Problem 1: Maths in the wild!
Daily word problems is brought to you by Polymath
Welcome to today’s daily word problem by Polymath. We have created an “easy” and “hard” problem, please feel free to adapt them to suit your needs! One ask from me is that you share this email with a friend who would find it helpful so we can reach as many people as possible.
Easier level:
In a wildlife reserve, 15 monkeys are swinging from tree to tree. If 6 more monkeys join them, how many monkeys are there now? After some time, 3 monkeys leave the group. How many monkeys are left swinging in the trees?
Answer:
15 (initial monkeys) + 6 (new monkeys) = 21 monkeys
After some time, 3 monkeys leave the group. So the remaining monkeys are:
21 (total monkeys) - 3 (leaving monkeys) = 18 monkeys
Harder level:
A team of wildlife researchers are studying lion populations. They observe 24 lionesses in one area and 18 lionesses in another. If each lioness gives birth to 2 cubs on average, how many lion cubs are expected in total? If 1 out of every 4 cubs is male, how many male cubs are there in total?
Answer:
Total number of lion cubs expected:
First group of lionesses: 24 lionesses * 2 cubs/lioness = 48 cubs
Second group of lionesses: 18 lionesses * 2 cubs/lioness = 36 cubs
Total = 48 cubs + 36 cubs = 84 cubs
Number of male lion cubs:
Proportion of male cubs = 1/4
Number of male cubs = (1/4) * 84 cubs = 21 male cubs
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Happy problem-solving!
Sophie and the Polymath team