Favorite Math Problem
Problem:
Howard Bannister was suspected of being part of a ring of thieves stealing precious rocks and minerals from a mining company in the Midwest and passing them to a contact in San Francisco, CA. His elaborate scheme involved trucking companies that would pick up his cargo and pass it off to other truckers on various routes. The police tracked Howard to the Hotel Bristol in San Francisco where they believed he was going to meet his contact. The police barged into his hotel room and found him at his desk writing a letter. Upon realizing he was caught, Howard ingested a poisonous capsule and died before he could be questioned. Police confiscated all items on the desk including a rotary phone, a set of keys, a pencil, and some paper with numbers on it. The paper appears to be some code and police are hopeful it gives information either about the contact or the secret route used when shipping the stolen rocks. Please help us decipher the code found with Mr. Bannister. |
Reflection:
By looking at this problem we can see that it is completely based on problem solving. The problem solver has to think about how the numbers are turned and how they relate to the items found in the hotel room. This is how most math problems are. The problem solver has to think of creative ways of tackling a problem. |