### Consecutive Numbers

An investigation involving adding and subtracting sets of consecutive numbers. Lots to find out, lots to explore.

### Tea Cups

Place the 16 different combinations of cup/saucer in this 4 by 4 arrangement so that no row or column contains more than one cup or saucer of the same colour.

### Counting on Letters

The letters of the word ABACUS have been arranged in the shape of a triangle. How many different ways can you find to read the word ABACUS from this triangular pattern?

# LCM Sudoku II

#### By Henry Kwok

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### Rules of LCM Sudoku

Like the standard sudoku, this sudoku variant has the basic rule:
• Every row, every column and every $3\times 3$ box in the grids contains the digits $1$ through $9$.
The puzzle can be solved by finding the values of the unknown digits (all indicated by asterisks) in the squares of the $9\times 9$ grid. At the bottom and right side of the $9\times 9$ grid are numbers, each of which is the Least Common Multiple (LCM) of a column or row of unknown digits marked by asterisks.

Altogether $18$ Least Common Multiples of $9$ columns and $9$ rows of unknown digits are given as clues for solving the puzzle.

As an example, the LCM of $3$, $9$, $6$, $4$, $2$ and $1$ is $36$. In the puzzle, the LCM of the four unknown digits in the second column beginning from the left of the $9\times 9$ grid is $36$, while the LCM of the four unknown digits in the seventh row beginning from the top of the $9\times 9$ grid is $120$.

After finding the values of all the unknown digits, the puzzle is solved by the usual sudoku technique and strategy.