Dear Math Circler,
The Purple Comet! contest is just a few weeks away!
The Bard Math Circle is hosting the Purple Comet! math contest on Sunday, April 7th, 2019, from 1-3pm. Middle school students in teams of up to six students are welcome to compete. Also, parents and teachers will have the opportunity to join our non-competitive team.
The contest is 60 minutes long, with 20 questions at various levels of difficulty, all accessible to a middle school audience. After the competition we will all celebrate our collaborative mathematical achievements with pizza. Sign-up is absolutely free, click the 'Register' button below to be taken to a registration form.
Please prepare with us! We have one Purple Comet prep session held on March 30th, from 1-3pm in the Reem-Kayden Center, room 111.
A Perplexing Practice Problem from the Past
One-third of the students who attend Grant School are taking Algebra. One-quarter of the students taking Algebra are also on the track team. There are 15 students on the track team who take Algebra. Find the number of students who attend Grant School. (src: Purple Comet 2014)
Solution for the Perplexing Practice Problem from the Past:
If there are 15 students on the track team who take Algebra, then there must be 4 x 15 = 60 Algebra students. (remember: 1/4 of the students taking Algebra are also on the track team)
Finally, if there are 60 students taking Algebra, there must be 3 x 60 = 180 students who attend Grant School. (remember: 1/3 of the students who attend Grant School are taking Algebra)