Category: Christmas Puzzles

SAMI (Supporting African Maths Initiatives) supports mathematics work across Africa, including coordinating volunteers and resources to help run yearly maths camps in Kenya, Ghana, Ethiopia and Tanzania, as well as weekly maths clubs in over 70 schools. SAMI has also helped to raise money and lend expertise to developing computer programs for statistics and education, as well as providing tablets and training to help improve livelihoods for people living in rural African villages. With some extra funding SAMI could extend their projects to more schools and communities in more countries, and travel to the most isolated areas where their support is needed most.

See here for more information about SAMI. Donations are very welcome here.

Enjoy the puzzles, Merry Christmas.

Santa can wrap all the presents in 60 minutes and Mrs Claus can wrap all the presents in 40 minutes.

How long will it take them if they do the job together?

Solution is here.

Children are sitting in a circle, and a teacher walks around the circle, giving presents. The teacher gives a blue present to every second child, and a green present every third child.

After going around four times, the sixth child from where the teacher started has two blue present and two green presents.

What is the fewest amount of children could there be?

Solution is here.

Three bells ring on Christmas Day.

The first bell rings every 6 minutes,

The second bell rings every 14 minutes,

The third bell rings every hour.

If all the bells ring together at noon, at what time will they next all ring together?

Answer is here.

Matt, Noah, Olivia and Penny are at the Christmas market.

A Christmas tree seller is selling decorated and undecorated trees.

There is one more decorated tree than undecorated tree.

Matt says that the number of decorated trees is prime.

Noah says the total amount of trees is more than 8 and less than 12.

Olivia says that there are 4 undecorated trees.

Penny says that Olivia or Noah are lying.

 

Only one of the four are lying.

 

How many trees are there?

Solution is here.

Five presents were bought for Christmas

The red and purple presents together cost £22

The purple and blue presents together cost £15

The blue and gold presents together cost £16

The gold and green presents together cost £32

The green and red presents together cost £37

What is the total cost of all 5 presents?

Solution is here.

Snowman had never fully understood the points  system in football, and felt that the scoring of goals should be encouraged. His idea is that 10 points should be awarded for a win, 5 points for a draw and 1 point for each goal scored, whatever the result of the match.

This was tried with three teams: Rudolph, Comet and Vixen.

Each team scored at least one goal in every match and no team played another more than once.

Rudolph scored 8 points, Comet 14 points and Vixen scored 9 points.

Find the score in each match.

Solution is here.