{"id":5529,"date":"2019-10-13T13:00:23","date_gmt":"2019-10-13T13:00:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mathsweek.ie\/2019\/?page_id=5529"},"modified":"2019-10-13T13:03:36","modified_gmt":"2019-10-13T13:03:36","slug":"thejournal-ie-maths-week-puzzles","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.mathsweek.ie\/2025\/thejournal-ie-maths-week-puzzles\/","title":{"rendered":"TheJournal.ie Maths Week Puzzles"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"fusion-fullwidth fullwidth-box fusion-builder-row-1 nonhundred-percent-fullwidth non-hundred-percent-height-scrolling\" style=\"background-color: rgba(255,255,255,0);background-position: center center;background-repeat: no-repeat;padding-top:0px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px;margin-bottom: 0px;margin-top: 0px;border-width: 0px 0px 0px 0px;border-color:#eaeaea;border-style:solid;\" ><div class=\"fusion-builder-row fusion-row\"><div class=\"fusion-layout-column fusion_builder_column fusion-builder-column-0 fusion_builder_column_1_1 1_1 fusion-one-full fusion-column-first fusion-column-last\" style=\"margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:20px;\"><div class=\"fusion-column-wrapper fusion-flex-column-wrapper-legacy\" style=\"background-position:left top;background-repeat:no-repeat;-webkit-background-size:cover;-moz-background-size:cover;-o-background-size:cover;background-size:cover;padding: 0px 0px 0px 0px;\"><div class=\"fusion-content-boxes content-boxes columns row fusion-columns-1 fusion-columns-total-1 fusion-content-boxes-1 content-boxes-icon-with-title content-left\" data-animationOffset=\"100%\" style=\"margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;\"><style type=\"text\/css\">.fusion-content-boxes-1 .heading .content-box-heading {color:#191919;}\n\t\t\t\t\t.fusion-content-boxes-1 .fusion-content-box-hover .link-area-link-icon-hover .heading .content-box-heading,\n\t\t\t\t\t.fusion-content-boxes-1 .fusion-content-box-hover .link-area-link-icon-hover .heading .heading-link .content-box-heading,\n\t\t\t\t\t.fusion-content-boxes-1 .fusion-content-box-hover .link-area-box-hover .heading .content-box-heading,\n\t\t\t\t\t.fusion-content-boxes-1 .fusion-content-box-hover .link-area-box-hover .heading .heading-link .content-box-heading,\n\t\t\t\t\t.fusion-content-boxes-1 .fusion-content-box-hover .link-area-link-icon-hover.link-area-box .fusion-read-more,\n\t\t\t\t\t.fusion-content-boxes-1 .fusion-content-box-hover .link-area-link-icon-hover.link-area-box .fusion-read-more::after,\n\t\t\t\t\t.fusion-content-boxes-1 .fusion-content-box-hover .link-area-link-icon-hover.link-area-box .fusion-read-more::before,\n\t\t\t\t\t.fusion-content-boxes-1 .fusion-content-box-hover .fusion-read-more:hover:after,\n\t\t\t\t\t.fusion-content-boxes-1 .fusion-content-box-hover .fusion-read-more:hover:before,\n\t\t\t\t\t.fusion-content-boxes-1 .fusion-content-box-hover .fusion-read-more:hover,\n\t\t\t\t\t.fusion-content-boxes-1 .fusion-content-box-hover 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)}.fusion-content-boxes-1 .fusion-content-box-hover .link-area-box.link-area-box-hover .fusion-content-box-button .fusion-button-text {color: #785510;}\n\t\t\t\t\t.fusion-content-boxes-1 .fusion-content-box-hover .link-area-link-icon-hover .heading .icon > span {\n\t\t\t\t\t\tbackground-color: #e9a825 !important;\n\t\t\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t\t\t.fusion-content-boxes-1 .fusion-content-box-hover .link-area-box-hover .heading .icon > span {\n\t\t\t\t\t\tborder-color: #e9a825 !important;\n\t\t\t\t\t}<\/style><div class=\"fusion-column content-box-column content-box-column content-box-column-1 col-lg-12 col-md-12 col-sm-12 fusion-content-box-hover content-box-column-last content-box-column-last-in-row\"><div class=\"col content-box-wrapper content-wrapper link-area-box icon-hover-animation-fade\" style=\"background-color:rgba(255,255,255,0);\" data-animationOffset=\"100%\"><div class=\"heading icon-left\"><h2 class=\"content-box-heading\" style=\"font-size:23px;line-height:28px;\">Journal Maths Week 2019 Puzzles <\/h2><\/div><div class=\"fusion-clearfix\"><\/div><div class=\"content-container\" style=\"color:#707070;\">\n<p>1 Which is the smallest value?<\/p>\n<p>a) 67%<\/p>\n<p>b) 2\/3<\/p>\n<p>c) 8\/13<\/p>\n<p>d) 0.666<\/p>\n<ol start=\"2\">\n<li>What is one half of two fifths of twenty times three?<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>a) 12<\/p>\n<p>b) 25<\/p>\n<p>c) 5<\/p>\n<p>d) 14<\/p>\n<ol start=\"3\">\n<li>A recent Journal report on energy drinks told us that over 26 million litres of energy drinks are consumed in Ireland per year. One product popular with young people is sold in 500 ml cans. Each of these contains 55g of sugar. Suppose someone was to drink one can of this a day for a year, how much sugar would they consume in a year from this source alone?<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>a) 2.17 kg<\/p>\n<p>b) 3.65 kg<\/p>\n<p>c) 20.075 kg<\/p>\n<p>d) 5.5 kg<\/p>\n<ol start=\"4\">\n<li>Last Wednesday was 10<sup>th<\/sup> day of the 10<sup>th<\/sup> month. 10 multiplied by 10 is one hundred which of course is a square number. How many more times will this happen (the product of the day and the month be a square number) before the end of this year?<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>a) 1<\/p>\n<p>b) 2<\/p>\n<p>c) 3<\/p>\n<p>d) 4<\/p>\n<p>5. The following shape, equivalent to five squares, was cut out of cardboard to make a box. The perimeter is 72 cm. What is the area of cardboard?<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-5534 alignright\" src=\"https:\/\/www.mathsweek.ie\/2025\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Journal-Puzzles-Cross-pic.jpg\" alt=\"Cross diagram\" width=\"282\" height=\"241\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.mathsweek.ie\/2025\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Journal-Puzzles-Cross-pic-200x171.jpg 200w, https:\/\/www.mathsweek.ie\/2025\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Journal-Puzzles-Cross-pic.jpg 282w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 282px) 100vw, 282px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>a) 72 cm2<\/p>\n<p>b) 120 cm2<\/p>\n<p>c) 180 cm2<\/p>\n<p>d) 144 cm2<\/p>\n<p>6 Which is the best value?<\/p>\n<p>a) Half a square metre for \u20ac10<\/p>\n<p>b) Half a metre squared for \u20ac5<\/p>\n<p>c) They are both the same.<\/p>\n<p>d) None of the above<\/p>\n<p>7. My age is four times what it was four years ago minus twice what it will be in four years\u2019 time. What\u2019s my age?<\/p>\n<p>a) 16<\/p>\n<p>b) 18<\/p>\n<p>c) 24<\/p>\n<p>d) 26<\/p>\n<p>8) Which is best value per litre from these special offers of the same product originally marked \u20ac4 per litre?<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>a) 1 litre for \u20ac3:49<\/li>\n<li>b) 1 litre with 20% off marked price<\/li>\n<li>c) Three for the price of two<\/li>\n<li>d) 33% extra free<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>9. The government increased the carbon tax in the budget by \u20ac6 per tonne of carbon dioxide (CO<sub>2<\/sub>) released. A petrol car for instance can emit 2.31 kg of carbon dioxide from burning one litre of fuel. How much extra would this cost for a petrol car with a fuel efficiency of 16 km\/l driving 10,000 km in a year?<\/p>\n<p>a) \u20ac56<\/p>\n<p>b) More than \u20ac100<\/p>\n<p>c) \u20ac28<\/p>\n<p>d) less than \u20ac10<\/p>\n<p>10.<\/p>\n<p>The following maths puzzle went viral in Japan, as most people will fall into the same trap and get the incorrect answer. Can you solve it correctly?<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-5531 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/www.mathsweek.ie\/2025\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Japanese-Bidmas-equation.jpg\" alt=\"Equation for Japanese puzzle\" width=\"233\" height=\"99\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.mathsweek.ie\/2025\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Japanese-Bidmas-equation-200x85.jpg 200w, https:\/\/www.mathsweek.ie\/2025\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Japanese-Bidmas-equation-300x128.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.mathsweek.ie\/2025\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Japanese-Bidmas-equation.jpg 336w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 233px) 100vw, 233px\" \/><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><style type=\"text\/css\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t.fusion-content-boxes-1 .fusion-content-box-hover .heading-link:hover .icon i.circle-yes,\n\t\t\t\t\t\t.fusion-content-boxes-1 .fusion-content-box-hover .link-area-box:hover .heading-link .icon i.circle-yes,\n\t\t\t\t\t\t.fusion-content-boxes-1 .fusion-content-box-hover .link-area-link-icon-hover 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{color:#191919;}\n\t\t\t\t\t.fusion-content-boxes-2 .fusion-content-box-hover .link-area-link-icon-hover .heading .content-box-heading,\n\t\t\t\t\t.fusion-content-boxes-2 .fusion-content-box-hover .link-area-link-icon-hover .heading .heading-link .content-box-heading,\n\t\t\t\t\t.fusion-content-boxes-2 .fusion-content-box-hover .link-area-box-hover .heading .content-box-heading,\n\t\t\t\t\t.fusion-content-boxes-2 .fusion-content-box-hover .link-area-box-hover .heading .heading-link .content-box-heading,\n\t\t\t\t\t.fusion-content-boxes-2 .fusion-content-box-hover .link-area-link-icon-hover.link-area-box .fusion-read-more,\n\t\t\t\t\t.fusion-content-boxes-2 .fusion-content-box-hover .link-area-link-icon-hover.link-area-box .fusion-read-more::after,\n\t\t\t\t\t.fusion-content-boxes-2 .fusion-content-box-hover .link-area-link-icon-hover.link-area-box .fusion-read-more::before,\n\t\t\t\t\t.fusion-content-boxes-2 .fusion-content-box-hover 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.fusion-content-box-hover .link-area-box.link-area-box-hover .fusion-content-box-button {background: #d6ad5a;color: #785510;background-image: -webkit-gradient( linear, left bottom, left top, from( #e8cb90 ), to( #d6ad5a ) );background-image: linear-gradient( to top, #e8cb90, #d6ad5a )}.fusion-content-boxes-2 .fusion-content-box-hover .link-area-box.link-area-box-hover .fusion-content-box-button .fusion-button-text {color: #785510;}\n\t\t\t\t\t.fusion-content-boxes-2 .fusion-content-box-hover .link-area-link-icon-hover .heading .icon > span {\n\t\t\t\t\t\tbackground-color: #e9a825 !important;\n\t\t\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t\t\t.fusion-content-boxes-2 .fusion-content-box-hover .link-area-box-hover .heading .icon > span {\n\t\t\t\t\t\tborder-color: #e9a825 !important;\n\t\t\t\t\t}<\/style><div class=\"fusion-column content-box-column content-box-column content-box-column-1 col-lg-12 col-md-12 col-sm-12 fusion-content-box-hover content-box-column-last content-box-column-last-in-row\"><div class=\"col content-box-wrapper content-wrapper link-area-box icon-hover-animation-fade\" style=\"background-color:rgba(255,255,255,0);\" data-animationOffset=\"100%\"><div class=\"heading icon-left\"><h2 class=\"content-box-heading\" style=\"font-size:23px;line-height:28px;\">Journal Maths Week 2019 Puzzles Solutions<\/h2><\/div><div class=\"fusion-clearfix\"><\/div><div class=\"content-container\" style=\"color:#707070;\">\n<p><strong>Solutions and explanations<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>1 Which is the smallest value?<\/p>\n<p>a) 67%<\/p>\n<p>b) 2\/3<\/p>\n<p>c) 8\/13<\/p>\n<p>d) 0.666<\/p>\n<p>Answer c) 8\/13<\/p>\n<p>We can compare them if we convert all to decimals.<\/p>\n<p>a) 67% is 0.67, b) 2\/3 is 0.666 (approximately) c) 8\/13 is 0.615 and d) is 0.666<\/p>\n<ol start=\"2\">\n<li>What is one half of two fifths of twenty times three?<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>a) 12<\/p>\n<p>b) 25<\/p>\n<p>c) 5<\/p>\n<p>d) 14<\/p>\n<p>Answer a)<\/p>\n<p>Twenty times three is 60<\/p>\n<p>One fifth of 60 is 12<\/p>\n<p>Two fifths of 60 therefore is 24<\/p>\n<p>One half of 24 is 12.<\/p>\n<ol start=\"3\">\n<li>A recent Journal report on energy drinks told us that over 26 million litres of energy drinks are consumed in Ireland per year. One product popular with young people is sold in 500 ml cans. Each of these contains 55g of sugar. Suppose someone was to drink one can of this a day for a year, how much sugar would they consume in a year from this source alone?<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>a) 2.17 kg<\/p>\n<p>b) 3.65 kg<\/p>\n<p>c) 20.075 kg<\/p>\n<p>d) 5.5 kg<\/p>\n<p>Answer c)<\/p>\n<p>55 g a day for 365 days would be 55 x 365 = 20,075 g.<\/p>\n<p>There are 1000 grams in 1 kilogram<\/p>\n<p>So that makes 20.075 kg.<\/p>\n<ol start=\"4\">\n<li>Last Wednesday was 10<sup>th<\/sup> day of the 10<sup>th<\/sup> month. 10 multiplied by 10 is one hundred which of course is a square number. How many more times will this happen (the product of the day and the month be a square number) before the end of this year?<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>a) 1<\/p>\n<p>b) 2<\/p>\n<p>c) 3<\/p>\n<p>d) 4<\/p>\n<p>Answer d) 4:<\/p>\n<p>The dates are 11\/11, 3\/12 (3&#215;12 = 36 which is the square of 6), 12\/12, 27\/12 (27&#215;12 =324 which is the square of 18)<\/p>\n<p>5. The following shape, equivalent to five squares, was cut out of cardboard to make a box. The perimeter is 72 cm. What is the area of cardboard?<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-5534 alignright\" src=\"https:\/\/www.mathsweek.ie\/2025\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Journal-Puzzles-Cross-pic.jpg\" alt=\"Cross diagram\" width=\"282\" height=\"241\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.mathsweek.ie\/2025\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Journal-Puzzles-Cross-pic-200x171.jpg 200w, https:\/\/www.mathsweek.ie\/2025\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Journal-Puzzles-Cross-pic.jpg 282w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 282px) 100vw, 282px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>a) 72 cm2<\/p>\n<p>b) 120 cm2<\/p>\n<p>c) 180 cm2<\/p>\n<p>d) 144 cm2<\/p>\n<p>Answer c) 180<\/p>\n<p>The perimeter is 72 units. There are 12 equal edges on the perimeter.<\/p>\n<p>Therefore each edge is 72\/12 = 6 units long.<\/p>\n<p>Each square therefore has an area of 6&#215;6 = 36<\/p>\n<p>There are 5 of these squares so total area is 5 x 36= 180<\/p>\n<p>6 Which is the best value?<\/p>\n<p>a) Half a square metre for \u20ac10<\/p>\n<p>b) Half a metre squared for \u20ac5<\/p>\n<p>c) They are both the same.<\/p>\n<p>d) None of the above<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>c) They are both the same<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>Half a square metre for \u20ac10 is equivalent to a square metre for \u20ac20<\/p>\n<p>Half a metre squared is 0.5m x 0.5m = 0.25m<sup>2<\/sup> which is a quarter of a square metre which for \u20ac5 is also equivalent to \u20ac20 per square metre.<\/p>\n<p>7. My age is four times what it was four years ago minus twice what it will be in four years\u2019 time. What\u2019s my age?<\/p>\n<p>a) 16<\/p>\n<p>b) 18<\/p>\n<p>c) 24<\/p>\n<p>d) 26<\/p>\n<p>Answer c)<\/p>\n<p>If we let Y represent my age, then we can convert the word statement into a mathematical statement as follows.<\/p>\n<p>Y = 4 (Y-4) \u2013 2(Y + 4)<\/p>\n<p>Y = 4Y &#8211;\u00a0 16\u00a0 &#8211; (2Y + 8)<\/p>\n<p>Y = 4Y \u2013 16 \u2013 2Y -8<\/p>\n<p>Y = 2Y -24<\/p>\n<p>Subtracting 2Y from each side we get<\/p>\n<p>-Y = -24<\/p>\n<p>Multiplying both sides by -1 we get<\/p>\n<p>Y = 24.<\/p>\n<p>8) Which is best value per litre from these special offers of the same product originally marked \u20ac4 per litre?<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>a) 1 litre for \u20ac3:49<\/li>\n<li>b) 1 litre with 20% off marked price<\/li>\n<li>c) Three for the price of two<\/li>\n<li>d) 33% extra free<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>Answer: c) Three for the price of two<\/p>\n<p>a) is \u20ac3.49 a litre.<\/p>\n<p>b) 20% off marked price is 20% off \u20ac4. 20% of \u20ac4 is \u20ac0.80. So the price is \u20ac3.20 per litre<\/p>\n<p>c) Three for the price of two is three litres for \u20ac8. Which is 8\/3 = \u20ac2.67 per litre.<\/p>\n<p>d) 33% extra free is 1.33 litres for \u20ac4. This would be 4\/1.33 = \u20ac3 per litre.<\/p>\n<p>9. The government increased the carbon tax in the budget by \u20ac6 per tonne of carbon dioxide (CO<sub>2<\/sub>) released. A petrol car for instance can emit 2.31 kg of carbon dioxide from burning one litre of fuel. How much extra would this cost for a petrol car with a fuel efficiency of 16 km\/l driving 10,000 km in a year?<\/p>\n<p>a) \u20ac56<\/p>\n<p>b) More than \u20ac100<\/p>\n<p>c) \u20ac28<\/p>\n<p>d) less than \u20ac10<\/p>\n<p>Answer d) less that \u20ac10<\/p>\n<p>This car, driving 10,000 km at 16 km\/l will use 10,000\/16\u00a0 = 625 litres of petrol.<\/p>\n<p>Burning one litre of petrol will emit 2.31 kg of CO<sub>2<\/sub>. 625 litres will cause 626&#215;2.31 = 1443.75 kg emissions. That is 1.443 tonnes<\/p>\n<p>If the carbon tax charges and extra \u20ac6 per tonne then the extra cost will be<\/p>\n<p>\u20ac6&#215;1.443 = \u20ac8.66<\/p>\n<p>10.<\/p>\n<p>The following maths puzzle went viral in Japan, as most people will fall into the same trap and get the incorrect answer. Can you solve it correctly?<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-5531 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/www.mathsweek.ie\/2025\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Japanese-Bidmas-equation.jpg\" alt=\"Equation for Japanese puzzle\" width=\"233\" height=\"99\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.mathsweek.ie\/2025\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Japanese-Bidmas-equation-200x85.jpg 200w, https:\/\/www.mathsweek.ie\/2025\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Japanese-Bidmas-equation-300x128.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.mathsweek.ie\/2025\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Japanese-Bidmas-equation.jpg 336w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 233px) 100vw, 233px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Answer. 1.<\/p>\n<p>Order of operations is important here. BIMDAS is an acronym that helps us remember the order in which operations should be done so that everyone gets the same answer. It tells us Brackets \u2013 Indices (powers) \u2013 Multiplication \u2013 Division \u2013 Addition \u2013 Subtraction. In the above statement the division must be done first:<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-5532\" src=\"https:\/\/www.mathsweek.ie\/2025\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Japanese-Bidmas-equation-2.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"102\" height=\"47\" \/><\/p>\n<p>So it becomes 9 \u2013 9 + 1<\/p>\n<p>= 0 + 1<\/p>\n<p>= 1<\/p>\n<p>It is a good idea to use brackets to make it obvious to others what you intend.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><style type=\"text\/css\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t.fusion-content-boxes-2 .fusion-content-box-hover .heading-link:hover .icon i.circle-yes,\n\t\t\t\t\t\t.fusion-content-boxes-2 .fusion-content-box-hover .link-area-box:hover .heading-link .icon i.circle-yes,\n\t\t\t\t\t\t.fusion-content-boxes-2 .fusion-content-box-hover .link-area-link-icon-hover .heading .icon i.circle-yes,\n\t\t\t\t\t\t.fusion-content-boxes-2 .fusion-content-box-hover .link-area-box-hover .heading .icon i.circle-yes {\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tbackground-color: #e9a825 !important;\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tborder-color: #e9a825 !important;\n\t\t\t\t\t\t}<\/style><div class=\"fusion-clearfix\"><\/div><\/div><div class=\"fusion-clearfix\"><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_vp_format_video_url":"","_vp_image_focal_point":[],"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-5529","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>TheJournal.ie Maths Week Puzzles &#8211; MATHS WEEK IRELAND<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Maths Week will take place from 11 - 19 Oct. 2025. 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