Puzzle 1: How many cases do you need if you have to pack 112 pairs of shoes into cases that each hold 28 shoes?
Answer: 8
Solution: 112 pairs of shoes = 224 shoes.
= 224/28
= 8.
Puzzle 2: In a party of 35 people there are twice as many women as children and twice as many children as men. How many of each are there?
Answer: 5 men, 10 children and 20 women.
Solution: If x = the number of men,
Then x + 2x + 4x = 35.
Therefore 7x = 35.
So X = 5.
Puzzle 3: On taking delivery of a consignment of eggs the market stall owner was furious to find that several were cracked. In fact, on counting them up in order to assess the damage he found that 72 were cracked, which was 12 per cent of the total consignment. How many eggs in total were in the consignment?
Answer: 600.
Solution: 72/12 × 100
= 600.
Puzzle 4: At college, 70% of the students studied Maths, 75% studied English, 85% studied French and 80% studied German. What percentage at least must have studied all 4?
Answer: 10.
Solution: 10.
Puzzle 5: At each stage the black dot moves three corners clockwise and the white dot moves four corners anticlockwise. After how many stages will both dots be together in the same corner?
Answer: They will never appear together in the same corner as in a heptagon three corners clockwise is the same as four corners anticlockwise.