Your task: Answer the question below. Then download and open the attached Excel spreadsheet. The number of legs is the password to unlock the Excel sheet. Add your name to the spreadsheet and send it on to see who else can unlock it.

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Note: This is not a trick question. This is a real math problem so don't say that a bus has no legs. Also, there is no driver on the bus, so don't add any legs for a driver.

There are 7 girls in a bus
Each girl has 7 backpacks
In each backpack, there are 7 big cats For every big cat there are 7 little cats

Question: How many legs are there in the bus?

Cool Beans! This puzzle is suitable for Algebra I students (early algebra). There are 10 sets of questions. The answer for each set becomes part of the web address for the next set. Can you get to the end of the Maths Trail?

http://mathbits.com/caching/opencache1.html

A worksheet for recording answers is available here:

http://www.mathbits.com/MathBits/StudentResources/Algebra1/AlgeCachingWo...

Cool beans! You have ten sets of problems to solve. For each set, you need to correctly answer 4 questions. For each set, the final answer becomes part of the web address for the next set of questions. Can you get to the end of the Maths Trail?

The level of questions would be suitable for a middle school class.

http://mathbits.com/caching/basicopencache1.html

A worksheet for recording answers can be found here:

http://www.mathbits.com/MathBits/StudentResources/Algebra1/BasicCachingW...

Changing the Border
This is a nifty puzzle whose solution is based on the area of a triangle. The land is divided into two parts (P and Q) by the border ABC. Redraw a straight border line passing through point A so that each of the areas does not change.
http://www.ies.co.jp/math/java/geo/tochia/tochia.html

Dividing a Quadrilateral
This is a more challenging problem that is based on the same underlying concept.
http://www.ies.co.jp/math/java/geo/shi2to/shi2to.html

Peg Solitaire (also known as Hi-Q) has very simple rules. Pegs (red circles in this implementation) are allowed to jump over adjacent (vertically or horizontally) pegs. The peg that has been jumped over is removed. So jumps are like captures in Checkers. To move a peg, you select it first by clicking on it once. Then you click at the square (hole) to which you want the peg moved.

http://www.cut-the-knot.org/proofs/pegsolitaire.shtml

Help the missionaries and cannibals cross a river. The rowboat holds a maximum of two persons at a time. Beware: If the cannibals outnumber the missionaries on either bank, the missionaries will be eaten up.
http://www.learn4good.com/games/puzzle/swf/logic2.swf

Use logic (ie your BRAIN) to drop the ball over the correct tools in the correct order.

http://www.smart-kit.com/games/factory-balls/

The 16 Scaredy Cats are sleeping, in a 4x4 grid. They'll wake up when you click them. And they'll be scared - if you click on "Mice!! Hide!!" they'll run off and hide!

You and the computer will take turns teasing these poor Scaredy Cats. But you don't want to be left scaring the last cat. If you're stuck with the last Scaredy Cat, you lose.

You can wake up from 1 to 4 neighbouring cats in the same row or column. Click "Mice!! Hide!!" to scare them off. Then the computer will take its turn and more cats will run off.

This is quite a challenging puzzle - Good luck!

http://www.mathcats.com/explore/puzzles/scaredy/cats.html

Sailor Cat needs to bring a wolf, a goat, and a cabbage across the river. The boat is tiny and can only carry one passenger at a time.

If he leaves the wolf and the goat alone together, the wolf will eat the goat.
If he leaves the goat and the cabbage alone together, the goat will eat the cabbage.

How can he bring all three safely across the river?

http://www.mathcats.com/explore/river/crossing.html

Send all of the yellow frogs to the right side of the pond, and all of the red frogs to the left side of the pond. How many moves does it take?

http://www.hellam.net/maths2000/frogs.html