JasmineGillie

POW:HowManyEggxactly?

ThisweeksPOWaskedustofindtheamountofeggsbrokenafterafarmer,Dave
crasheshiscarinanightmare.Hehastoreportthataccidenttohisinsuranceagent,butnot
knowingtheamountofeggs,itwasourjobtofigureitoutthroughthedetailsheremembers.
Withtheinformationgiventous,weknowthatingroupsoftwo,three,four,five,andsix,there
wasalwaysaremainderofone,andweknowthatingroupsofseven,theeggswouldbein
perfectgroups.Withthisinformation,wehadtofigureoutnotonlyhowmanyeggsDavehad
beforethecrash,butwealsohadtofigureoutwhethertherewasmorethanonesolutiontothe
problem.
Ibegansolvingtheproblembyorganizingtheinformationgiventome,IknewthatI
neededtohavearemainderofoneingroupsoftwo,three,four,five,andsix,andIknewthatI
thenumberneededtobeaperfectmultipleofseven.Iquicklylearnedthatworkingmultiplesof
twohadtoendinanoddnumberandmultiplesoffivehadtoendinoneorsix.
SoItookthatinformationanddecidedthattheeasiestwaytofindananswerwastomake
agiantmultiplicationchartfromtwotosevenuntilIfoundanumberthatworkedwithallthe
rules.Ihighlightedpossiblemultiplesofseven(endinginone)andthenIcheckedtoseeifthat
numberworkedwithmultiplesoftwo,three,six,andseven.Longstoryshort,itwasNOTthe
easiestway.

Multiples

10

12

14

16

18

20

24

26

28

30

32

12

15

18

21

24

27

30

33

36

39

42

45

12

16

20

24

28

32

36

40

44

48

52

56

60

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

50

55

60

65

70

12

18

24

30

36

42

48

54

60

66

72

78

84

14

21

28

35

42

49

56

63

70

77

84

91

98

ThiswashowfarIgotintothechartbeforeIrealizedthattherewasaneasierwayforme
togettoasolution.Mychartwastakinguptoomuchtimeandtherewasdefinitelyasimpler
waytoorganizetheinformationIwaslookingfor,soIputtogetheranewtable,usingonly
multiplesofsevenendinginoneandthentestingthemallatonce,sinceIknewthatwaswhatI
neededtobelookingfor.

Theoriginalchartlookedsomethinglikethis:

21

13

91

23

161

33

231

43

301

Itookthexmultipliedbyseventogetthey,andthatshowIcameupwithabunchof
possiblesolutions.SoIdecidedtotesteachonetoseewhich(ifany)wouldworkwiththe
situation:

21
2
10R1

91
2
45R1

161
2
80R1

231
2
115R1

301
2
150R1

21
3
7

91
3
30R1

161
3
53R2

231
3
77

301
3
100R1

21
4
5R1

91
4
22R3

161
4
40R1

231
4
57R3

301
4
75R1

21
5
4R1

91
5
18R1

161
5
32R1

231
5
46R3

301
5
60R1

21
6
3R3

91
6
15R1

161
6
25R1

231
6
38R3

301
6
50R1

Bydoingthis,Ilearnedthattwentyone,ninetyone,onehundredsixtyone,andtwo
hundredthirtyonefailedassolutions,butIalsofoundthatthreehundredoneworkedwithallof
therules.SonowIcouldmoveontothenextquestion,whichwas:aretheremultiplesolutions?
UsingthemethodIhadbefore,Imadeanotherchartofmultiplesofsevenendinginone
toseeifIcouldfindanyotherworkingsolutions,andtoseeiftheyhadapatternofsomekind.

43

301

53

371

63

441

73

511

83

581

93

651

103

721

113

791

123

861

133

931

143

1001

153

1071

163

1141

173

1211

Aftertestingeachnumberandfindingthreeworkingsolutions,Idiscoveredanother
pattern,whichwasthateverysixsequenceswouldworkinthesituation,soIdecidedtotakea
closerlookattheworkingnumberstotryandfindapatternthatIcouldconvertintoanequation
ofsomekind.SowhatIdidwassubtractthenumbersfromeachother.
Working#s
301
721
1141

1141
721
420

721
301
420

Seeingthispattern,Idecidedto
testandseeifathousandone
hundredfortyoneplusfour
twentywouldalsoworkasa
solution.

Test:
1141
+420
1561

1561
2
780R1
1561
3
520R1
1561
4
390R1
1561
5
312R1
1561
6
26R1

Justaspredicted,onethousandfivehundred
sixtyoneworkedasasolutiontotheproblemas
well.Whichconfirmedtheideathatevery
solutionwasamultipleoffourtwenty.This
gavemealloftheinformationIneededtocome
upwithanequationtofindallthepossible
solutionstotheproblem.

SohereswhatIknew:
Everysolutionwasamultipleof
fourtwenty
Therewerenosolutionsbelow
threehundredone
Theequationhadtoequalthe
totalnumberofeggsDavehad.

y=mx+b
y=Total#ofEggs
x=AnyNumber

y=420x+301

Andtada!Ifoundanequationthatwouldalwaysfindnumbersthatwouldwork
accordingtoalloftheextracircumstances.

IthinkthatthreeHabitsofaMathematicianthatIusedwere:StayOrganized,Generalize,
andLookForPatterns.Forstayingorganized,Ikeptallofmyvaluableinformationsortedout
andeasytoaccess.EverythingIneededtolookforcouldbefoundintables,andwhenIdidthe
problem,ImadesurethatIknewwhateverynumberandvariablerepresentedinrelationshipto
theproblemitself.Ikepteverythingneat,andbecauseofthat,theproblemwasmucheasierto
solve.Asforgeneralization,Iusedthishabitafterfindingmyfirstsolution.Becauseevenafter
discoveringthatthreehundredoneworkedintheproblem,Istillstrivedtofindmoresolutions
andtofindanequationsoIcouldIfigureouteverypossibility.Finally,lookingforpatterns,
fromthemomentIfoundthreehundredoneasasolution,Istartedlookingforpatternstomake
anequation.Forinstance,everysixpossiblesolutionsworkedandeverytimesevenwas

multipliedbyanumberendinginthree,theanswerwouldendinone.Itwastheselittlenoticings
thathelpedmyanswerpulltogetherintheveryendandfindmyfinalanswer:y=420x+301.
IfIcouldgivemyselfagradeoutoftenonthisProblemofTheWeek,IthinkIwould
givemyselfaten.Iuselotsofvisuals,godeepintodetailwhileexplainingmyworkandprocess,
andIusedcolorcodingtomakecertainnumbersstandouttothereader.Overall,Ifeelthatmy
workisveryorganizedandeasytounderstand.