F O R K I D S W H O L I K E T O S O LV E P R O B L E M S

MPower MAGA ZINE #1

Dragon Legend of Nutty

Tales the 17 Camels Math
 Our

STAFF
Editor in Chief

CONTENTS Laura Wheel

Contributing Editor
Nina Dubinsky

Contributing Author
Victor Gutenmacher

Dragon Tale 1 Art Direction by

Amusements 2 KEY
Grades 2 & up

5
Grades 4 & up
Nutty Math Grades 6 & up

Master Solver

Legend of the 17 Camels 6

Note from the
EDITOR
Olympiad Zone 8 There is no such thing as a “math
person.” However, a child’s early
experiences with the subject directly
impacts their perception of their

The Euclidean Algorithm 11 mathematics ability. When children

are taught mathematics through fun
and engaging problems, they not
only build fluency in and an intuitive
understanding of mathematics, but
they also develop critical thinking
and reasoning skills.

MPower was created as a resource

for children who want to flex their
mathematical muscles and show
off their problem-solving ingenuity.
We hope you enjoy the stories and
problems inside.

The RSM Foundation is committed to the promotion of STEM

activities for K-­12 students. With the belief that Mathematics
is the queen of the sciences, the Foundation advocates for ANSWERS
the adoption of world­-class standards and supports the
implementation of innovative mathematical programs in a Want to know if your
diverse context across the United States and abroad. The RSM answers are correct?
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Dragon Tale 1

...there was a princess who was locked up in a tower guarded by a dragon with
five heads and three tails. The king was desperate to get the princess back. He
declared, “He who slays the dragon and rescues the princess will be rewarded. Is
there anyone brave enough?”

A knight stepped forward and said, “I will slay the dragon and rescue the
princess.”

The king was pleased. “You are very brave,”he said, “but take heed,—this is no
ordinary dragon! If you cut off one of its heads, two heads will immediately grow
back. If you cut off two heads at once, one new tail will grow. If you cut off one tail,
two new tails will immediately grow in its place; but if you cut off two tails at once,
no new heads or tails will grow in its place. To slay the dragon, you must cut off all
of its heads and all of its tails. Though,” he warned, “if you cut off more than two
heads or two tails in one strike of your sword, then the dragon cannot ever be killed.”

With that, the knight set off to rescue the princess. As soon as he approached the
tower, the dragon appeared...

Help the knight

slay the dragon!
What is the fewest number of times
he must strike the dragon with
his sword to kill it?
 2

Amusements

1) A bug is inside 2) Is it possible to cut

a glass. Move 2 a hole in a piece of paper,
sticks so that the so that you can walk through
bug is outside
the glass. Notes:

Notes:
 3

3) In each statement 4) Write the prime

below, insert one or factorization of both
more mathematical 2014 and 2015.
symbols to make the Notes:
statement correct.
You may use ( ),
decimal points, and
the operators +,–,
x,÷, .

Each symbol may be

used any number
of times.

1 1 1 = 3
Notes:
2 2 2 = 3
3 3 3 = 3
4 4 4 = 3
5 5 5 = 3
6 6 6 = 3
7 7 7 = 3
8 8 8 = 3
9 9 9 = 3
Amusements 4

5) Jack and Jill went up a 6) Insert the digits 1-9

hill to fetch one gallon of to make a correct sum
water from the well. Jack has
an 8-gallon pail and Jill has
a 3-gallon pail. Using only
these two pails, they left with
exactly one gallon of water.
How did they do this?

Notes:

8-g
3-g
Nutty Math 5

Nutty Math
Sammy was a very responsible squirrel.
He gathered and stored enough acorns to last through the winter. One day his
friend Perry came to visit him. Perry was a lazy, yet clever squirrel. He had not
gathered any acorns, but he knew how to get some without much effort.

“I’ve been far too busy to gather acorns. I’ll start soon. In the meantime, can I have
one of your acorns?” Being a good friend, Sammy agreed to give Perry an acorn.

The next day, Perry visited Sammy. “I was too busy to gather acorns today.
I’ll start soon. In the meantime, can I have two of your acorns?” Sammy agreed to
give Perry two acorns. On the third day, Perry asked for four acorns. Sammy once
again agreed to give Perry the acorns.

Perry continued to visit Sammy every day. During each visit he asked for twice as
many acorns as he had asked for the day before. After Perry left on the tenth day,
Sammy noticed that he had only one acorn left.

How many acorns did

Sammy have initially?
Legend of the 17 Camels 14

Legend of the 17 Camels

Victor Gutenmacher

There is a well-known, funny story that camels (9 + 6 + 2 = 17) according to their father’s
instructions. Grateful for his help, the brothers
poses the problem of dividing an old
returned the wise man’s camel. He then continued
man’s property of 17 camels among on his way.  
his three sons. This story originated
many centuries ago; and although The three brothers were happy with the outcome
since they each got more camels than they
the characters and settings may differ
expected. (See Problem 1.)
in the various retellings, the basic
premise of the story remains the same. An explanation​of the wise
man’s trick
An ancient story retold
We first remark that the s​u​m of the fractions is less
Once upon a time, there was an old man who had
than 1: 1
2
+ 13 + 19 = 17
18 , and thus, either the father
three sons. One day he gathered his sons together
and said: “My sons, I’m about to die. I leave to you was bad at math or he had something else in mind.​
my herd of 17 camels, which you are to divide in ​In the above equality we see the number 18—it
the following way: You, my eldest son, take one is the least common denominator of the fractions.
half of the herd; you, my second son, take one The wise man actually divided the ​ 17 camels in the
third of the herd; and you, my youngest son, take correct proportion
1 1 1
: :
2 3 9 . In fact, the proportions
one ninth of the herd.” With these words the man
are the same: 12 : 13 : 19 = 9 : 6 : 2 since 12 : 13 = 9 : 6 ,
died. Soon after, the sons began to divide the 1 : 1 = 6:2
3 9 , and 19 : 12 = 2 : 9 . 
inheritance. However, they quickly realized that
17 camels could not be divided according to their
father’s instructions without harming any camels.
Unit Fractions​​
A fraction that has a numerator of one and a
So, they began to argue.
denominator that is a positive integer is called a
unit fraction.
Magic Solution
At this time, a man traveling with his one camel 1
Let the fractions p
, 1q , and 1r represent the shares
came across the brothers. It just so happened
that this wise and quick-witted man had some of the ​​brothers’ inheritance, and the herd consists
experience with settling conflicts. Upon hearing of the s – 1 camels. After the wise man adds one
the brothers arguing, he said, “Allow me to help! camel,​the new number of camels s must be
s s s
Please, take my camel.” divisible by​p, q, and r, and p + q + r = s − 1 .
 
We divide both sides of the equality by s:
​ hey now had 18 camels, which could be divided
T 1 1
p
+ q
+ 1r = 1 − 1s .
as instructed by their father. So, the eldest son
took one half of the herd, or 9 camels, the second
son took one third of the herd, or 6 camels, and
the youngest son took one ninth of the herd,
or 2 camels. Thus, they divided the herd of 17
 15

Finally, we arrive at the equality in which one is Problem 1

represented as the sum of four unit fractions:  If the sons divided the 17 camels as instructed by their
1 1 1 1
p
+ q
+ r
+ s
= 1 . It turns out that there are just father, what is the actual share each son would get?
12 sets of four​denominators​(p, q, r, s) ​of unit
fractions ​that meet the following two conditions:
1 + 1 + 1r + 1s = 1 ; and (2) s is divisible by p, q,
(1) p q
and r.

They are: (2, 3, 7, 42), (2, 4, 5, 20), (2, 6, 6, 6), (2, 3,

8, 24), (2, 4, 6, 12), (2, 3, 9, 18), (2, 4, 8, 8), (2, 3, 12,
12), (2, 5, 5, 10), (3, 3, 4, 12), (3, 3, 6, 6), (4, 4, 4, 4).
We leave it to the reader to check that all these Problem 2
sets satisfy both conditions. ​The set (2, 3, 9, 18) Suppose the old man left 35 camels. How would you
was u​ sed in the ancient story about 17 camels.​ divide the camels among the three sons?

Our story with 41 Camels

Let’s consider the unit fractions with denominators
(2, 3, 7, 42) and retell the story with these numbers.​​
In this version of the story, the father leaves 41
camels to his sons upon his death. He instructs his
1
sons to divide the herd in the proportion 2
: 13 : 17 .
A wise man adds his camel to the 41 camels and
divides 42 camels by 2, 3 and 7. The sons get 21, 14
and 6 camels, which is 21 + 14 + 6 = 41 camels all
together. Again this is a happy ending.
 ​
Designed to challenge mathematically
talented students, mathematical
Olympiads are competitions that
combine the beauty of mathematics
with the the joy of problem solving.
Many countries have their own Olympiads
that include a series of competitions
leading up to a national mathematical
Olympiad for which only a fraction of
students are selected to participate. To
bring together mathematically talented
high school students from all over the
world, the International Mathematical
Olympiad (IMO) was created. The
first IMO was held in 1959 with only 7
countries participating. Today more than
100 countries participate in this annual
competition!

In keeping with the rich tradition

and prestige surrounding olympiad
competitions, RSM held its first-annual
mathematical olympiad in 2014. The RSM
Olympiad features challenging non-
routine problems that promote a deeper
level of thinking. Open to students in
Grades 2 through 9, the competition offers
participants a chance to demonstrate
their mathematical ingenuity and problem
solving abilities.
OLYMPIAD 9

QUESTION 1
Kittens in the RSM Pets Corner have 15
tails and ears together. How many paws
do these kittens have?
QUESTION 2
One morning Ginger found a Magic Candy
Box with 15 candies in it. The box was magic
because for every candy taken out of the
box, 3 more candies magically appeared in
the box. Once a candy was taken out of the
box, it could not be put back into the box. In
the evening Ginger showed the box with 37
candies to her friends. How many candies
had Ginger taken out of the box before she
showed it to her friends?

QUESTION 3 QUESTION 4
A 5×5 square is cut into 25 unit (1×1) squares. A cow and a goat have eaten a bag of dry
Then letters R, S, and M were written in the unit food in 2 hours. By herself, a cow would
squares as shown on the diagram. have done it in 3 hours. In how many hours
would a goat have eaten the bag of dry food
R R R R R by herself? Assume that a cow eats with the
R S S S R same speed/rate/productivity regardless of
R S M S R the presence of a goat, and a goat eats with
R S S S R the same speed/rate/productivity regardless
R R R R R of the presence of a cow.

How many squares (of all sizes and positions)

contain the letter M?
OLYMPIAD
QUESTION 5
The measure of the angle between the hour and
minute hands of an analog clock is 13 degrees.
What is the least possible measure of the angle
(in degrees) between these hands 6 hours later?
Make sure the answer is a positive number.
QUESTION 7
If the sum of the 3-digit numbers RSM, SMR, and
MRS is equal to 1998, compute R + S + M.
10
QUESTION 6
Rosa, Sara and Mira have 2013 apples
altogether. Rosa and Mira together have twice
as many apples as Sara has alone. Sara and
Mira together have 10 times as many apples
as Rosa has alone. How many apples do Rosa
and Sara have together?
QUESTION 8
A pentagon has side lengths 4, 14, 14, 2014,
and X, where X is an integer. Find the least
possible value of X.
The Euclidean Algorithm 11

The Euclidean Algorithm

By: Victor Gutenmacher

You already know that 6 divides both 24 and 60. In
other words, 6 is a common divisor of 24 and 60.
The other common divisors of 24 and 60 are 2 , 3,
4, and 12. The largest of these divisors, 12, is called
the greatest common divisor (GCD) of 24 and 60.
In general, the GCD (a, b), where a and b are
positive integers, is the largest integer divisor of a
and b. For instance, GCD (4, 12) = 4, GCD (21, 91) =
7, and GCD (15, 28) = 1.
To find the GCD of two numbers, you can: first,
list all the divisors of each number; then, identify
We start by tiling the rectangle with the largest
squares that will fit: squares with sides of 141
units. We tile the rectangle with as many squares
as will fit until we are left with a rectangle with one
side shorter than 141 units. We then tile this new
rectangle with smaller squares that have sides equal
to the shorter side of this rectangle. We continue
this process until the entire rectangle is tiled with
squares:
Let us find the length of the side of the smallest
square by retracing our steps:

324 324 = 141

2 +2 42
+ 42
all the common divisors; and finally choose the
largest of these common divisors. = 141
2 squares
2 squares with with shorter shorter
sides
sides 141 141 units
units side of new
side of new
However, there is another, more efficient, method rectangle
rectangle
for finding the GCD of two numbers that does not
require you to look for common divisors. 141 141
= 42= 342 +3 15
+ 15
3 squares
3 squares with with shorter shorter
The Euclidean Algorithm, or Euclid’s Algorithm is sides 42sides
units42 units side of new
side of new
rectangle
rectangle
a method for computing the GCD of two positive
integers. Described in Book VII of Euclid’s Elements
(c. 300BC), the Euclidean Algorithm is one of the
42 =42 15
= 215 +2 12
+ 12
with withshorter shorter
2 squares
2 squares
oldest algorithms still in use today! sides 15sides side of side
units15 units new of new
rectangle
rectangle

15 =15 12
= 112 +1 +3 3
To describe it, let’s start with a seemingly unrelated
problem.
with withshortershorter
2 squares
2 squares
sides
sides 12 side of side
units12 units newof new
Tiling a rectangle with squares rectanglerectangle

Suppose we have a rectangle 324 units × 141 units. 12 =3 43 4

12 =
Of course, we can tile this rectangle with unit 4 squares
4 squares with with
squares; we would need 324 × 141 = 45,684 of them. sides 3sides
units3 units
But, can we do it with fewer squares?
141 Units

324 Units
The Euclidean Algorithm 12

We see that the side length of this smallest square
is 3 units. In fact, this smallest square will tile all
of the larger squares; and, therefore, it is the
largest square that will tile the entire rectangle
(108 squares along the length and 47 squares
along the width).
Proof of (2): Let b and r be divisible by m. Then,
bq is divisible by m; and it follows that a = bq + r is
divisible by m.
Let’s use this statement to show how fast we can
compute the GCD.

Thus, 3 is the greatest common divisor of the side

lengths. So, GCD (324, 141) = 3. Example: Find GCD (273, 1014)
In general, for a rectangle a units × b units, the
length of the side the last square that tiles the Solution:
rectangle will be GCD (a, b). Indeed, the process 1014 = 273 X 3 + 195;
we used to find the side length of this last square 273 = 195 X 1 + 78;
195 = 78 X 2 + 39;
is the Euclidean Algorithm!
78 = 39 X 2.

Euclid’s algorithm for finding the Answer: GCD (273, 1014) = 39

GCD of two integers
Given two positive integers a > 0, b > 0, such that This is the Euclidean Algorithm!
a > b, we:
Problem #1
1st: Divide a by b and get a remainder r1, such a) What is the greatest number of identical
that r1 < b. bouquets that can be made out of 20 white tulips
and 15 pink tulips? (No flowers should be left out.)
2nd: Divide b by r1, and get a remainder r2, such
that r2 < r1.

3rd: Divide r1 by r2, and get a remainder r3, such

that r3 < r2, and so on, until some remainder is b) Answer the same question if there are 264 white
divisible by the next remainder. and 192 pink tulips.

The process has to end sooner or later, since each

next remainder is smaller than the preceding one
and all the remainders are nonnegative numbers.
The last nonzero remainder is in fact the GCD of
a and b.

Why can we look for the GCD (b, r), wherer is

the remainder when a is divided by b, rather
than looking for the GCD (a, b)? It follows from
the statement:

Problem #2
Let a = bq + r. Then In our algorithm of tiling the 324 × 141 rectangle,
GCD(a, b) = GCD(b, r). we used squares of 5 different sizes (see figure).
Find numbers a and b such that our tiling of the
rectangle a × b will have squares of 6 different sizes.
To prove this statement, we need to prove the
following: (1) each common divisor of a and b is
also a divisor of r, and (2) each common divisor of
b and r is also a divisor of a.

Proof of (1): Let a and b be divisible by k.

Then, bq is divisible by k; and it follows that r = a –
bq is divisible by k.
The Euclidean Algorithm 13

11
Problem #3
Use a ruler to tile the 234 mm by
143 mm rectangle with squares to
determine the GCD of 234 and 143.
At the RSM Foundation, we believe that
there is no such thing as a “math person.”
When introduced logically, slowly, and with excitement,
all children can learn math and appreciate its beauty
and importance in the world around them.
But what is math? It’s more than numbers and calculation. From identifying the
fastest line in the supermarket to helping a knight slay a dragon with instantly
regenerating heads, math is a pathway to higher-level thinking and reasoning. It
provides the
tools you need to analyze, understand, and solve complex problems. It plays a
critical role in the development of logical thinking in young minds.

Have suggestions or questions about MPower! ?

Please email mpower@rsmfoundation.org

Answers can be found at: www.rsmfoundation.org/mpower