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Browse all
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Elementary
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Browse all Elementary Problems of the Week
Participation in the Elementary Problems of the
Week allows teachers and students to address the
NCTM
Problem Solving Standard for Grades 3-5, enabling students to
build new mathematical knowledge through problem solving; solve problems
that arise in mathematics and in other contexts; apply and adapt a
variety of appropriate strategies to solve problems; and monitor and
reflect on the process of mathematical problem solving.
For background information elsewhere on our site, explore the
Elementary area of
the Ask Dr. Math archives, our Elementary
Student Center, and our Elementary
Level Teachers' Place.
Access to these problems requires a Membership.
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Across Europe
- Lisa Lavelle
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Elementary, difficulty level 3. Calculate Tray's gift "budget" during her first year working for Capital City Guidebooks (requires a bit of geography research). Initially a two-week problem.
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Across the Netherlands
- Maggie Hos-McGrane
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Math Fundamentals, difficulty level 5. Help sort out this bike trip through the Netherlands (requires a bit of map reading). Initially a two-week problem.
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Across Wisconsin
- Jo Wenzler
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Math Fundamentals, difficulty level 2. Determine how long it will take this athletic math teacher to bike across Wisconsin (requires a little map reading). Initially a two-week problem.
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Aidan's Millimeter Measurements
- Lisa Lavelle
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Math Fundamentals, difficulty level 1. Calculate Aidan's height and age based on his well-baby measurements at the doctor's office.
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Alien Operations
- Teaching the Young Learner Group
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Elementary, difficulty level 2. Can you help scientists decipher the operation symbols on this alien artifact?
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Anderson's Pumpkin Patch
- Teaching the Young Learner Group and Lisa Lavelle
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Math Fundamentals, difficulty level 2. How many students are there in Ms. Juncos's fourth grade class?
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At the Movies
- Lisa Lavelle
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Math Fundamentals, difficulty level 3. Explore the changes in movie and theater prices.
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Back-to-school Supplies
- Lisa Lavelle
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Math Fundamentals, difficulty level 2. Help calculate the total bill for these back-to-school supplies.
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A Barrel of Fun
- Lisa Lavelle
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Elementary, difficulty level 3. How much apple juice did the man keep?
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The Big Balloon Blowup
- Leon Roland & class
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Math Fundamentals, difficulty level 3. Help Ulrike and Lars determine the number of balloons in each bag.
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Birds in Trees
- Steve Maurer
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Elementary, difficulty level 3. Can you figure out the number of trees in the courtyard?
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Birthday Beach Bash
- Lisa Lavelle
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Math Fundamentals, difficulty level 3. Help determine how many balloons were needed for party favors at the end of this celebration.
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Birthday Pictures
- Lisa Lavelle
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Math Fundamentals, difficulty level 3. Join Ms. Juncos's fourth-grade team in a comparison of seasons of birthdays.
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Borrowed Books
- Teaching the Young Learner Group
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Elementary, difficulty level 2. Determine the number of books in the borrowing library created by three friends.
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Bouncing Babies
- Lisa Lavelle
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Math Fundamentals, difficulty level 3. Make predictions based on conversation at a recent baby shower.
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Bunches of Basil
- Lisa Lavelle
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Math Fundamentals, difficulty level 3. Determine the maximum number of basil plants I will have after I finish thinning the garden.
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Calculator Double Vision
- Lisa Lavelle
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Elementary, difficulty level 2. Enter a 3-digit number twice on a calculator and use division to get the original number.
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Cat Walk
- Math Olympiad Problem (revised)
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Elementary, difficulty level 2. Using the ratio of dog steps to cat steps and the length of a dog step, calculate the number of feet a cat walks in 24 steps.
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Charlene Goes Shopping
- Lisa Lavelle
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Math Fundamentals, difficulty level 2. Charlene needs to add some items to her winter collection. Help her determine where she should shop.
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Chicken Little's Eggs
- Jody Newman
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Elementary, difficulty level 3. How many eggs did Chicken Little have in her basket at the start of her trip to town?
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Chime Time
- Lisa Lavelle (adapted)
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Elementary, difficulty level 3. Determine how long it takes a clock to chime.
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The Chocolate Allergy Revelation
- Antiquity (Steve Earth)
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Math Fundamentals, difficulty level 5. Use meta-reasoning to deduce the ages of three people based on a product, a sum, and a seemingly irrelevant third piece of information.
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Choosy Chooser's Choices
- Lisa Lavelle
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Math Fundamentals, difficulty level 4. Find out how many outfits Charlene can put together for a sunny day.
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Circles Around
- Lisa Lavelle
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Math Fundamentals, difficulty level 3. Use this exploration problem to discover the relation between circumference and diameter.
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Cool Cubes
- Heather Cool and Lisa Lavelle
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Math Fundamentals, difficulty level 3. Can Jackie really mark her cubes so that each sum from 1 to 36 is possible?
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Cubic Changes
- Lisa Lavelle
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Math Fundamentals, difficulty level 4. Determine how the volume and surface area of a cube change when the edge length is changed.
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Erika's Rock Collection
- Elisabeth and Stephen Baseman and Chamberlain
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Math Fundamentals, difficulty level 2. Find out how many rocks Erika has collected over the years.
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Expressions of One Hundred
- Lisa Lavelle
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Math Fundamentals, difficulty level 3. Find a way to express one hundred with the given digits.
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Farmer Fever's Hay
- Ed Levinson
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Elementary, difficulty level 4. Determine the weights of the four pieces of Farmer Fever's broken 40-pound rock.
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Feathers and Fur
- Lisa Lavelle
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Math Fundamentals, difficulty level 3. Determine the number of pigeons and puppies Xiao has.
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Five Digits of Fun
- Lisa Lavelle
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Math Fundamentals, difficulty level 4. Find a five-digit number based on these clues.
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Flying Time Zones
- Lisa Lavelle
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Math Fundamentals, difficulty level 3. Help me figure out what time my watch should show when I land in Denver.
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Frugal Flooring
- Marita Paynter
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Math Fundamentals, difficulty level 2. Help Graeme determine how many tiles he needs to decorate his new bedroom and whether or not he can afford them.
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Frugal Freeda
- Lisa Lavelle
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Math Fundamentals, difficulty level 4. Help Freeda decide which store has the best buy.
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Funny Money
- Lisa Lavelle (adapted)
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Math Fundamentals, difficulty level 2. Determine the amount of money Divya has in her bank.
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Garden Fresh Fruit
- Shrawan Khanna's Ninth Grade Class
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Math Fundamentals, difficulty level 4. Help the poor farmer predict his revenue (if he can sell all his fruit).
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Georg Tricks the Troll
- Terry Trotter
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Elementary, difficulty level 3. Georg decides to tangle with the troll and see if he can make some money.
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Golf Anyone?
- Phil Marchal
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Math Fundamentals, difficulty level 3. Kyle needs some help in figuring out how many buckets of golf balls were hit at the Hook and Slice Driving Range.
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Good Fences
- Lisa Lavelle
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Math Fundamentals, difficulty level 3. Design a fence that will keep the animals happy.
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The Great Flood
- Jon Basden
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Elementary, difficulty level 3. How much "flood" water did Mr. Basden clean up with his shop vac?
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Growing Pains
- Lisa Lavelle
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Elementary, difficulty level 4. Predict the height and weight of a child after ten years.
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High School Reunion
- Western Oregon University Pre-service
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Elementary, difficulty level 2. Use logic to discover the arrangement of
person, car, city, and occupation.
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Holiday Shopping and Surfing
- Lisa Lavelle
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Math Fundamentals, difficulty level 2. Help Charlene calculate the change she'll have left for holiday card supplies after she completes her online shopping.
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Hot Dog Day!
- Jeffrey Mo
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Math Fundamentals, difficulty level 3. Determine how many large hot dogs have been ordered for this special day.
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How Does Your Garden Grow?
- Team 7 Red Math Students -- Highland Middle School
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Elementary, difficulty level 4. Help the HMS students find out how many ways they can arrange their schoolyard garden.
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How Much Was That Ticket?
- Lisa Lavelle - idea suggested by Jody Newman
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Elementary, difficulty level 4. Determine how much I spent at the movie theater.
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How Safe Is Your Bike?
- Chief Brian Craig and Lisa Lavelle
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Math Fundamentals, difficulty level 3. Compare the bicycle theft rates in three different cities.
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Idle Ivan and the Troll
- Lisa Lavelle
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Elementary, difficulty level 2. Idle Ivan makes a deal with a troll... to his disappointment he discovers he knows less math than he thought.
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Irish Specials
- Lisa Lavelle
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Math Fundamentals, difficulty level 3. Calculate the final bill for our St. Patrick's Day dinner last week.
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Is There Really a Discount?
- Lisa Lavelle
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Math Fundamentals, difficulty level 3. Determine which friend is correct about the final price on a sales item.
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