Welcome to The Puzzler. Every week, there are 2 new puzzles related to my passion: math, logic, and thinking. The first puzzle will be The Puzzler Quik, meant for those who crave something fun-sized. The second puzzle will be The Puzzler Think, meant for those who love to ponder. The answers will be posted in next week’s column. Don’t forget to submit your answer for a potential shout-out in the next edition of the Puzzler.
Puzzler Quik
What is the sum of the first 15 odd numbers?
Puzzled?
Try this problem with numbers smaller than 15 and see if you notice a pattern.
The sum of the first “n’ odd numbers in n^2.
This problem is from the mit entrance exam — 1869!
Puzzled?
Try using the difference of squares to factor the denominator.
Factor out x^3 from the top and write the bottom as a difference of square!
ANSWERS TO LAST WEEK’S PUZZLERS
Last Week's Puzzler Quik
Saicharan from Chennai, India was the winner of this shout-out!
It takes 20 people to paint 10 houses in 1 hour. Therefore the number of people required to paint 5 houses must be half of those required to paint 10 houses. Half of 20 is 10!
Last Week's Puzzler Think
The shoutout for this problem goes to Jonathan from Illinois!
8 classes cost a total of $100. To find the cost of each class, divide the total cost by the number of classes. $100/8 = $12.5.
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