Pawblems of the Week – May 21 to May 25

Click here ^[1] for the Problem Extension Worksheet version of the Problems of the Week.
Click here ^[2] for an MS Word version of the Problems of the Week.
Click here ^[3] for the Canadian Problem Extension Worksheet version of the Problems of the Week.
Click here ^[4] for a Canadian MS Word version of the Problems of the Week.

^[5]Lower Elementary:
Question: Each of 4 cats has 4 kittens. Each of the kittens has 10 whiskers. How many kitten whiskers are there?
Answer: 160 whiskers
Solution: If each of the 4 cats has 4 kittens, then there are 4 × 4 = 16 kittens. If each kitten has 10 whiskers, then there are 16 × 10 = 160 whiskers.

^[6]Upper Elementary:
Question: Anna has three cats. One is orange, one is brown, and one is white. The white cat is not the oldest. The brown cat is older than the orange cat. The orange cat is younger than the white cat. Put Anna’s cats in order from youngest to oldest.
Answer: orange, white, brown
Solution: Since the white cat is not the oldest, it can only be the youngest or middle cat. That means that for the brown cat to be older than the orange cat, the brown cat has to be the oldest because the orange cat and the white cat must be the two younger cats. Since the orange cat is younger than the white cat, we can conclude that the order is orange, white, then brown.

^[7]Middle School:
Question: The cost per day of Kitty Kare cat sitters is $21.00 plus $9.00 per cat. Furbaby Sitters charge $26.00 and $4.00 per cat. Cameron is going out of town for two days and needs a sitter for his three cats. How much money does Cameron save by choosing Furbaby Sitters instead of Kitty Kare?
Answer: $20.00
Solution: Since Cameron has three cats, Kitty Care costs $21.00 + $9.00 × 3 = $48.00 per day. Furbaby Sitters costs $26.00 + $4.00 × 3 = $38.00 per day. That means that Kitty Care would cost Cameron $48.00 – $38.00 = $10.00 more per day. So, Cameron saves $10.00 × 2 = $20.00.

^[8]Algebra and Up:
Question: A cat starts chasing a mouse from 10 meters away. The cat runs at a rate of 14 meters per second, and the mouse scampers at a rate of 4 meters per second. How many seconds will it take the cat to catch the mouse?
Answer: 1 second
Solution: Since the mouse starts 10 meters ahead, we need to set up an equation in which the distance the cat runs is 10 meters more than the distance the mouse runs: 14t = 10 + 4t. That’s equivalent to 10t = 10, so t = 1 second.