May 28, 2018
Topics/Content Areas:
Algebraic Expressions & Equations, Number Theory, Statistics & DataDerrick received a total of 21 gift cards for graduation. He received gift cards in each of four denominations, $25, $50, $75 and $100. The number of $100 gift cards Derrick got was twice the number of $75 gift cards he received. The total value of the $50 gift cards he got exceeded the total combined value of the $25, $75 and $100 gift cards by $100. How many $25 gift cards did Derrick get for graduation?
With the gift card Derrick had left over from his recent birthday, the 22 gift cards have an average value of $50. What is the value of the leftover birthday gift card?
All 21 of the gift cards Derrick received for graduation were for stores at the local mall. He used five gift cards during the mall’s Memorial Day Sale Spectacular. If Derrick used at least two different denominations of gift cards, what is the absolute difference between the greatest and least combined value of his remaining 16 gift cards?
April 2, 2018
Topics/Content Areas:
Number Theory, Percents & Fractions, Statistics & Data
A baby rabbit moves 5 inches forward with each hop and his mother moves 14 inches forward with each hop. After the mother and baby each hop 10 hops in the same direction, the mother stops and waits for her baby to catch up. How many hops does the baby have to take to catch up?
A mother duck has 5 ducklings. The average weight of the 5 ducklings is 6 ounces. If the average weight of three of the ducklings is 5.25 ounces, what is the average weight, in ounces, of the other 2 ducklings? Express your answer as a decimal to the nearest thousandth.
Four piglets are placed in order by weight from lightest to heaviest. Each piglet, after the first is 2% heavier than the one before it. What percent heavier is the heaviest piglet than the lightest piglet? Express your answer to the nearest tenth.
March 12, 2018
Topics/Content Areas:
Measurement, Percents & Fractions, Plane Geometry
This Wednesday (3/14) was Pi Day. Here are a few questions in honor of the day.
If Celia ate 1/4 of 2/3 of 1/2 of a pie, what fraction of the whole pie did she eat? Express your answer as a common fraction.
If the top surface of a particular slice of pie is a sector of a circle with a vertex angle measuring 20 degrees and the length of the arc is π units, what is the circumference of the top surface of the whole pie? Express your answer in terms of π.
What is the perimeter of the top surface of the remaining portion of the pie if only the slice described in the previous problem is removed? Express your answer in terms of π.
February 5, 2018
Topics/Content Areas:
Logic, Problem Solving (Misc.), Sequences, Series & PatternsThis Saturday’s date, 02-10-18, forms an arithmetic sequence since 2 + 8 = 10 and 10 + 8 = 18. In honor of this occurrence, try your hand at solving these problems involving sequences and patterns.
What is the tenth term of the sequence −50, −49, −47, −44, −40, …?
What is the sixth term in the sequence 0, 3, 8, 15, 24, …?
Given the list of numbers 3, 2, 6, 3, 9, 5, 12, 7, …, if the pattern continues what is the sum of the ninth and tenth numbers?
O, Christmas Tree – December 4, 2017
Although, Franklin Pierce, the 14th U.S. President, originally brought the Christmas tree tradition to the White House, it was Calvin Coolidge, the 30th U.S. President, who, in 1923, started the National Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony now held every year on the White House lawn. Last week, the president and first family continued that tradition by lighting a tree on the White House lawn. And speaking of trees, try to solve the following Christmas tree-themed problems. In the U.S., there are about 450,000 acres in production for growing Christmas trees. If each acre provides the daily oxygen requirements of 18 people, how many acres of Christmas trees would need to be in production to provide enough oxygen for all 316 million Americans? Express your answer to the nearest whole number. If the average time it takes to grow a 6-foot Christmas tree is 7 years, how many inches of growth is that per year? Express your answer as a decimal to the nearest tenth. What would be the total income from 23 million Christmas trees sold at an average cost of $5.10 per foot of height, if the average tree sold is 6 feet tall?
Topics/Content Areas:
Algebraic Expressions & Equations, Number Theory, Statistics & DataDerrick received a total of 21 gift cards for graduation. He received gift cards in each of four denominations, $25, $50, $75 and $100. The number of $100 gift cards Derrick got was twice the number of $75 gift cards he received. The total value of the $50 gift cards he got exceeded the total combined value of the $25, $75 and $100 gift cards by $100. How many $25 gift cards did Derrick get for graduation?
With the gift card Derrick had left over from his recent birthday, the 22 gift cards have an average value of $50. What is the value of the leftover birthday gift card?
All 21 of the gift cards Derrick received for graduation were for stores at the local mall. He used five gift cards during the mall’s Memorial Day Sale Spectacular. If Derrick used at least two different denominations of gift cards, what is the absolute difference between the greatest and least combined value of his remaining 16 gift cards?
April 2, 2018
Topics/Content Areas:
Number Theory, Percents & Fractions, Statistics & Data
A baby rabbit moves 5 inches forward with each hop and his mother moves 14 inches forward with each hop. After the mother and baby each hop 10 hops in the same direction, the mother stops and waits for her baby to catch up. How many hops does the baby have to take to catch up?
A mother duck has 5 ducklings. The average weight of the 5 ducklings is 6 ounces. If the average weight of three of the ducklings is 5.25 ounces, what is the average weight, in ounces, of the other 2 ducklings? Express your answer as a decimal to the nearest thousandth.
Four piglets are placed in order by weight from lightest to heaviest. Each piglet, after the first is 2% heavier than the one before it. What percent heavier is the heaviest piglet than the lightest piglet? Express your answer to the nearest tenth.
March 12, 2018
Topics/Content Areas:
Measurement, Percents & Fractions, Plane Geometry
This Wednesday (3/14) was Pi Day. Here are a few questions in honor of the day.
If Celia ate 1/4 of 2/3 of 1/2 of a pie, what fraction of the whole pie did she eat? Express your answer as a common fraction.
If the top surface of a particular slice of pie is a sector of a circle with a vertex angle measuring 20 degrees and the length of the arc is π units, what is the circumference of the top surface of the whole pie? Express your answer in terms of π.
What is the perimeter of the top surface of the remaining portion of the pie if only the slice described in the previous problem is removed? Express your answer in terms of π.
February 5, 2018
Topics/Content Areas:
Logic, Problem Solving (Misc.), Sequences, Series & PatternsThis Saturday’s date, 02-10-18, forms an arithmetic sequence since 2 + 8 = 10 and 10 + 8 = 18. In honor of this occurrence, try your hand at solving these problems involving sequences and patterns.
What is the tenth term of the sequence −50, −49, −47, −44, −40, …?
What is the sixth term in the sequence 0, 3, 8, 15, 24, …?
Given the list of numbers 3, 2, 6, 3, 9, 5, 12, 7, …, if the pattern continues what is the sum of the ninth and tenth numbers?
O, Christmas Tree – December 4, 2017
Although, Franklin Pierce, the 14th U.S. President, originally brought the Christmas tree tradition to the White House, it was Calvin Coolidge, the 30th U.S. President, who, in 1923, started the National Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony now held every year on the White House lawn. Last week, the president and first family continued that tradition by lighting a tree on the White House lawn. And speaking of trees, try to solve the following Christmas tree-themed problems. In the U.S., there are about 450,000 acres in production for growing Christmas trees. If each acre provides the daily oxygen requirements of 18 people, how many acres of Christmas trees would need to be in production to provide enough oxygen for all 316 million Americans? Express your answer to the nearest whole number. If the average time it takes to grow a 6-foot Christmas tree is 7 years, how many inches of growth is that per year? Express your answer as a decimal to the nearest tenth. What would be the total income from 23 million Christmas trees sold at an average cost of $5.10 per foot of height, if the average tree sold is 6 feet tall?