CHALLENGE 1 STUDENT ENTRY FORM

THE HARDEST MATH PROBLEM STUDENT CONTEST

Ready to show off your math and writing skills? Have your teacher send us your answer
to the Challenge 1 story problem. If you answer correctly, you’ll be invited to enter
Challenge 2 for a chance to win great prizes, including a laptop. Whoa!
Use the Challenge 1 Question Sheet to answer the story problem for your grade.
Entries due
Want an extra challenge? You can also answer the problem for any grade level above you!
November 23,
(Heads up: You can only submit one entry per grade problem. Use a separate form for each problem. 2020
A correct answer for your current grade level or above will make you eligible to enter Challenge 2!)

My Grade I’m currently in grade ❏5 ❏6 ❏7 ❏8

My Answer

My Reasoning Sharing your reasoning is optional now, but it’s good practice because it’s required in Challenge 2! For
more space, continue on a separate sheet of paper.
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CONTACT INFORMATION
Student’s First Name School Phone

Student’s Last Name School Name

Grade School Address

Teacher’s Name City

Teacher’s Email State Zip Code

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. 50 US, DC, and US territories. Entries must be submitted by the student’s teacher, 18+. Teachers submit entries online: scholastic.com/hardestmathcontest.
Teachers submit entries by mail: Scholastic Inc., The Hardest Math Contest, ATTN: SNP, Space 3-226, 557 Broadway, New York, NY 10012. Challenge 1: Open to grs. 5-8 students. Students
may enter by answering at least one question at or above their current grade level. For each problem submitted, only one answer may be submitted. Use a different entry form for each
answer submitted. Entry period: 12:01 a.m. ET on 9/25/20 to 11:59 p.m. ET on 11/23/20. Mailed entries: postmarked by 11/23/20, and rec’d by 12/7/20. Three teachers who submit at least
three eligible student entries (except as set forth in official rules) will each receive a $500 gift card. Challenge 2: Open to grs. 5-8 students who answered correctly in Challenge 1. Teachers
of eligible students will be notified on or around 1/11/21. Students may enter by answering at least one question at or above their current grade level. For each problem submitted, only one
answer may be submitted. Use a different entry form for each answer submitted. Entry period: 12:01 a.m. ET on 1/11/21 to 11:59 p.m. ET on 2/26/21. Mailed entries: postmarked by 2/26/21,
and rec’d by 3/12/21. Three (3) Grand Prize winning students, one from each of sixth, seventh, and eighth grades problems, will each receive a laptop computer with Microsoft Office Home
and Student Office products (ARV $550) and a $5,000 contribution to a 529 plan (a college savings account) (ARV $5,000). The three teachers who submitted the entries of the Grand-
Prize Winners will each receive a $500 American Express gift card for classroom use (ARV $500). Three (3) Runner-Up winning students, one from each of sixth, seventh, and eighth grade
problems, will each receive a tablet computer, which does not include a data plan (ARV $125). Official Rules: scholastic.com/hardestmathcontest/rules. Void where prohibited.
 CHALLENGE 1 QUESTION SHEET

THE HARDEST MATH PROBLEM

GRADE 6
There’s a new club at Monroe Middle School thanks to three persuasive
students—Vishal, Maria, and Jade. When the principal read their proposal for
EARTH Club, she smiled and said, “Environmentally Aware and Ready to Help!
What a great title! Now what activities do you have planned?”

“First, we’ll study the declining population of bees,” said Vishal.

“Bees are vital to our ecosystem,” Maria explained. “Did you know that when
they transfer pollen, they start the process of reproduction in about 80 percent
of plants? That includes fruits, vegetables, flowers, and seeds.”

“It also includes around 90 different types of food, like apples and pumpkins,”
added Jade.

“Wow,” said the principal. “The EARTH Club is officially approved!”

Solve the Problem

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Vishal loves to eat! He wants to know which
foods are pollinated by bees. He found out that
the honeybee, one of 20,000 different bee
species, makes honey and provides most of the
pollination for blueberries, broccoli, cherries,
and many other foods. (Yum!) The honeybee
provides 100 percent of the pollination
for almonds. But, honeybees are dying from
habitat loss, the varroa mite, pesticides,
and climate change. Below are approximate
rates of honeybee loss in the U.S. for nine
consecutive years.

Year 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Rate of 36.2% 29.0% 46.2% 37.5% 40.9% 40.0% 32.6% 40.5% 40.1%
Loss

What survival rate in the 10th year would make the average rate of loss over the 10-year period
equal to 38.0%?

Definition: Survival rate is the opposite of rate of loss.

 CHALLENGE 1 QUESTION SHEET

THE HARDEST MATH PROBLEM

GRADE 7
There’s a new club at Monroe Middle School thanks to three persuasive students—Vishal, Maria, and
Jade. When the principal read their proposal for EARTH Club, she smiled and said, “Environmentally
Aware and Ready to Help! What a great title! Now what activities do you have planned?”

“First, we’ll study the declining population of bees,” said Vishal.

“Bees are vital to our ecosystem,” Maria explained. “Did you know that when they transfer pollen,
they start the process of reproduction in about 80 percent of plants? That includes fruits, vegetables,
flowers, and seeds.”

“It also includes around 90 different types of food, like apples and pumpkins,” Jade added.

“Wow,” said the principal. “The EARTH Club is officially approved!”

Solve the Problem

Maria found out that “bumblebee” isn’t just a nickname. The rusty patched bumble bee
(Bombus affinis) exists, but it’s now on the endangered species list. Twenty years ago, an
estimated 727,731,000 of these bees lived across America and Canada. Today, they are usually
found only in the states and the province shown below.
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Size of Various North American Locations

400 354
Land Area (in 1,000 square miles)

300

200

100 56 36 56 31 80 54
49 41 45 41 40
10 8
0
IL IN IA ME MD MA MN NC OH PA TN VA WI Ontario
North American Locations

Assume an even distribution of bees per mile across these territories. Suppose today’s scientists
sample an area of five square miles within each territory, and find, on average, 3 nests with 205
living rusty patched bumble bees per nest.

What is the percent decline, to the nearest whole number, of rusty patched bumble bees
from 20 years ago to today?
 CHALLENGE 1 QUESTION SHEET

THE HARDEST MATH PROBLEM

GRADE 8
There’s a new club at Monroe Middle School thanks “Did you know that when they transfer pollen, they
to three persuasive students—Vishal, Maria, and start the process of reproduction in about
Jade. When the principal read their proposal for 80 percent of plants? That includes fruits,
EARTH Club, she smiled and said, “Environmentally vegetables, flowers, and seeds.”
Aware and Ready to Help! What a great title! Now
what activities do you have planned?” “It also includes around 90 different types of food,
like apples and pumpkins,” Jade added.
“First, we’ll study the declining population of bees,”
said Vishal. “Wow,” said the principal. “The EARTH Club is
“Bees are vital to our ecosystem,” Maria explained. officially approved!”

Solve the Problem

Jade read that honey is in high demand at stores right now because more and more people want natural
sweeteners. She was interested in looking at the relationship between honey production and the cost of
honey over the same set of years. She considered the graphs below:

U.S. Honey Production

y = -2.739x + 222.15
Millions of Pounds of Honey

250
200
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150

100
50

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35
Years Since 1987

U.S. Honey Price

y = 6.029x + 19.871
Cents Per Pound of Honey

250
200

150

100
50

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35
Years Since 1987

For the 25-year period from 1992 to 2017, find the percent change in honey production and the percent
change in honey price. Include the complete decimal in the trend line equations. For example, use 6.029
and 19.871 (all digits to the thousandths place) in the production equation. Round only at the end of all your
calculations, and round each of the final two answers to the nearest whole number percent.