Math - Previous POTW

Week #18				The 12 Days of Christmas

It is very simple this week. Find out the cost of all the items in the “12 Days of Christmas” song.

List the cost for each gift item separately and then as its own group.

Write it up in a table format using the headings;

           Day of Christmas
           Gift
           Cost of Gift
           Total cost of Gift(s)
			
           Final Total of all Gifts


Where you surprised by the total? Would there be a difference if you ordered the gifts on the 
Internet? How much, if any, would that be? Is it more or less? Can you think of any reasons not to 
use the Internet to buy gifts?

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Week 17

Barb Wire adds 1 link to her paper chain every day. Chuck Stake adds 3 links 
to his paper chain every day. Barb's chain has 9 links right now, and Chuck's 
chain has 3 links right now. If they keep adding links at the same rate, how 
many days will it be before Chuck's chain has exactly TWICE as many links as 
Barb's chain?

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Week 16

It costs 15 cents to mail a postcard and 25 cents for a letter. Miss Handle 
wrote to thirteen friends and spent $2.65 for postage.

How many letters and postcards did she send?
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Week 15
No POTW this week

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Week 14               Standing in Line

Estimation and measurement of time are basic skills for all. Businesses such 
as banks, fast-food restaurants, ski areas, and airports need efficient ways 
to minimize time spent waiting in line.

Part 1

You are standing in line to see you favorite movie or band. You are wondering 
how long you are going to have to stand in line before you get to the ticket 
window.

There is a person in charge of handing out line numbers and you find out that 
you are the 300th person in line. How long do you think you would have to 
wait in line until you will be able to purchase your tickets?

Hint: The estimated average wait time is 30 seconds. Use this estimate to 
find the amount of time you will have to wait in line.

Part 2

When you or your parents go to a restaurant, grocery store, or somewhere 
waiting in a line is required, keep track of the amount of time it takes to 
get through the line. Write down the number of people in front of you and the 
time it took get through the line. Calculate the average time you had to wait 
in line. If possible, find out if the express line really is “express”. Also, 
make a list of the factors that would make a line move slower or faster.

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Week 13    Patterns, Patterns, and more Patterns!         


Find the next two numbers or letters for each pattern and describe the rule 
for each.

a.  1, 4, 9, 16, ___, ___

b.  B, C, E, F, H, I, ___, ___

c.  100, 52, 28, 16, ___, ___

d.  Z, 1, W, 3, T, 5, ___, ___

e.  1, 5, 10, 14, 28, ___, ___

f.  .5, .8, .6, .9, .7, ___, ___

g.  at, bad, cats, _________, __________

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Week 12                        When the SAINTS go marching in.

How many saints are there in the triangle below?  Remember, you must always 
descend a level for 
the next letter.

          S
        A   A
      I   I    I
    N   N   N   N
  T   T   T   T   T 
S   S   S   S   S   S

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Week 11                   MISSING DIGIT CAPER

Use the clues to discover the missing digits. Explain your thinking!

                   Column 1     Column 2     Column 3

      Row 1         ?                    ?                    ?

      Row 2         ?                    ?                    ?

      Row 3         ?                    ?                    ?

 Clue 1: All numbers are one digit from 1 to 9.
 Clue 2: No number is used twice.
 Clue 3: Row 1 has all even numbers in consecutive order.
 Clue 4: The sum of the four corners equals the sum of each diagonal.
 Clue 5: Row 2 has all odd numbers. The largest and smallest numbers are 
         included.
 Clue 6: The sum of column 3 is equal to 3 times the sum of column 1.
 Clue 7: The numbers in row 1 are all factors of 12.
 Clue 8: The sum of row 3 is equal to the sum of column 3.
 Clue 9: The sum of each diagonal is equal to the sum of column 3.
Clue 10: The numbers in column 1 and 3 are consecutive counting numbers but 
         are not arranged in counting order.

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Week 10		The shepherd and his sheep

	A shepherd with 6 sheep had 13 sections of fence which were arranged 
into 6 pens of identical size and shape (congruent). The arrangement is 
represented with 13 toothpicks shown on the board in your classroom. (Sorry, 
I cannot create the picture for the teacher web page.)

One evening, someone stole one of the fence sections leaving only 12. After 
thinking long and hard, the shepherd rearranged the 12 sections to form 6 
pens of identical size and shape for the sheep.

Use 12 toothpicks to show how the shepherd made the six pens. This can be 
done without any overlapping or cutting of any toothpicks. Glue or tape your 
solution onto a piece of paper.