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Timing

These two challenges will test your time-keeping!

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Millennium Man

Liitle Millennium Man was born on Saturday 1st January 2000 and he will retire on the first Saturday 1st January that occurs after his 60th birthday. How old will he be when he retires?

Palindromic Date

Stage: 2 Challenge Level: Challenge Level:3 Challenge Level:3 Challenge Level:3

Why do this problem?

This problem is an appealing context in which to explore numbers. It could be used at the start of a new year to draw attention to the new calendar.

Key questions

Have you got a system of working so that you don't miss any dates out?
How are you recording the dates you've found?
What years are likely to give you palindromic dates?

Possible extension

The problem Today's Date would make a good follow-up task.

Possible support

Encouraging children to concentrate on a year at a time will make this challenge more accessible.

The NRICH Project aims to enrich the mathematical experiences of all learners. To support this aim, members of the NRICH team work in a wide range of capacities, including providing professional development for teachers wishing to embed rich mathematical tasks into everyday classroom practice. More information on many of our other activities can be found here.
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NRICH is part of the family of activities in the Millennium Mathematics Project.