Brainteasers

17th June 2005, 1:00am

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Brainteasers

https://www.tes.com/magazine/archive/brainteasers-29
MAKING SQUARES

Take three identical squares.

You can make more squares by overlapping them.

What is the maximum number of squares that you can make by overlapping the three squares?

AGE-OLD PROBLEM

Rachel is three years older than her sister Hannah.The sum of the squares of their ages in years is 317. How old are Rachel and Hannah?

SOLUTIONS Making squares (ages 5 to 8) The maximum number of squares that you can make is 8.

Age old problem (ages 11 to 16) They are 11 and 14 years old. Assume Hannah is x years old (x + 3)2 + x2 = 317; 2x2 + 6x - 308 = 0; (x - 11) (2x + 28) 0; x = 11 (or - 14)

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