Puzzles
Who wins - the Answer!
Filename: footrace.html (2 Kb)
Date: 8-Feb-100
Submitted By: Andrew Smith
Format: HTML Document
Description: Below, on this page, is a puzzle, entitled "Who wins". This is the answer to the puzzle. And a very nicly written answer it is.





N on 91
Filename: N_on_91.txt (0 Kb)
Date: 9-May-99
Submitted By: S.J.Lean
Format: Unknown FileType
Description: 49/91 = 0.538461 ...
15/91 = 0.164835 ...

Are there other pairs of fractions with
this property? Can you find a pattern?




A Burning Question
Filename: BurnQues.doc (23 Kb)
Date: 8-Nov-98
Submitted By: Matt Bower
Format: MS Word Document
Description: "You have two lengths of rope and a box of matches. Each rope takes exactly one hour to burn but neither rope burns at a constant rate. How can you mark out exactly 45 minutes of time?"

The amazing thing about the problem is the incredible range of assessment that can be made based on different answers. It's a great question to give to your classes.





Mathematical Circles
Filename: MathsCircle.doc (23 Kb)
Date: 15-Oct-98
Submitted By: Joshua Zucker
Format: MS Word Document
Description: Initially, we are given the sequence 1, 2, 3, ..., 100 written on the board. Each minute, we erase any two numbers u and v from the set currently on the board, and replace them with the value of uv + u + v. After 99 minutes, we will be left with just one number. What are all possible values for that final number?

Joshua Zucker indicates how he lead his Maths Club towards a solution to this problem.




2 x 1000
Filename: 2by1000.doc (19 Kb)
Date: 7-Jun-98
Submitted By: Rex Boggs
Format: MS Word Document
Description: his is one of my favourite puzzles. What is the maximum number of circles with a diameter of 1 unit that can fit into a rectangle with dimensions 2 cm x 1000 cm? The answer, surprisingly, is MORE than 2000 circles.

The Word document contains some nice diagrams to assist in the solution.




Who Wins?
Filename: who_wins.rtf (0 Kb)
Date: 7-Jun-98
Submitted By: Craig Pollard
Format: Rich Text Format
Description: Here is the puzzle:

Assume that I race you over 100 meters and I win by 10 meters. Then:

(a) if I start 10 meters behind who will win, and by how much?
(b) if I start 11 meters behind who will win, and by how much?
(c) what is furthest I could start behind, and still win?

Explain your answers.




The Billboard Puzzle
Filename: Billbord.RTF (0 Kb)
Date: 7-Jun-98
Submitted By: Tom Baldwin
Format: Rich Text Format
Description: The Billboard Puzzle




You'll Drink Your Orange Juice and Like It, Comrade
Filename: cyprus.html (1 Kb)
Date: 7-Jun-98
Submitted By: Unknown
Format: HTML Document
Description: Soviet Union agrees to absorb quantities of citrus fruits to relieve Cyprus surplus. --- Newspaper item.

And the first 4 lines of a poem written to commemorate this epic event...

There's a Cyprus citrus surplus,
Citrus surplus Cypriotic.
No Sicilian citrus surplus
But a Cyprus citrus surplus...

Follow the link to read the rest of the poem. This has nothing to do with mathematics by the way, it is just very clever!




How to Determine the Day of the Week
Filename: dayoweek.html (6 Kb)
Date: 7-Jun-98
Submitted By: Alex Lopez-Ortiz
Format: HTML Document
Description: Amaze your friends!. Given any date, you can tell them on which day of the week it fell. The method has a touch of number theory to it.




The Bellboy Puzzle
Filename: bellboy.rtf (0 Kb)
Date: 7-Jun-98
Submitted By: Susie Fischbein
Format: Rich Text Format
Description: The Bellboy Puzzle




Mathematical Elephant Jokes
Filename: elefantj.doc (19 Kb)
Date: 7-Jun-98
Submitted By: Michael W. Sloan
Format: MS Word Document
Description: Two pages of mathematical elephant jokes. Or, as one astute visitor said, a single joke told in a variety of ways!




The Camel and Banana Puzzle
Filename: camana.RTF (0 Kb)
Date: 7-Jun-98
Submitted By: Unknown
Format: Rich Text Format
Description: A classic 'Crossing the Desert' puzzle.





The Know / Don't Know Puzzle
Filename: DontKnow.RTF (0 Kb)
Date: 7-Jun-98
Submitted By: Unknown
Format: Rich Text Format
Description: I don't know about you, but I found this puzzle to be very difficult.




The Evolution of the Maths Problem
Filename: matevolv.doc (22 Kb)
Date: 7-Jun-98
Submitted By: Robert Grossman
Format: MS Word Document
Description: This short article is a spoof of maths education over the past 40 years. At least, I hope it is a spoof.




How Old is Pastor Ulrik?
Filename: How_Old.RTF (1 Kb)
Date: 7-Jun-98
Submitted By: R H Jensen
Format: Rich Text Format
Description: A twist on the classic 'The oldest daughter...' puzzle.




Wet Blankets Throughout History
Filename: wet_blnk.txt (4 Kb)
Date: 7-Jun-98
Submitted By: Peter Whitehouse
Format: Unknown FileType
Description: Not mathematics, but good fun anyway. Example: "The bomb will never go off. I speak as an expert in explosives." Admiral William Leahy, US Atomic Bomb Project.




Lucky Louie
Filename: louie.RTF (1 Kb)
Date: 7-Jun-98
Submitted By: Unknown
Format: Rich Text Format
Description: The strangest game I know is the game of Lucky Louie. Download the file, and find out why!





Al, Bob and Charlie
Filename: abc.RTF (0 Kb)
Date: 7-Jun-98
Submitted By: Irving Lubliner
Format: Rich Text Format
Description: A rate puzzle.




The Amazing Santa
Filename: Santa.txt (3 Kb)
Date: 7-Jun-98
Submitted By: Lewis Harmon
Format: Unknown FileType
Description: A physicist takes a critical look at what amounts to an extraordinary feat by Santa. This article is rated PG.




Jimmy's Puzzle
Filename: log_puz1.rtf (1 Kb)
Date: 7-Jun-98
Submitted By: Jimmy Houston
Format: Rich Text Format
Description: The number of times the digit n appears in this puzzle is ___, where n ranges from 0 to 9.




A Sequence Puzzle
Filename: seq_puz1.rtf (0 Kb)
Date: 7-Jun-98
Submitted By: Maxine ??
Format: Rich Text Format
Description: I _know_ sequence puzzles have a poor reputation. But this one is different, because we know something about an infinite number of the terms.




Administratium
Filename: adminium.rtf (1 Kb)
Date: 7-Jun-98
Submitted By: Unknown
Format: Rich Text Format
Description: This is not maths, but it is very funny, so it has earned a place in these pages.