Lower Elementary
Question: The 27th of a month falls on Wednesday. On what day of the week would the 14th fall during that same month?
Answer: Thursday
Note: Students can use a calendar. Students can also use the strategy that 7 days before the 27th is the 20th and that will also be a Wednesday. 7 days before that is the 13th which is also a Wednesday. Since the 14th is the next day it will be a Thursday.
Upper Elementary
Question: A teacher is dividing 39 pieces of candy into 9 bags labeled 1 to 9. She puts the candy, one at a time, into the bags. The first piece goes into bag 1, the second into bag 2, the third into bag 3, and so on. She repeats this pattern until all 39 pieces are placed into the bags. Into which bag is the 39th piece of candy placed?
Answer: Bag 3
Note: Every 9th piece of candy goes into bag 9, that means the 18th, 27th, and 36th piece of candy goes into bag 9. That means the 37th piece of candy goes into bag 1, 38th into bag 2, and the 39th goes into bag 3.
Middle School
Question: A cross country moving van travels 300 miles in 5 hours. If the van continues at the same rate, how many miles will it travel in the next 2 1/2 hours?
Answer: 150 miles
Note: If the van travels 300 miles in 5 hours, then it travels 60 miles per hour, 300 / 5 = 60. In 2.5 hours it will travel 60 x 2.5 = 150 hours. A number sense solution would be that in 1 hour it travels 60 miles. In two hours it will 60 + 60 = 120 miles. In 1/2 an hour it will travel 30 miles (half of 60). That gives a total of 120 + 30 = 150 miles.
Algebra and Up
Question: The quotient of a number z and 5 gives a remainder of 2. What is the remainder of the quotient of 4z and 5?
If students need a hint: the quotient of z and 5 looks like z ÷ 5.
Answer: 3
Note: If the quotient of z and 5 is 2 then the quotient of 2z and 5 is 4 because it is equal the remainder z ÷ 5 + the remainder of z ÷ 5 = 2 + 2. The remainder of the quotient of 3z ÷ 5 is 6 (2 + 2 + 2)and the quotient of 4z ÷ 5 is 8(2 + 2 + 2 + 2). Since 5 goes into this remainder 8 one time we can do division. 5 goes into 8 one time with a remainder of 3.
