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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:
Mia and Jack are hiking with their backpacks. Mia's backpack is filled with water and snacks and weighs 5 kilograms. Jack's backpack has a tent and weighs 3 kilograms more than Mia's. How much does Jack's backpack weigh?
Answer:
Mia's backpack weighs 5 kilograms. Jack's backpack weighs 3 kilograms more than Mia's.
To find the weight of Jack's backpack, we add 3 kilograms to the weight of Mia's backpack:
5 kg + 3 kg = 8 kg
So, Jack's backpack weighs 8 kilograms.
Harder level:
While exploring a nature reserve, Lily and her friends decide to follow a trail that moves in coordinates. They start at (8, 7), move 7 units west and then decide to head 3 units north to reach a scenic lookout. After enjoying the view, they walk 4 units east and 5 units south to return to their starting point. What are the coordinates of the lookout, and did they return to their starting point correctly?
Answer:
To find out if they returned to the starting point correctly, we can work through all of their moves.
Start at (8, 7).
Move 7 units west: (8 - 7, 7) = (1, 7).
Move 3 units north: (1, 7 + 3) = (1, 10).
Coordinates of the lookout: (1, 10).
Move 4 units east: (1 + 4, 10) = (5, 10).
Move 5 units south: (5, 10 - 5) = (5, 5).
Final coordinates: (5, 5).
They did not return to their starting point (8, 7).
A problem shared is a problem halved, so remember to forward this email!
Happy problem-solving!
Sophie and the Polymath team