Can anyone just take a look I'm new here

Marf

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May 8, 2021
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One of my friends posted a pic and asked for the solution and he didn't mention any details of it
Just this
Screenshot_20210508_190825.jpg
 
We need more information. I'm sure that there is a pattern the poser is using but theoretically we can make any number be the answer.

-Dan
 
Let a be the top left number of a bow tie shape. Therefore a is one of {5,6,3,2}

If you want ???=100 then calculate ( 3/2*a^2 - 107/6*a + 239/3 ) * a
If you want ???=118 then calculate (19*a^2 - 89*a)/6 + 135
If you want ???=690720, the moon landing date YY MM DD, then calculate ( ((9668466 - 690602*a)*a - 43508104)*a + 62155800 ) / 12
If you want ???=x then calculate ( (((14*x-1614) - (x-118)*a)*a - (63*x - 7256))*a + 90*(x-100) ) / 12

You can use that last one to make the answer anything you want. You might want to simplify some of the numbers if you use this, for example with the moon landing:- x=690720 and therefore, (14*x-1614) = 9668466, (x-118)=690602 etc

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Something similar could be done for any of the corner numbers individually, or for many different combinations of the corner numbers. BUT probably the author had a particular method in mind that is very simple (having few steps, and/or having numbers that can be easily done in the head). Trying to guess what this method could be isn't very interesting unless it can be seen fairly quickly (to me at least). All too often the author throws something silly into the puzzle like, "if the top left number touches one of the squares in the background then add 3 to it". For this reason you're unlikely to get the helpers here spending a lot of time on this. So now I'll leave others to ponder it (if they are willing)!
 
Marf: Can't find any answer to a puzzle, asks for help
Cubist: Any answer is correct

If you want ???=x then calculate ( (((14*x-1614) - (x-118)*a)*a - (63*x - 7256))*a + 90*(x-100) ) / 12

You can use that last one to make the answer anything you want. You might want to simplify some of the numbers if you use this, for example with the moon landing:- x=690720 and therefore, (14*x-1614) = 9668466, (x-118)=690602 etc

Reminds me a bit of those sequence questions you get in exams when you're younger (like find the next number 1,2,4,8,...). You could argue forever with your maths teacher about why your number is valid.
 
Reminds me a bit of those sequence questions you get in exams when you're younger (like find the next number 1,2,4,8,...). You could argue forever with your maths teacher about why your number is valid.

I would like to think that most maths teachers would mark an answer correct IF it was accompanied by a decent explanation/ formula that made mathematical sense. In real life, this might not happen! (An early introduction to "life isn't fair" :) )

I guess the good thing about this type of question is that it does encourage thinking, and it might illustrate that there can be more than one solution to some questions!
 
I would like to think that most maths teachers would mark an answer correct IF it was accompanied by a decent explanation/ formula that made mathematical sense. In real life, this might not happen! (An early introduction to "life isn't fair" :) )
Or rather the way maths is taught might need to change? I know it's off topic but, I've always found I learnt more from doing the Maths challenge style questions (e.g: UKMT) taught me much more about solving problems than what we are taught in the classroom. Not to discredit the rewards from studying concepts like algebra, calculus etc but, it's left to the student to learn about how beautiful problem solving can be and I think many students quit on maths in school because they think classroom Maths is all there is and further studies will just be the same again: learning formulas and getting familiar with what questions can look like.
 
|20*a - 69.5| + 109.5

I couldn't resist another one! In case @Marf doesn't understand, take the upper left number, multiply by 20, take away 69.5 and if the answer is negative make it positive. Finally add 109.5

@Levido I'm so old that UKMT wasn't around for me, but it looks cool. I've always liked puzzles myself. I've never been a teacher but I really admire all those who are - it must be very hard to keep everyone engaged, interested and moving forward. I have two children and one of them frequently asked me for maths help. But the other one hardly ever came to me for help because we worked/ thought in different ways. Both did well. So I'm not in a position to comment on the best way of teaching math with such a low sample of three people (if I include my own experience)! Maybe it would be a good idea to have some kind of psychological test for students, the results of which could be used to put them into classes that are taught in a manner that would work best for them? For me, I didn't always like maths. I thought my A level teacher was too tough and gave too much homework. But after a few months I started to see the beauty in the subject, so that teacher/ syllabus was very good for me and I didn't even realise it.
 
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