A Multiplication Based Logic Puzzle

923 Grave Marker

2017-10-23

To me graveyards are beautiful places where the dearly departed are laid to rest. Find A Grave and Billiongraves are two genealogical sources that assist individuals in finding grave sites. When my son and I visited graveyards in Hungary and Slovakia a few years ago, we saw many wood and stone grave markers which had been eroded by weather. Some were almost impossible to read. We also suspect some people were too poor when they died to get a headstone of any type. We were very excited when we saw any readable grave markers with our family surnames.

Recently on twitter I saw these paintings of gothic graveyards by M J Forster. I knew immediately I wanted to include them in this post. The paintings are quite stunning.

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Finding departed ancestors can sometimes be difficult, but very rewarding. Finding the factors in today’s puzzle will be very easy:

Here’s a fun fact about the number 923:

Stetson.edu informs us that 923(923 + 1) = 852,852. Below are two of the MANY possible factor trees for 852,852. The first one includes factor trees for 923 and 924, the second one shows why their product uses digits that repeat itself in order.

  • 923 is a composite number.
  • Prime factorization: 923 = 13 × 71
  • The exponents in the prime factorization are 1 and 1. Adding one to each and multiplying we get (1 + 1)(1 + 1) = 2 × 2 = 4. Therefore 923 has exactly 4 factors.
  • Factors of 923: 1, 13, 71, 923
  • Factor pairs: 923 = 1 × 923 or 13 × 71
  • 923 has no square factors that allow its square root to be simplified. √923 ≈ 30.380915

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Level 1 Puzzle

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922 Boo!

2017-10-22

Have you ever cut holes in a sheet, put it over your head, and jumped out in front of people as you hollered, “Boo!”? Today’s puzzle is made to look like a ghost. It’s a level 6, but don’t let that spook you! Attack the puzzle using logic, and after you solve it, you can claim to be a ghost-buster!

Print the puzzles or type the solution on this excel file: 10-factors-914-922

When 922 floats around in a different base, you may think you’re seeing an apparition:

922 becomes 1234 in BASE 9 because 1(9³) + 2(9²) + 3(9¹) + 4(9º) = 922.
922 becomes palindrome 262 in BASE 20

922 is also the sum of the 18 prime numbers from 17 to 89.

922 = 29² + 9², so 922 is the hypotenuse of a Pythagorean triple:
522-760-922, which is the same as 2(29)(9), 29² – 9², 29² + 9².
That Pythagorean triple is also 2 times (261-380-461).

  • 922 is a composite number.
  • Prime factorization: 922 = 2 × 461
  • The exponents in the prime factorization are 1 and 1. Adding one to each and multiplying we get (1 + 1)(1 + 1) = 2 × 2 = 4. Therefore 922 has exactly 4 factors.
  • Factors of 922: 1, 2, 461, 922
  • Factor pairs: 922 = 1 × 922 or 2 × 461
  • 922 has no square factors that allow its square root to be simplified. √922 ≈ 30.3644529

 

 

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Level 6 Puzzle

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921 Is This Bug Cute or Creepy?

2017-10-21

Some bugs make creepy Halloween decorations. Other bugs, like ladybugs, might make a very cute costume.

Today’s puzzle looks like a bug, but there is no reason to run and hide from this one. Yes, it’s a level 5, so some parts of it may be tricky.

This is what you need to do to solve it: stay calm; don’t guess and check. Figure out where to put each number from 1 to 10 in both the top row and the first column so that the clues make the puzzle work like a multiplication table. Don’t write a number down unless you are absolutely sure it belongs where you’re putting it. Use logic, step by step, and this puzzle will be a treat.

Print the puzzles or type the solution on this excel file: 10-factors-914-922

When you put on a Halloween costume, you may look completely different.

When a number is written in a different base, it may look completely different. For example,
921 looks like repdigit 333 in BASE 17 because 3(17²) + 3(17¹) + 3(17º) = 3(289 + 17 + 1) = 3(307) = 921
(307 is 111 in BASE 17)

921 looks like palindrome 1H1 in BASE 23 (H is 17 base 10). As you might suspect, 1(23²) + 17(23¹) + 1(23º) = 529 + 391 + 1 = 921

When it’s not written in a different base, 921 looks pretty familiar. You can tell quite quickly that it is divisible by 3:

  • 921 is a composite number.
  • Prime factorization: 921 = 3 × 307
  • The exponents in the prime factorization are 1 and 1. Adding one to each and multiplying we get (1 + 1)(1 + 1) = 2 × 2 = 4. Therefore 921 has exactly 4 factors.
  • Factors of 921: 1, 3, 307, 921
  • Factor pairs: 921 = 1 × 921 or 3 × 307
  • 921 has no square factors that allow its square root to be simplified. √921 ≈ 30.34798181

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Level 5 Puzzle

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920 Witches’ Cauldron

2017-10-20

“Double, double toil and trouble;
Fire burn, and caldron bubble.”

What besides “eye of newt” goes in witches’ cauldrons? The list includes some horrifying ingredients that you can read here from one scene from Shakeaspeare’s play, MacBeth.

Instead of putting “Eye of newt, and toe of frog, Wool of bat, and tongue of dog” and so forth in today’s Halloween cauldron puzzle, I just put a bunch of asterisks.

Print the puzzles or type the solution on this excel file: 10-factors-914-922

“Double, double toil and trouble;
Fire burn, and caldron bubble.”

Double 115 is 230.

Double 230 is 460.

Double 460 is 920, today’s post number.

920 is the hypotenuse of a Pythagorean triple:
552-736-920 which is (3-4-5) times 184.

920 is palindrome 767 in BASE 11 because 7(121) + 6(11) + 7(1) = 920

  • 920 is a composite number.
  • Prime factorization: 920 = 2 × 2 × 2 × 5 × 23, which can be written 920 = 2³ × 5 × 23
  • The exponents in the prime factorization are 3, 1, and 1. Adding one to each and multiplying we get (3 + 1)(1 + 1)(1 + 1) = 4 × 2 × 2 = 16. Therefore 920 has exactly 16 factors.
  • Factors of 920: 1, 2, 4, 5, 8, 10, 20, 23, 40, 46, 92, 115, 184, 230, 460, 920
  • Factor pairs: 920 = 1 × 920, 2 × 460, 4 × 230, 5 × 184, 8 × 115, 10 × 92, 20 × 46, or 23 × 40
  • Taking the factor pair with the largest square number factor, we get √920 = (√4)(√230) = 2√230 ≈ 20.331501776.

 

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Level 4 Puzzle

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Why Prime Number 919 is the 18th Centered Hexagonal Number

919 is a prime number, but if you had 919 little squares, they could be formed into this fabulous shape:

This hexagon is made from 18 concentric hexagons using the pattern yellow, green, blue, purple, red, and orange repeated. You can easily count that there are 3 × 6 hexagons. (Yes, that’s counting the yellow square in the center as a hexagon because 1 is the first centered hexagonal number.) Here’s why prime number 919 is a centered hexagonal number:

919 = 1 + 6 + 12 + 18 + 24 + 30 + 36 + 42 + 48 + 54 + 60 + 66 + 72 + 78 + 84 + 90 + 96 + 102, the number of squares contained in those concentric hexagons listed in order from smallest to largest . Thus,
919 = 1 + 6(1 + 2 + 3 + 4 +  5 + 6 + 7 + 8 + 9 + 10 + 11 + 12 + 13 + 14 + 15 + 16 + 17) = 1 + 6(153)

919 is a centered hexagonal number because 919 – 1 is 918. What was special about 918? Well, consecutive numbers, 17 and 18, are two of its factors. That made the 17th triangular number a factor of 918. Because 918 is 6 times a triangular number (153), the next number, 919, is a centered hexagonal number.

919 is the 18th centered hexagonal number because 817 (the 17th centered hexagonal number) plus 6(17) = 919.

919 is the 18th centered hexagonal number because 630 (the 18th hexagonal number) plus 17² = 919:

919 is also the 18th centered hexagonal number because 18³ – 17³ = 919. Even though the difference of two cubes can always be factored, 919 is still a prime number because
18³ – 17³ = (18 – 17)(18² + (17)(18) + 17²) = (1)(919)

919 is not only the 18th centered hexagonal number, but it is a palindrome in base 10 and two other bases:

414 in BASE 15

171 in BASE 27

919 uses its same digits, 199, in BASE 26

  • 919 is a prime number.
  • Prime factorization: 919 is prime.
  • The exponent of prime number 919 is 1. Adding 1 to that exponent we get (1 + 1) = 2. Therefore 919 has exactly 2 factors.
  • Factors of 919: 1, 919
  • Factor pairs: 919 = 1 × 919
  • 919 has no square factors that allow its square root to be simplified. √919 ≈ 30.31501

How do we know that 919 is a prime number? If 919 were not a prime number, then it would be divisible by at least one prime number less than or equal to √919 ≈ 30.3. Since 919 cannot be divided evenly by 2, 3, 5, 7, 11, 13, 17, 19, 23, or 29, we know that 919 is a prime number.

 

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Mathematics

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918 Grim Reaper’s Scythe

2017-10-19

Sometime on Halloween you are likely to see the Grim Reaper carrying a scythe. Together they look pretty scary. This puzzle isn’t that bad though. You should give it a try.

Print the puzzles or type the solution on this excel file: 10-factors-914-922

Scythe, now that is a good word to try when playing hangman. ☺

Let me tell you about the number 918:

It is the sum of consecutive prime numbers: 457 + 461 = 918

It is the hypotenuse of a Pythagorean triple:
432-810-918, which is (8-15-17) times 54

918 looks interesting in a few other bases:

  • 646 in BASE 12, because 9(144) + 4(12) + 6(1) = 918
  • 330 in BASE 17, because 3(289) + 3(17) + 0(1) = 3(289 + 17) = 3(306) = 918
  • 198 in BASE 26, which is the digits of 918 in a different order. Note that 1(26²) + 9(26) + 8(1) = 918
  • RR in BASE 33, (R is 27 in base 10), because 27(33) + 27(1) = 27(33 + 1) = 27(34) = 918
  • R0 in BASE 34, because 27(34) = 918

918 has consecutive numbers, 17 and 18, as two of its factors. That means 918 is a multiple of the 17th triangular number, 153.

  • 918 is a composite number.
  • Prime factorization: 918 = 2 × 3 × 3 × 3 × 17, which can be written 918 = 2 × 3³ × 17
  • The exponents in the prime factorization are 1, 3, and 1. Adding one to each and multiplying we get (1 + 1)(3 + 1)(1 + 1) = 2 × 4 × 2 = 16. Therefore 918 has exactly 16 factors.
  • Factors of 918: 1, 2, 3, 6, 9, 17, 18, 27, 34, 51, 54, 102, 153, 306, 459, 918
  • Factor pairs: 918 = 1 × 918, 2 × 459, 3 × 306, 6 × 153, 9 × 102, 17 × 54, 18 × 51, or 27 × 34
  • Taking the factor pair with the largest square number factor, we get √918 = (√9)(√102) = 3√102 ≈ 30.29851

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Level 3 Puzzle

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917 How to Solve for X with Candy

How many m&m’s are there in one fun size Halloween pack of m&m’s?

I don’t know. You don’t know. Nobody knows. That’s why these little fun size packs make the perfect UNKNOWN. For this activity, there may even be a negative number of m&m’s in a pack because I’m only using blue and orange m&m’s, and I’m letting each blue m&m equal negative one and each orange m&m equal positive one.

I’m also letting the front side of the fun size package equal negative x, and the back side equal positive x. In algebra we often call our unknown x.

(The colors chosen don’t matter, as long as there are only two of them, and you are consistent with that color being positive or negative. The front of the package could just as easily be +1 and the back -1. Consistency is important. Choose the values you want to use and stick with them. You can also use ALL the m&m’s in a few single packs and have the side of the candy with the m be positive and the side without the m be negative. You can use the empty wrappers as x and -x.)

We can figure out how many m&m’s are in the pack by balancing an equation. The number of m&m’s in a pack is x. We will solve for x by using the very best algebra tiles in the world, m&m’s!

Besides fun size m&m’s (or Skittles or Reece’s Pieces) we need a paper balance for our equations:

Click Equation Balance for a printable pdf of the paper balance.

Now let’s solve x – 3 = 5 by using the m&m’s to find x. This is how the equation balance should look to begin:

We want to get the wrapper by itself, so what do we do? To keep the equation balanced, we add three (positive) orange m&m’s (one at a time) to both sides of the paper balance:

Three (negative) blue m&m’s plus three (positive) orange m&m’s are equal to zero, so we can remove them.

Mmm. I just ate zero m&m’s, and they tasted so good! That leaves us with x = 8, so we have found x, and the equation has been solved! (If you have more equations to solve, you might want to wait to eat the m&m’s until you’re just about finished.)

Now let’s try finding x when the equation is a little more complicated, -2x = x + 12. This is how the balance should look at the beginning:

We want to get all the x’s on one side so we subtract x from both sides of the equation by adding a (negative) front-facing wrapper to both sides of the balance.

Since x – x = 0, we can remove the front-facing and back-facing wrappers from the right side of the equation:

We can arrange the 12 candies into 3 rows of 4.

Now we can divide both sides of the equation by 3.

All that’s left to do is change the signs of EVERYTHING on both sides of the equation:

Thus x = -4. We solved for x correctly because we kept the equation balanced every step of the way.

Now let me tell you a little bit about the number 917:

917 is the sum of five consecutive prime numbers:
173 + 179 + 181 + 191 + 193 = 917

Rearrange its digits and 917 becomes 197 in BASE 26.

  • 917 is a composite number.
  • Prime factorization: 917 = 7 × 131
  • The exponents in the prime factorization are 1 and 1. Adding one to each and multiplying we get (1 + 1)(1 + 1) = 2 × 2 = 4. Therefore 917 has exactly 4 factors.
  • Factors of 917: 1, 7, 131, 917
  • Factor pairs: 917 = 1 × 917 or 7 × 131
  • 917 has no square factors that allow its square root to be simplified. √917 ≈ 30.282007859

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Learning, Mathematics

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