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2019 Math Kangaroo

Problem 13

Problem 13 · 2019 Math Kangaroo Medium
Arithmetic & Operations divisionwork-backward

Sara has 16 blue marbles. She can swap her marbles in the following way: for 3 blue marbles she gets 1 red marble, and for 2 red marbles she gets 5 green marbles. What is the maximum number of green marbles she can get?

Show answer
Answer: B — 10
Show hints
Hint 1 of 2
First turn as many blue marbles as possible into red ones, then trade reds for greens.
Still stuck? Show hint 2 →
Hint 2 of 2
Watch the leftovers: trades only happen in fixed bundles (3 blue, 2 red).
Show solution
Approach: trade in bundles and track leftovers
  1. 16 blue ÷ 3 gives 5 red marbles (1 blue left over).
  2. 5 red ÷ 2 gives 2 trades = 10 green marbles (1 red left over).
  3. The maximum number of green marbles is 10 (B).
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