Pierce School: Problem of the Week

Problem of the week

The new Math Problem of the Week (P.O.W.) is posted each Thursday morning on the bulletin board across from the faculty room. Students from all grades are encouraged to try the problem and put their answers in the solution box by Wednesday morning. Please encourage your students to explain their thinking. The names of student who correctly solve the problem will be posted on the bulletin board! All answers must include students' names and classrooms. You can also find copies of the problem in magazine rack outside the front office.

Week 13 (Holiday candy)

The kids on Stocking Street counted all of their Holiday candy. They had 18 pieces of candy in all.

Abby had fewer than 4 pieces of candy.
Billy had twice as much as Abby.
Charlie had twice as much as Billy.
David had 2 pieces more than Abby.

How many pieces of candy did each have?

Week 7 (Estimate the cranberries)

We are estimating the number of cranberries in a Pierce water bottle. The water bottle is hanging next to the POW bulletin board, but we also encourage parents to do this at home with their children. Use a Pierce water bottle and fill it with cranberries, to match our estimation game at home.

Week 6 (Height in Coins)

Which is greater -- your height in pennies or your height in nickels?

Watch out – here’s the trick. The nickels are arranged on a flat surface in a column to represent your height (height value) and the pennies are stacked vertically on top of one another to represent your height (height value)?

How much are you worth in pennies?
How much are you worth in nickels?
Show your work.

Challenge: Who is taller? Maxine, whose height in nickels is $2.55 or Daniel, whose height value in pennies is $5.08? How do you know?

Week 5 (October 11 - 17)

After the Red Sox game, the 9 players congratulated one another with a high five! How many high-fives were exchanged if each player “high-fived” every player one time? Show your work.

Week 4 (October 4 - 11)

When Max started putting square blocks together to make shapes, he noticed something interesting. There was only one shape he could make with one block. And there was only one shape he could make with two blocks. But with three blocks, he could make two different shapes.

1 Block

1 Shape

2 Blocks

1 Shape

3 Blocks

2 Shape

How many shapes could Max make with four blocks? How many could he make with five?

Keep this in mind: If you can turn one shape into another by turning it or flipping it over, then it isn't different from the other shape. The two shapes count as one.

Answer:

With 4 blocks Max could make 5 different shapes
With 5 blocks Max could make 12 different shapes

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