the land of
make believe, there is a troll under every bridge! Each
troll, quite rightly, insists that you pay a troll toll.
Before you can cross their bridge, you have to give them
half of the cakes you are carrying, but as they are kind
trolls, they each give you back a single cake.
How many cakes do you have to leave home
with to make sure that you arrive at Grandma's with exactly
2 cakes?
Answer:
2: At each bridge you are
required to give half of your cakes, and you receive one
back. Thisleaves you with 2 cakes after every bridge.
2. A BIT NUTTY
A shop sells king-size Payday bars at $1 each. Each of
these Payday bars is wrapped in a special wrapper. You
can trade 3 of these wrappers for 1 Payday bar. If you
have $15, how many Payday bars can you get altogether?
Answer:
22: Firstly, you can get 15 Paydays. Trade the wrappers
to get 5 more. Trade again and you'll have 1 more Payday
and 2 leftover wrappers. Trade the remaining wrappers
to get 1 more Payday. 15 + 5 + 1 + 1 = 22 You will get
22 Paydays altogether.
