February 2018
Problem of the Month

Two Player Game

Jackson and James play a two person game in which the winner gains 2 points and the other player loses 1 point.

If Jackson won exactly 15 games, and James had a final score of 33 points, how many games did they play?

No second chances on this problem!   And you must explain your answer.

Solution to the Problem:

They played 39 games.

Since Jackson won exactly 15 games, then James lost exactly 15 games, which would give him negative 15 points.

Since James had a final score of 33 points, he must have received 48 points from winning, so he won 24 games.

Therefore, they played 24 + 15 = 39 games.

Jackson was 15 - 24 with 6 points, and James was 24 - 15 with 33 points.

Correctly solved by:

1. Bryce Villanueva	Victoria, Minnesota
2. Triniti Rogers	Mountain View High School, Mountain View, Wyoming
3. James Alarie	Flint, Michigan
4. Jonathan Punke	Joliet Central High School, Joliet, Illinois
5. Ivy Joseph	Pune, Maharashtra, India
6. Kelly Stubblefield	Mobile, Alabama
7. Jacob Munafo	Bristol Community College, Tiverton, Rhode Island
8. Paresh Chauhan	Pune, Maharashtra, India
9. Kaylee Gross	Mountain View High School, Mountain View, Wyoming
10. Fabian Lorenz	Graz, Austria
11. Brijesh Dave	Mumbai City, Maharashtra, India
12. Kimberly Howe	The University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, Alabama

Send any comments or questions to: David Pleacher