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EACH MORNING, THIS week we’ve been entertaining – or torturing, as it may be – your 11 o’clock break with a maths teaser.
We haven’t been doing it out of sheer cruelty – all this week, libraries, colleges, universities and other groups have been running events to highlight mathsweek.ie and the practical benefits of basic numeracy skills to our everyday life.
And here are the answers you’ve been waiting for. Let us know how you did…
Monday’s puzzle:
The Budget is expected to make adjustments of €2.5 billion. We’ll have to make our euros stretch as far as we can. Imagine you place 2.5 billion euros in a row: what’s the furthest it would stretch? (One euro coin is 23.25mm across)
A. Dublin to Cork
B. Dublin to New York
C. Around the equator
D. Forty times around the coast of Ireland
Answer: D. Forty times around the coast of Ireland – 58,125km.
Tuesday’s puzzle:
Some predict that the VAT rate for restaurants will be put up from 9% to 13.5% later today. If you pay €100 for a meal out at present, what would you pay for the same meal in January at 13.5% VAT?
A. €96
B. €104.13
C. €104.50
D. €113.50
Answer: B. €104.13
Wednesday’s puzzle:
Annual membership to your gym costs €600 but you can pay as you go for €12 a visit. If you plan going at least once a week which is the best value?
A. Annual membership
B. Pay as you go
Answer: A. Annual membership
Thursday’s puzzle:
In a competition with cash prizes the second place is to get half the amount that first place gets. Third place will get a third and fourth place is to get a quarter. To ensure that fourth place gets €1,500 how much prize money is needed overall?
Answer: €12,500.
Fourth place gets €1,500 – that is a quarter of first place. Then first place gets €6,000. Second place gets half of this – €3,000. Third place gets a third – €2,000.
This morning’s puzzle:
A large tea is €1.20, a medium tea is €1, while a small is 60c. I buy 10 teas for €10, how many teas and of what size do I get?
Answer: There are four possible answers.
6 large, 1 medium, 3 small.
4 large, 4 medium, 2 small.
2 large, 7 medium, 1 small.
0 large, 10 medium, 0 small.
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All the money is going to the Children’s Hospital, though the HSE will deny that.
@Chin Feeyin: primary care has its own budget funding HCPs has always been a nightmare. They should be auditing every package in the country to see if hours are still needed.
Maybe that’s why my father in-law of 90 years of age was refused home help, even though the district nurse put it in as urgently needed
I see the amount of money they waste daily and I can tell you with a small amount of initiative theyd save billions but the top brass could care less
I’m sure Simon Harris with his vast amount of experience in the field of health will sort this out in a flash. We should feel confident that such a giant political figure is top man at the HSE.
@Gus Sheridan: He is such a powerful performer that he never even had to hold down a real job in his life. How amazing is that?!
the audacity of elderly people hoping for some assistance after working and contributing through some of the most lean times in irish history those who tightened their belts while their leaders bought their shirts in paris and danced ring a rosie with the cassock clad soldiers of evil how dare they look for comfort or care …
That’s very little to spend on home are a year ,that’s ONLY €338 a YEAR ie 0.92cent a DAY!
Meanwhile Ireland spends over €14m a DAY on National Debt servicing,….€583,333 an HOUR!If FG fought to get a better deal from Troika in 2011 as Prof Mody said they could have done then we ‘d have alot more to spend in public services,etc!
I have a friend who is 91, lives alone, and waiting for a home care package. She is vulnerable and at risk. Her extended family helps at random times but she has always been independent and finds it difficut to be in a position to need assistance.
If you vote for FFG you will only get more of this
have your say