Every month we will give you a math/statistics brain teaser that lets you test your knowledge with a fun problem.
 This Month's Challenge: Fill the Buckets
Gino's mom has told him he needs to take a bucket of water over to their neighbor since she is experiencing problems with her water supply. He doesn't want to waste much time since he has a soccer game to play in later in the afternoon. From past experience he knows if he uses the small hose it takes 45 minutes to fill the bucket with water. He also knows that the larger hose can do the same in 30 minutes. If he uses both hoses, how long will it take him to fill the bucket?
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The Answer!
The small hose can fill 1/45 of the bucket every minute. The larger hose can fill 1/30 of the bucket every minute. To add the two speeds, we need to first find a common denominator.
1/45 = 2/90 and 1/30 = 3/90 Adding the two speeds: 2/90 + 3/90 = 5/90 = 1/18 Since both hoses together can fill 1/18 of the bucket every minute, it will take 18 minutes. By doing this Gino will save at a minimum 12 minutes. This will get him to his soccer game just in time.
Many of the ideas in these Teasers come from thoughts formed by some of the great mathematical geniuses in history. To learn more about them, find out which famous mathematician most interests you by taking a fun quiz: our Mathematicians' Quiz!
Or if you'd like more Math/Science fun you might want to try...
Now with both 4th and 8th grade level questions! |
