Optimising - January 2005, Stage 4&5

Problems

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Got a Strategy for Last Biscuit?

Stage: 3 and 4 Challenge Level: Challenge Level:3 Challenge Level:3 Challenge Level:3

Can you beat the computer in the challenging strategy game?

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Where to Land

Stage: 4 Challenge Level: Challenge Level:1

Chris is enjoying a swim but needs to get back for lunch. If she can swim at 3 m/s and run at 7m/sec, how far along the bank should she land in order to get back as quickly as possible?

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Efficient Cutting

Stage: 4 Challenge Level: Challenge Level:2 Challenge Level:2

Use a single sheet of A4 paper and make a cylinder having the greatest possible volume. The cylinder must be closed off by a circle at each end.

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Slippage

Stage: 4 Challenge Level: Challenge Level:2 Challenge Level:2

A ladder 3m long rests against a wall with one end a short distance from its base. Between the wall and the base of a ladder is a garden storage box 1m tall and 1m high. What is the maximum. . . .

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Fracmax

Stage: 4 Challenge Level: Challenge Level:3 Challenge Level:3 Challenge Level:3

Find the maximum value of 1/p + 1/q + 1/r where this sum is less than 1 and p, q, and r are positive integers.

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Classic Cube

Stage: 5 Challenge Level: Challenge Level:1

The net of a cube is to be cut from a sheet of card 100 cm square. What is the maximum volume cube that can be made from a single piece of card?

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Discrete Trends

Stage: 5 Challenge Level: Challenge Level:2 Challenge Level:2

Find the maximum value of n to the power 1/n and prove that it is a maximum.

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Cyclic Triangles

Stage: 5 Challenge Level: Challenge Level:3 Challenge Level:3 Challenge Level:3

Make and prove a conjecture about the cyclic quadrilateral inscribed in a circle of radius r that has the maximum perimeter and the maximum area.

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