Problem of the Week

WELCOME! The Problem of the Week is offered to Ferris State University students as an opportunity to work on some interesting mathematical problems that are often different from those that appear in the standard mathematics courses.

You're welcome to submit individual or group solutions to me (Dr. Dekker) via email or in my office (Arts and Sciences Commons 2038) by the noted due dates.

Below you can download the current and past Problems of the Week, in PDF form. Be sure to visit the bulletin board outside of the math department office (ASC 2021) to see solutions to last week's problem and see who has correctly solved problems this semester. A list of correct solvers also appears on this page below the list of problems.

CONGRATULATIONS TO KELLY LEASSNER, THE PROBLEM OF THE WEEK WINNER FOR 2012-13!

Problems for Spring 2013 (note that problems are now due at 3pm)

NOTE: All problems are due by 3pm on the Thursday that is listed.

Problem of the Week 202: Warn the King due January 24.
Problem of the Week 203: The Knight's Path due January 31.
Problem of the Week 204: Six Sums, How Many Divisors? due February 7.
- Solution.
Problem of the Week 205: Candy Hearts due February 14.
- Kelly Leassner's: Spreadsheet and Solution
Problem of the Week 206: Zig Zag due February 21.
Problem of the Week 207: Fifty Bugs due February 28.
- Solution
Problem of the Week 208: Crossing the Gorge due March 7.
- Mary Ness' Solution
Problem of the Week 209: Arithmetic Progression Grid due March 21.
Problem of the Week 210: A Tiled 18-gon due April 4.
Problem of the Week 211: Equal Areas due April 11.
Problem of the Week 212: Six-Digit Number Sums due April 18.
- Solution
Problem of the Week 213: Paths Around the Cube due April 25.
- Solution
Problem of the Week 214: Sam's Idea Made Sense due May 2.

Submitters of Correct Solutions for Spring 2013:

Problem 202: Eric Bensley, Kelly Leassner, Joel McGorman, Neil Mercer, Mary Ness, Corey Swope, Tyler Tichvon
Problem 203: Eric Bensley, Kelly Leassner
Problem 204: None
Problem 205: Holly Argue, Kelly Leassner
Problem 206: Tyler George, Kelly Leassner, Joel McGorman, Neil Mercer
Problem 207: Holly Argue, Kelly Leassner, Joel McGorman
Problem 208: Holly Argue, Kelly Leassner, Mary Ness
Problem 209: Kelly Leassner, Neil Mercer
Problem 210: Kelly Leassner, Joel McGorman, Mary Ness
Problem 211: Kelly Leassner, Neil Mercer
Problem 212: Kelly Leassner, Neil Mercer, Mary Ness
Problem 213: Kelly Leassner, Neil Mercer
Problem 214: Holly Argue, Kelly Leassner, Neil Mercer, Rachel VerVelde

Problems for Fall 2012

Problem of the Week 189: Counting Rectangles due September 6.
Problem of the Week 190: Orthogonal Sudoku due September 13.
Problem of the Week 191: A Rotating Triangle due September 20.
Problem of the Week 192: A Half, a Third, and a Fifth due September 27. Solution.
Problem of the Week 193: Supernatural Twins due October 4.
Problem of the Week 194: Balance the Mobile due October 15.
Problem of the Week 195: Find Those Ages due October 18.
Problem of the Week 196: Triangular Billiards due October 25.
Problem of the Week 197: The Ladder Game due November 1.
Problem of the Week 198: 40+10+10=60 due MONDAY, November 12 (late posting!).
Problems of the Week 199 and 200: Double Your Child's Age (reworded with new due date) and Point in a Triangle. Both due November 29. 199 Solution.
Problem of the Week 201: One Direction due MONDAY, December 10

Submitters of Correct Solutions for Fall 2012:

Problem 189: Dana Bowler, Steve Crow, Lindsay Cyr, Nate Dykstra, Chad Fetterley, Tyler George, Robert Hemond, Kelly Leassner, Jennifer Warden, Bobby Young
Problem 190: Malorie Cole, Steve Crow, Lindsday Cyr, Kelly Leassner
Problem 191: Lindsay Cyr, Kelly Leassner, Jennifer Warden
Problem 192: Ben Johnson, Kelly Leassner
Problem 193: Kelly Leassner
Problem 194: Lindsay Cyr, Kelly Leassner
Problem 195: Lindsay Cyr, Kelly Leassner. Celia Rajala
Problem 196: Chayton Dry, Kelly Leassner
Problem 197: Lindsay Cyr, Chris Dasin, Tyler George, Kelly Leassner
Problem 198: Lindsay Cyr, Kelly Leassner
Problem 199: Lindsay Cyr, Kelly Leassner
Problem 200: Lindsay Cyr
Problem 201: Kelly Leassner

At the end of the semester I will compile all the Problems of the Week into one file for ease in downloading - see below.

Past Problems, collected in one file:

Last updated: 05-03-2013

Mathematics Department