techdirections January 2010 : Page 38digital fun Proper Placement Using the numbers one through nine, place one number in each square so that each column, row, and diagonal adds up to the same total. Find at least two solutions.—Robert Dove, Neola, WV. Midas TOuch You are given five bags of gold coins and an ac- curate scale. Each bag contains the same number of coins and all the coins are the same denomination. All the coins in one of the bags weigh one gram less each than those in the other four bags. Can you find the bag with bogus coins in only one weighing? As- sume you know what each coin should weigh. Fenced In A farmer has 100' of fencing. He would like to build a pig pen with the maximum area the material will allow. He plans to use all or part of one side of his barn to max- imize the fencing he has. If his barn is 75' long, what size and shape would the pig pen have for maximum area? Now, arrange the numbers one through nine so that no two columns or rows add up to the same total, ei- ther vertically, horizontally, or diago- nally. Use each number only once. Coin Conundrum The face value of a girl’s coin collec- tion is $88.20. She has the same num- ber of nickels, dimes, quarters, and half dollars. How many of each coin does she have? See answers on page 2. We will pay $25 for brainteasers, one-period challenges, and puzzles; $20 for cartoons; and $5 for jokes and humorous anecdotes used on this page. Preferable theme for all submissions is applied science, technology, and technical education. Send contributions to susanne@techdirections.com or mail to “More Than Fun,” PO Box 8623, Ann Arbor, MI 48107-8623. 8 techdirections ◆ january 2010 c P Digital FunProper Placement Using the numbers one through nine, place one number in each square so that each column, row, and diagonal adds up to the same total. Publication List |
