Anyone any good at maths ?
Oct 15th 2009, 11:48 am
#1
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Anyone any good at maths ?
Up front - No I am not smarter than a 5th grader but then again he didn't know the answer either.
How many computations of the word Ghosts can you make out of this letter pyramid :
G
H H
O O O
S S S S
T T T T T
S S S S S S
I think there must be a simple calculation to work this out but I don't know what it is. I think I need a homework help forum
How many computations of the word Ghosts can you make out of this letter pyramid :
G
H H
O O O
S S S S
T T T T T
S S S S S S
I think there must be a simple calculation to work this out but I don't know what it is. I think I need a homework help forum
Oct 15th 2009, 1:59 pm
#2
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Re: Anyone any good at maths ?
Up front - No I am not smarter than a 5th grader but then again he didn't know the answer either.
How many computations of the word Ghosts can you make out of this letter pyramid :
G
H H
O O O
S S S S
T T T T T
S S S S S S
I think there must be a simple calculation to work this out but I don't know what it is. I think I need a homework help forum
How many computations of the word Ghosts can you make out of this letter pyramid :
G
H H
O O O
S S S S
T T T T T
S S S S S S
I think there must be a simple calculation to work this out but I don't know what it is. I think I need a homework help forum
So, there's only one G, so only one option for the first line. Two H's, so two options for the second line. Three O's, so three options for the third line...
Which leads to the calculation:
1x2x3x4x5x6 = 6! = 720
This is called the factorial of 6 (i.e. 6x5x4x3x2x1) and is written as 6! in mathematical notation.
Oct 15th 2009, 2:35 pm
#3
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Re: Anyone any good at maths ?
I'm not 100% sure, but I assume you mean how many options are there to make the word "ghosts" from one letter in each line?
So, there's only one G, so only one option for the first line. Two H's, so two options for the second line. Three O's, so three options for the third line...
Which leads to the calculation:
1x2x3x4x5x6 = 6! = 720
This is called the factorial of 6 (i.e. 6x5x4x3x2x1) and is written as 6! in mathematical notation.
So, there's only one G, so only one option for the first line. Two H's, so two options for the second line. Three O's, so three options for the third line...
Which leads to the calculation:
1x2x3x4x5x6 = 6! = 720
This is called the factorial of 6 (i.e. 6x5x4x3x2x1) and is written as 6! in mathematical notation.
Oct 15th 2009, 2:50 pm
#5
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Re: Anyone any good at maths ?
I'm not 100% sure, but I assume you mean how many options are there to make the word "ghosts" from one letter in each line?
So, there's only one G, so only one option for the first line. Two H's, so two options for the second line. Three O's, so three options for the third line...
Which leads to the calculation:
1x2x3x4x5x6 = 6! = 720
This is called the factorial of 6 (i.e. 6x5x4x3x2x1) and is written as 6! in mathematical notation.
So, there's only one G, so only one option for the first line. Two H's, so two options for the second line. Three O's, so three options for the third line...
Which leads to the calculation:
1x2x3x4x5x6 = 6! = 720
This is called the factorial of 6 (i.e. 6x5x4x3x2x1) and is written as 6! in mathematical notation.
Oct 15th 2009, 3:00 pm
#6
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Re: Anyone any good at maths ?
Thanks dbj, I knew some clever clogs on here would be able to help out. We finally came up with this answer as well by working it out the long way with 2 lines and then 3 lines and then figuring out the formula ie 2x1 then 3x2x1.
What really confused me was when sonny said 1 kid in his class told him the answer was 18 and another said 36 so I figured 720 couldn't possibly be right.
Will find out tomorrow if we are right - the answer is worth 105% - yes I said 105% only in America eh ?
What really confused me was when sonny said 1 kid in his class told him the answer was 18 and another said 36 so I figured 720 couldn't possibly be right.
Will find out tomorrow if we are right - the answer is worth 105% - yes I said 105% only in America eh ?
Oct 15th 2009, 5:05 pm
#7
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Re: Anyone any good at maths ?
DBJ is correct, provided that any letter in a given row can be used in a given sequence. I'm not sure if there are little paths on the original diagram or not that would limit your choices on a given line.
Any restrictions such as this will lower the number, but 6!=720 is definitely the highest number you can get from this problem.
Any restrictions such as this will lower the number, but 6!=720 is definitely the highest number you can get from this problem.
Oct 16th 2009, 4:38 am
#8
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Re: Anyone any good at maths ?
I also thought 6! Although I will admit initially I thought it was 5! because I couldn't count how many letters were in "ghosts."
Oct 16th 2009, 5:49 am
#9
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Re: Anyone any good at maths ?
My suggestion was going to be for Babz to respond to the teacher thusly:
"The answer is one. The only ghost in my Christian household is the Holy Ghost".
"The answer is one. The only ghost in my Christian household is the Holy Ghost".
Oct 16th 2009, 6:06 am
#10
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Re: Anyone any good at maths ?
I get 42.
Oct 16th 2009, 8:23 am
#11
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Re: Anyone any good at maths ?
Well 42 is the The Answer to Life, the Universe, and Everything but is it the answer to the maths question ?
Oct 16th 2009, 8:31 am
#12
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Re: Anyone any good at maths ?
I'm not 100% sure, but I assume you mean how many options are there to make the word "ghosts" from one letter in each line?
So, there's only one G, so only one option for the first line. Two H's, so two options for the second line. Three O's, so three options for the third line...
Which leads to the calculation:
1x2x3x4x5x6 = 6! = 720
This is called the factorial of 6 (i.e. 6x5x4x3x2x1) and is written as 6! in mathematical notation.
So, there's only one G, so only one option for the first line. Two H's, so two options for the second line. Three O's, so three options for the third line...
Which leads to the calculation:
1x2x3x4x5x6 = 6! = 720
This is called the factorial of 6 (i.e. 6x5x4x3x2x1) and is written as 6! in mathematical notation.
Oct 16th 2009, 8:37 am
#13
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Oct 16th 2009, 8:53 am
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Oct 16th 2009, 9:16 am
#15
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Re: Anyone any good at maths ?
Dude just back from school - The answer is apparently 32 so where did we all go wrong ? 
