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Do Unto Caesar

At the beginning of the night three poker players; Alan, Bernie and Craig had money in the ratios 7 : 6 : 5. At the end of the night the ratio was 6 : 5 : 4. One of them won $1 200. What were the assets of the players at the beginning of the evening?

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Oh for the Mathematics of Yesteryear

A garrison of 600 men has just enough bread ... but, with the news that the enemy was planning an attack... How many ounces of bread a day must each man in the garrison be allowed, to hold out 45 days against the siege of the enemy?

Washing Elephants

Age 11 to 14 Short Challenge Level:

Mary and Nigel look after elephants in a zoo.

Mary takes 50 minutes to wash an elephant and Nigel takes 40 minutes to wash an elephant.

If they wash an elephant together, how long will it take them?




This problem is taken from the World Mathematics Championships
You can find more short problems, arranged by curriculum topic, in our short problems collection.
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.
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