Math Games

Archive for July, 2008

Question: Help! I need a fairly simplistic math puzzle/trick for a presentation.??

I need a math trick/game for my math course......something that can be proven with a fairly simple proof.....Ive looked everywhere and most of teh stuff is logic problems...(which have ridiculously complex proofs...) it can be a card trick/dice/dominoes but again, not too in depth. This is for a college course but she said we can do even a kids math trick as long as its proven. Any suggestions/websites would be great....Ive done so much research already!!! arrrghhghh

Answer: How about this:

Pick any number (well, almost any. less than 2,222,209 & positive let's say.)
Add 14
Multiply by 9
Subtract 8
Add up all the digits
Add 5
Add up all the digits again
Subtract 6... You now have the number zero regardless of what number you picked first.

x
x+14
9x + 126
9x + 118
sum of digits of (9x + 118) ≡ 9x + 118 ≡ 1 (mod 9) *
1 + 5 = 6 (mod 9)
6 - 6 = 0

*You may be required to prove that the sum of the digits of a number mod 9 is the same as the number mod 9

Classic Game Room HD - PROFESSOR LAYTON and the DIABOLICAL BOX

Math Games Answers 2a

This is the answer to the Math Games problem 2a

The numbers are 3,4 and 6.

Now it is a matter of finding out where these numbers go in the Math Game diagram below so that each row, column and five figure diagonal line in this diagram must total 15.

4	2	4	1	4
2	4	4	4	1
4	4	3	2	2
3	2	2	2	6
2	3	2	6	2

Row sums:

• 4+2+4+1+4=15, 2+4+4+4+1=15, 4+4+3+2+2=15, 3+2+2+2+6=15, 2+3+2+6+2=15

Column sums:

• 4+2+4+3+2=15, 2+4+4+3+2=15, 4+4+3+2+2=15, 1+4+2+2+6=15, 4+1+2+6+2=15

Diagonal sums:

• Left to right: 4+4+3+2+2=15,
• Right to left: 4+4+3+2+2=15

Click here to go to Math Games problem 2

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