September 2008
Problem of the Month

Star Sum
by Sidney Kravitz
GAMES Magazine

Fill in the ten circles of the star with the numbers 0 to 9.
The sum of the four numbers in each of the five straight lines is shown in the diagram below.

Please send in your answers using the letters below.
Use the format:
A =
B =
etc.

Solution to the Problem:

A = 9
B = 6
C = 5
D = 3
E = 0
F = 4
G = 1
H = 8
I = 2
J = 7

To solve the Star puzzle, note that 28 can only be formed in two ways:
9 + 8 + 7 + 4 = 28 or 9 + 8 + 6 + 5 = 28

The number 8 can only be formed in two ways:
0 + 1 + 2 + 5 = 8 or 0 + 1 + 3 + 4 = 8

The intersection of the two lines whose sums are 28 and 8 is the circle marked F and it must be either a 4 or a 5.

Trying the first possibility,
A = 9, H = 8, F = 4, and J = 7.
Then G = 1, E = 0, and D =3.
The number 23 can only be formed in seven ways, and cannot use both a 9 and an 8.
Continue with this logic to solve the star.

Correctly solved by:

1. K. Sengupta	Calcutta, INDIA
2. John Funk	Ventura, California
3. David & Judy Dixon	Bennettsville, South Carolina
4. Carson Glazner	Mountain View High School Mountain View, Wyoming
5. Russell Baker	Mountain View High School Mountain View, Wyoming
6. Landyn Pfeifer	Mountain View High School Mountain View, Wyoming
7. Zach Brown	Mountain View High School Mountain View, Wyoming
8. Kyle Watson	Mountain View High School Mountain View, Wyoming
9. Richard K. Johnson	La Jolla, California
10. Halie Gardner	Mountain View High School Mountain View, Wyoming
11. Hailey Granger	Mountain View High School Mountain View, Wyoming

Send any comments or questions to: David Pleacher