Monday, March 2, 2009

March 2, 2009

The numbers -2, 4, 6, 9 and 12 are rearranged according to these rules:

1. The largest isn't first, but it is in one of the first three places.

2. The smallest isn't last, but it is in one of the last three places.

3. The median isn't first or last.

What is the average of the first and last numbers?




Interactive version of problem and solution.








Buy Hexaflexagons, Probability, Paradoxes, and the Tower of Hanoi from the MAA Bookstore