Dear Parents and Friends,

Each week we are going to have some fun problem solving questions for the students in the newsletter. We are hoping to increase the students understanding and knowledge when working with word problems/open ended questions. Feel free to support your child with the questions. Please email me your child’s answers or your child can hand me their work at school.

Kind Regards

Brendon Pye

Week 8 Problems

Lower Primary:

Nate loves to count. One day Mrs Swan put a pile of cubes on Nate’s desk. Nate began to count the cubes. He told Mrs Swan the following facts about the cubes: When I count the cubes by two I have one left over. When I count the cubes by three I have one left over. When I count by five I have none left over.

From this information can Mrs Swan work out how many cubes Nate has?

Middle Primary:

Mr Seaman has three dogs of different ages. If he adds their ages together he gets 15. If he multiplies their ages together he gets 45. How old are Mr Seaman’s dogs?

Upper Primary:

Jack says, “Did you know that today is my three sons’ birthday?” “How old are they?” asks Ollie. Jack gives him a hint. "The product of their ages is 36 and the sum of their ages is 13.” “That’s no help,” says Ollie. Jack gives him another clue. “O.K. My youngest son is very naughty.” “Nothing to it,” exclaims Ollie, and he tells Jack the correct ages of his sons.

How does Ollie figure out the correct answer and what are Jack’s sons’ ages?

Congratulation to Rachel Hofmeier who correctly solved the Upper Primary problem from Week 7- 

Week 7: Upper Primary:

Molly realises that there are nine positions in a magic square. Can she make up a magic square (vertical, horizontal and diagonal numbers add up to make the same number) using each of the numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 only once?

Rachel's Answer- Magic Number 15