Arbrakazoo

Martin the mathemagician says he can read your mind. He tells you to think of any two-digit number.

Add 10 to this number.
Multiply the result by 6.
Subtract 6 from the result.
Divide the number by 3.
Subtract the original number that you thought of.
Add 9 to the result.
Subtract the original number that you thought of.

Martin claims to know your final result. What is this number?


The answer is 27.

This section requires Javascript.
You are seeing this because something didn't load right. We suggest you, (a) try refreshing the page, (b) enabling javascript if it is disabled on your browser and, finally, (c) loading the non-javascript version of this page . We're sorry about the hassle.

17 solutions

Michael Thornton
Dec 24, 2013

let our number be a a . All we need to do is manipulate a a in the way that we have been instructed to:

a + 10 = ( a + 10 ) a + 10 = (a + 10) 6 × ( a + 10 ) = ( 6 a + 60 ) 6 \times (a + 10) = (6a + 60) ( 6 a + 60 ) 6 = ( 6 a + 54 ) (6a + 60) - 6 = (6a + 54) ( 6 a + 54 ) 3 = ( 2 a + 18 ) \frac{(6a + 54)}{3} = (2a + 18) ( 2 a + 18 ) a = ( a + 18 ) (2a + 18) - a = (a + 18) ( a + 18 ) + 9 = ( a + 27 ) (a + 18) + 9 = (a + 27) ( a + 27 ) a = 27 (a + 27) - a = \boxed{27}

Whoo!

we should add 7 in place of 9 to get correct answer

rahul sharma - 7 years, 4 months ago

Good solution !

Devesh Rai - 7 years, 5 months ago

yeah good one michael

anshul kumar - 7 years, 5 months ago

Which Rule You Applied To Subtract 6 Is Wrong

Tahseen Ahmad - 7 years, 5 months ago

Log in to reply

Hi Tahseen, I'm not sure I completely follow, would you mind showing me an example of how you would subtract a number in an expression similar to this? Many thanks, Mike

Michael Thornton - 7 years, 5 months ago

Nice :)

Crispin Galan - 7 years, 4 months ago

Very good solution, same process followed

Ashtik Mahapatra - 7 years, 2 months ago

(6a+60) - 6 how would you subtract only 60 why not 6a

naveena venkatraman - 7 years, 4 months ago

Log in to reply

It's a good question, Naveena. When multiplying out a bracket you would need to times by both terms. However when you add or subtract from them it is not the case. Consider (4+5) - 2.

4+5 = 9 and 9 - 2 = 7. So seven is the correct value for this expression because we always evaluate brackets first.

However if I just took from 5 the answer would still be 7.

(4+5) - 2 = (4+ 3) = 7

And the same goes for the four:

(4+5) - 2 = (2+5) = 7

However, if I took your suggestion and took two from both terms I would come out with the wrong answer:

(4+5) - 2 \neq (2+3)

(2+3) = 5, which is the wrongs answer.

You can normally think of addition and subtraction without brackets as long as you're careful with negative and positive numbers:

(4+5)-2 = 4+5-2

Hope this helps!

Michael Thornton - 7 years, 4 months ago
Lorenc Bushi
Dec 24, 2013

Any two-digit number can be written in the form 10 a + b 10a+b where a a and b b are positive integers.By adding 10 10 the new number will be 10 a + b + 10 10a+b+10 .By multiplying it by 6 6 , we obtain 6 ( 10 a + b + 10 ) 6(10a+b+10) .Subtract 6 6 and we have 6 ( 10 a + b + 9 ) 6(10a+b+9) .Dividing by 3 3 we get 2 ( 10 a + b + 9 ) 2(10a+b+9) .Subtracting the original number and we have 10 a + b + 18 10a+b+18 .Add 9 and we have 10 a + b + 27 10a+b+27 .Subtracting the original number and we are left with 27 27 .Wow , we have no more variables and the final answer is 27 27 .Therefore the number we obtained after doing all these operations is 27 \boxed{27} .

I saw the first solution and i want to say that it is strongly recommended that a two-digit number should be written in the form 10 a + b 10a+b because in this problem it was not important but usually it is very useful to solve the problem.

Lorenc Bushi - 7 years, 5 months ago

Log in to reply

I agree but if we look closely we see that all the operations involved are simple arithmetic operations of a linear equation in one variable. So, I don't think it's NECESSARY to take the number i the form 10 a + b 10a+b and maintain two variables and doing all that stuff.

Kou$htav Chakrabarty - 7 years, 5 months ago

Thanks Lorenc that's a great idea and I'm sure I'll find it useful in the future :)

Michael Thornton - 7 years, 5 months ago

Let the original number about which we thought be x x . So, the above statements in the word problem can be converted to a single mathematical expression (a linear equation in a single variable) as follows:

Step - 1 : Add 10 to this number. => x + 10 x+10

Step - 2 : Multiply the result by 6. => ( x + 10 ) × 6 (x+10) \times 6

Step - 3 : Subtract 6 from the result. => ( x + 10 ) × 6 6 {(x+10) \times 6}-6

Step - 4 : Divide the number by 3. => ( x + 10 ) × 6 6 3 \frac{{(x+10) \times 6}-6}{3}

Step - 5 : Subtract the original number that you thought of. => ( x + 10 ) × 6 6 3 x \frac{{(x+10) \times 6}-6}{3} - x

Step - 6 : Add 9 to the result. = > ( x + 10 ) × 6 6 3 x + 9 {\frac{{(x+10) \times 6}-6}{3} - x}+9

Step - 7 : Subtract the original number that you thought of. = > ( x + 10 ) × 6 6 3 x + 9 x {{\frac{{(x+10) \times 6}-6}{3} - x}+9}-x

So, all these haywire arithmetic yields us the value of x x , which is the number we thought and Martin claims to know.

Therefore, the value of the above expression is equal to the original number we thought, i.e., x x .

So, ( x + 10 ) × 6 6 3 x + 9 x = x {{\frac{{(x+10) \times 6}-6}{3} - x}+9}-x = x

We can easily solve this equation now to get the value of x x as 27 \boxed{27} , which is the answer.

good explanation

Chandrika Bolloju - 7 years, 4 months ago

Genius!!!

Syed Maqsood - 7 years, 4 months ago

That was easy

Sankalan Ghosh - 3 years, 4 months ago
Joydhi Telmo
Mar 15, 2014

a=any number you want

in this case i chose number 1

just follow the instruction:

1+10=11

11*6=66

66-6=60

60/3=20

20-1=19

19+9=28

28-1=27

answer is 27

Prajwal Kavad
Apr 1, 2014

let the number be "x" the given process can be expressed as : first x+10,then 6(x+10)=6x+60 after that -6 which gives 6x+54 then divide 6x=54 by 3 which gives 2x+18 next 2x+18-x=x+18 next x+18+9=x+27 next x+27-x=27

Abhinav Ankur
Mar 21, 2014

The answer is 27

Aqib Pandit
Feb 9, 2014

this expression is constant expression whose value evaluates to 27

Harishankar Pv
Jan 27, 2014

Let the number we think be x Add 10 to this number. = (x+10), Multiply the result by 6. = (x+10 ) × 6, Subtract 6 from the result. = 6x +10 - 6, Divide the number by 3. = (6x +54) / 3, Subtract the original number that you thought of. = (6x +54) -3x / 3, Add 9 to the result. = (6x+54-3x)/3 + 9 ⇒ (6x+54-3x+27)/3, Subtract the original number that you thought of. = (6x+54-3x+27)/3 - x ⇒ (6x+54-3x+27+3x)/3,
⇒ (6x-3x-3x+27+54)/3 ⇒ 81/( 3 )=27 .

Mohammad Fiyaz
Jan 24, 2014

nothing to do in this

just think and follow the steps above

at the end result would be your answer.

in every case answer would be 27.

Mohamed Rameez
Jan 19, 2014

Any two digit number can be represented in the form 10 x + y where x is digit in tens place and y is digit in units place. then replicating the said steps we have: 10 x + y + 10. (10 x + y +10)*6. 60 x +6 y +60 -6. (60 x +60 y + 54)/3. 20 x +2 y +18 -(10 x +y). 10 x + y + 18 +9. 10 x + y + 27-(10 x +y). 27 is the required answer

Miravel Opigal
Jan 15, 2014

obviously you got the right answer by this case,this isn't a problem.If you just do what mathematician want you to do,by following what instructed in this case. the answer is fully given. The mathematician tells us to think any 2-digit number, then add 10 times 6 minus 6 divide 3 minus ur 2 digit number u choose add 9 minus the number u choose and you arrived the answer. easy

Lakshmi Tumati
Jan 2, 2014

You just follow the steps, choosing a random 2 digit number and your final result is the answer.

Tahseen Ahmad
Dec 30, 2013

For Example You Thought 20 Than Add 10 It Up 30 By Multiply 6 It Made 180 Now Subtract 6 it Be 174 Than Dividing By 3 It Is 58 Now Subtract Your Thought 20 It Raised To 38 Add 9 It Go To 47 Again Subtract You Thought 20 Now Left 27 Is The Answer . The Solution is 1st 10 we add consider it 1 than we multiply 6 total is 7 , you should ask final answer than subtract 7 it be the amount that thought others

Muhammad Ajmal
Dec 26, 2013

i thought in mind just 10. and i first add 10+10 then multply by 6 20 X 6 =60 then subtract 6 120 - 6 = 114 then divide by 3 114/3 = 38 then i subtract 10 form 38 38 -10 = 28 then Add 9 with this 28+9 =37 then subtract 10 from 37 37-10=27 and this is correct answer

Prasun Biswas
Dec 25, 2013

If you ask me, I just followed the steps as told by Martin here and I got the answer as 27 \boxed{27} . LOL...xD

That's exactly what I did!

Lakshmi Tumati - 7 years, 5 months ago

That's It!!!

YASH KASAT - 7 years, 3 months ago
Ajay Maity
Dec 24, 2013

Let's think of any two-digit number n n .

  • Add 10 to this number.

n + 10 n + 10

  • Multiply the result by 6.

( n + 10 ) × 6 (n + 10) \times 6

  • Subtract 6 from the result.

6 ( n + 10 ) 6 6(n + 10) - 6

  • Divide the number by 3.

6 ( n + 10 ) 6 3 = 2 ( n + 10 ) 2 \frac{6(n + 10) - 6}{3} = 2(n + 10) - 2

  • Subtract the original number that you thought of.

2 ( n + 10 ) 2 n 2(n + 10) - 2 - n

  • Add 9 to the result.

2 ( n + 10 ) 2 n + 9 2(n + 10) - 2 - n + 9

  • Subtract the original number that you thought of.

2 ( n + 10 ) 2 n + 9 n = 2 n + 20 2 n + 9 n = 27 2(n + 10) - 2 - n + 9 - n = 2n + 20 - 2 - n + 9 - n = \boxed{27}

That's the answer!

2n+20-2-n+9=0 2n-n+20-2+9=0 n+20+7=0 n+27=0 n=-27

Tahseen Ahmad - 7 years, 5 months ago
Ritesh Surve
Dec 24, 2013

let our number be x thus,{ [ ( x + 10 ) * 6 ] - 6 } / 3 - x + 9 - x = [ ( x + 10)* 2 - 2] - 2x + 9 = 2 ( x+ 9 ) - 2x + 9 = 18 + 9 = 27

same

Azizul Islam - 7 years, 5 months ago

0 pending reports

×

Problem Loading...

Note Loading...

Set Loading...