1494 and Level 5

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Today’s Puzzle:

Write the numbers from 1 to 12 in both the first column and the top row so that the given clues are the products of those factors. Be sure to use logic to find the factors! Guessing and checking will only frustrate you.

Factors of 1494:

  • 1494 is a composite number.
  • Prime factorization: 1494 = 2 × 3 × 3 × 83, which can be written 1494 = 2 × 3² × 83
  • 1494 has at least one exponent greater than 1 in its prime factorization so √1494 can be simplified. Taking the factor pair from the factor pair table below with the largest square number factor, we get √1494 = (√9)(√166) = 3√166
  • The exponents in the prime factorization are 1, 2, and 1. Adding one to each exponent and multiplying we get (1 + 1)(2 + 1)(1 + 1) = 2 × 3 × 2 = 12. Therefore 1494 has exactly 12 factors.
  • The factors of 1494 are outlined with their factor pair partners in the graphic below.

Other Facts about the Number 1494:

1494 is not the sum of or the difference of two squares, but it is still a part of three Pythagorean triples because of these three ways it can be factored:
1494 = 2(747)(1),
1494 = 2(249)(3), and
1494 = 2(83)(9).
And because for whole numbers where a > b, 2(a)(b), a² – b², a² + b² will be a Pythagorean triple.

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1493 and Level 4

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Today’s Puzzle:

Write the numbers from 1 to 12 in both the first column and the top row so that those numbers are the factors of the clues given in the puzzle:

Factors of 1493:

  • 1493 is a prime number.
  • Prime factorization: 1493 is prime.
  • 1493 has no exponents greater than 1 in its prime factorization, so √1493 cannot be simplified.
  • The exponent in the prime factorization is 1. Adding one to that exponent we get (1 + 1) = 2. Therefore 1493 has exactly 2 factors.
  • The factors of 1493 are outlined with their factor pair partners in the graphic below.

How do we know that 1493 is a prime number? If 1493 were not a prime number, then it would be divisible by at least one prime number less than or equal to √1493. Since 1493 cannot be divided evenly by 2, 3, 5, 7, 11, 13, 17, 19, 23, 29 31, or 37, we know that 1493 is a prime number.

Other Facts about the number 1493:

1493 is the last prime number in the fourth prime quintuplet,
(1481, 1483, 1487, 1489, 1493), which is the smallest prime quintuplet that is not also part of a prime sextuplet.
In prime quintuplets, the first three numbers, the middle three numbers, and the last three numbers each form a prime triplet. Thus,1493 is the last prime number in the third prime triplet formed from the numbers in the fourth prime quintuplet.

1493 is the sum of two squares:
38² + 7² = 1493

1493 is the hypotenuse of a Pythagorean triple:
532-1395-1493, calculated from 2(38)(7), 38² – 7², 38² + 7²

Here’s another way we know that 1493 is a prime number: Since its last two digits divided by 4 leave a remainder of 1, and 38² + 7² = 1493 with 38 and 7 having no common prime factors, 1493 will be prime unless it is divisible by a prime number Pythagorean triple hypotenuse less than or equal to √1493. Since 1493 is not divisible by 5, 13, 17, 29, or 37, we know that 1493 is a prime number.

1492 The Niña, the Pinta, and the Santa Maria

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Today’s Puzzle:

I debated with myself about whether or not I should mention the famous poem about 1492 in this post. Then I looked at the puzzle I had already created for today and noticed it would not be too much of a stretch to say the twelve clues look a little bit like three ships.  So whether or not I should, I decided to go ahead and mention the Niña, the Pinta, and the larger Santa Maria in the title. The ships themselves are innocent of any barbaric acts and might just be the three most famous ships in world history.

Start at the top of this level 3 puzzle and work your way down cell by cell using logic until you have written all the factors from 1 to 12 in both the first column and the top row.

Here’s the same puzzle without color:

Factors of 1492:

  • 1492 is a composite number.
  • Prime factorization: 1492 = 2 × 2 × 373, which can be written 1492 = 2² × 373
  • 1492 has at least one exponent greater than 1 in its prime factorization so √1492 can be simplified. Taking the factor pair from the factor pair table below with the largest square number factor, we get √1492 = (√4)(√373) = 2√373
  • The exponents in the prime factorization are 2 and 1. Adding one to each exponent and multiplying we get (2 + 1)(1 + 1) = 3 × 2 = 6. Therefore 1492 has exactly 6 factors.
  • The factors of 1492 are outlined with their factor pair partners in the graphic below.

Other Facts About the Number 1492:

1492 is the sum of two squares:
36² + 14² = 1492

1492 is the hypotenuse of a Pythagorean triple:
1008-1100-1492, which is 4 times (252-275-373)
and can also be calculated from 2(36)(14), 36² – 14², 36² + 14².

1491 How Many Square Units Do You See in This Partially Completed Puzzle?

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Today’s Puzzle:

My grandchildren had put this puzzle together many times on their own but wanted me to help them this time. The picture on the box was very helpful and let me know there were four unicorns, but I could only find puzzle pieces for three horns instead of four. I found the missing horn under some furniture in the living room, but I still wondered if any other puzzle pieces had been misplaced. I used multiplication, addition, and subtraction to figure out how many puzzle pieces still needed to be placed on this partially completed puzzle. Can you also figure out the number of puzzle pieces that still need to be placed?

I counted the number of puzzle pieces in the box and determined that two pieces were missing. Knowing that two puzzle pieces are missing, can you tell me how many more puzzle pieces are in the box waiting to be placed on the puzzle?

Each puzzle piece is approximately equal to one square unit. If you can determine the area of the entire puzzle and the area of the missing pieces, then you can determine the area of the incomplete puzzle pictured above. Go ahead, give it a try!

Factors of 1491:

  • 1491 is a composite number.
  • Prime factorization: 1491 = 3 × 7 × 71.
  • 1491 has no exponents greater than 1 in its prime factorization, so √1491 cannot be simplified.
  • The exponents in the prime factorization are 1, 1, and 1. Adding one to each exponent and multiplying we get (1 + 1)(1 + 1)(1 + 1) = 2 × 2 × 2 = 8. Therefore 1491 has exactly 8 factors.
  • The factors of 1491 are outlined with their factor pair partners in the graphic below.

Another Fact about the number 1491:

1491 is the 21st nonagonal number because
21(7·21 – 5)/2 = 1491.

1490 and Level 2

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Today’s Puzzle:

You can solve this puzzle if you know the basic multiplication and division facts. Just write the numbers from 1 to 12 in both the first column and the top row so the given clues and those factors create a valid multiplication table.

Factors of 1490:

  • 1490 is a composite number.
  • Prime factorization: 1490 = 2 × 5 × 149.
  • 1490 has no exponents greater than 1 in its prime factorization, so √1490 cannot be simplified.
  • The exponents in the prime factorization are 1, 1, and 1. Adding one to each exponent and multiplying we get (1 + 1)(1 + 1)(1 + 1) = 2 × 2 × 2 = 8. Therefore 1490 has exactly 8 factors.
  • The factors of 1490 are outlined with their factor pair partners in the graphic below.

More Facts about the Number 1490:

1490 is the sum of two squares in two different ways:
31² + 23² = 1490.
37² + 11² = 1490.

1490 is the hypotenuse of FOUR Pythagorean triples:
432-1426-1490, calculated from 31² – 23², 2(31)(23), 31² + 23².
510-1400-1490, which is 10 times (51-140-149).
814-1248-1490, calculated from 2(37)(11), 37² – 11², 37² + 11².
894-1192-1490, which is (3-4-5) times 298.

1489 and Level 1

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Today’s Puzzle:

You can use the 20 clues in this puzzle to find the order that the factors from 1 to 12 must take. After you find those factors you can multiply each pair of factors together to complete the entire multiplication table.

Factors of 1489:

  • 1489 is a prime number.
  • Prime factorization: 1489 is prime.
  • 1489 has no exponents greater than 1 in its prime factorization, so √1489 cannot be simplified.
  • The exponent in the prime factorization is 1. Adding one to that exponent we get (1 + 1) = 2. Therefore 1489 has exactly 2 factors.
  • The factors of 1489 are outlined with their factor pair partners in the graphic below.

How do we know that 1489 is a prime number? If 1489 were not a prime number, then it would be divisible by at least one prime number less than or equal to √1489. Since 1489 cannot be divided evenly by 2, 3, 5, 7, 11, 13, 17, 19, 23, 29 31, or 37, we know that 1489 is a prime number.

Other Facts about the Number 1489:

1489 is the sum of two squares:
33² + 20² = 1489.

1489 is the hypotenuse of a Pythagorean triple:
689-1320-1489 calculated from 33² – 20², 2(33)(20), 33² + 20².

Here’s another way we know that 1489 is a prime number: Since its last two digits divided by 4 leave a remainder of 1, and 33² + 20² = 1489 with 33 and 20 having no common prime factors, 1489 will be prime unless it is divisible by a prime number Pythagorean triple hypotenuse less than or equal to √1489. Since 1489 is not divisible by 5, 13, 17, 29, or 37, we know that 1489 is a prime number.

1489 is the last prime number in the fifth prime decade:

1489 is a centered triangular number because (3(31²) + 3(31) + 2)/2 = 1489.

1488 Chalk Art

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Geometric Chalk Art:

My grandchildren and their mom laid down some masking tape on a sidewalk panel to create lots of polygons. Then they colored it in beautifully with chalk before they removed most of the masking tape. My sidewalk never looked so good!

Perhaps you would enjoy creating some mathematical chalk art on your sidewalk, too!

Factors of 1488:

  • 1488 is a composite number.
  • Prime factorization: 1488 = 2 × 2 × 2 × 2 × 3 × 31, which can be written 1488 = 2⁴ × 3 × 31
  • 1488 has at least one exponent greater than 1 in its prime factorization so √1488 can be simplified. Taking the factor pair from the factor pair table below with the largest square number factor, we get √1488 = (√16)(√93) = 4√93. The exponents in the prime factorization are 4, 1, and 1. Adding one to each exponent and multiplying we get (4 + 1)(1 + 1)(1 + 1) = 5 × 2 × 2 = 20. Therefore 1488 has exactly 20 factors.
  • The factors of 1488 are outlined with their factor pair partners in the graphic below.

More about the Number 1488:

1488 is the difference of two squares in six different ways:
373² – 371² = 1488
188² – 184² = 1488
127² – 121² = 1488
97² – 89² = 1488
68² – 56² = 1488
43² – 19² = 1488

1487 A Challenging Puzzle

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Today’s Puzzle:

This puzzle is like four out-of-order 1 – 10 multiplication tables that work together. The clues in the puzzle need to be the products of the numbers you write. It won’t be easy, but use logic to solve it. Good luck!

Print the puzzles or type the solution in this excel file: 10 Factors 1478-1487

Factors of 1487:

  • 1487 is a prime number.
  • Prime factorization: 1487 is prime.
  • 1487 has no exponents greater than 1 in its prime factorization, so √1487 cannot be simplified.
  • The exponent in the prime factorization is 1. Adding one to that exponent we get (1 + 1) = 2. Therefore 1487 has exactly 2 factors.
  • The factors of 1487 are outlined with their factor pair partners in the graphic below.

How do we know that 1487 is a prime number? If 1487 were not a prime number, then it would be divisible by at least one prime number less than or equal to √1487. Since 1487 cannot be divided evenly by 2, 3, 5, 7, 11, 13, 17, 19, 23, 29 31, or 37, we know that 1487 is a prime number.

Other Facts about the Number 1487:

1487 is the difference of two squares:
744²-743² = 1487.

1487 is the third prime number in the fifth prime decade. See it in the list below:

1486 Mysterious Cat

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Today’s Puzzle:

If a cat has nine lives, how many lives do seven cats have? Where do the numbers 9 and 7 belong in this puzzle? Where do all the other numbers from 1 to 10 belong?

Factors of 1486:

  • 1486 is a composite number.
  • Prime factorization: 1486 = 2 × 743
  • 1486 has no exponents greater than 1 in its prime factorization, so √1486 cannot be simplified.
  • The exponents in the prime factorization are 1, and 1. Adding one to each exponent and multiplying we get (1 + 1)(1 + 1) = 2 × 2 = 4. Therefore 1486 has exactly 4 factors.
  • The factors of 1486 are outlined with their factor pair partners in the graphic below.

More about the Number 1486:

1486 is not the sum of two squares or the difference of two squares, but it is in a Pythagorean triple:
1486-552048-552050, calculated from 2(743)(1), 743² – 1², 743² + 1²

1485 Sticky Lollipop Mystery

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Today’s Puzzle:

Lollipops can be very sticky. Will the logic needed for this puzzle be a sticky mess, or will you be able to lick it? That’s the mystery. Good luck!

Factors of 1485:

  • 1485 is a composite number.
  • Prime factorization: 1485 = 3 × 3 × 3 × 5 × 11, which can be written 1485 = 3³ × 5 × 11
  • 1485 has at least one exponent greater than 1 in its prime factorization so √1485 can be simplified. Taking the factor pair from the factor pair table below with the largest square number factor, we get √1485 = (√9)(√165) = 3√165
  • The exponents in the prime factorization are 3,1 and 1. Adding one to each exponent and multiplying we get (3 + 1)(1 + 1) (1 + 1) = 4 × 2 × 2 = 16. Therefore 1485 has exactly 16 factors.
  • The factors of 1485 are outlined with their factor pair partners in the graphic below.

More about the Number 1485:

Did you notice: (27)(55) = 1485? That means that
(54)(55)/2 = 1485 so 1485 is the 54th triangular number.

1485 is the hypotenuse of a Pythagorean triple:
891-1188-1485 which is (3-4-5) times 297.

Of the ten numbers from 1480 to 1489, four are prime numbers and have exactly 2 factors. Three of the ten numbers have exactly 16 factors, namely 1480, 1482, and 1485. No smaller set of three numbers with sixteen factors are as close together as these three are!