2022 Maths Challenge

Director’s Handbook
2022 Maths Challenge
Director's Handbook
 Published by

AMT PU BLISHIN G

Australian Maths Trust

170 Haydon Drive, Bruce ACT 2617 AUSTRALIA
Telephone: +61 2 6201 5136
www.amt.edu.au

This project is supported by the Australian Government Department of

Industry, Science, Energy and Resources through the Science Competitions:
Mathematics and Informatics Olympiads grant opportunity.

The views expressed here are those of the authors and do not necessarily
represent the views of the Australian Government.

Copyright © 2022 Australian Mathematics Trust

AMTT Limited ACN 083 950 341

Mathematics Challenge for Young Australians Challenge Stage ISSN 1328-4444

Contents

From the Director 1

Administrative Procedures and Guidelines 3

A. On receipt of the Challenge package � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 3

B. The day when students are given their Challenge Problems � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 4

C. The day when students hand in their attempts to the Challenge Problems � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 4

D. Submit results to the Australian Maths Trust by 24 June � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 4

E. Follow-up Support for Students � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 4

How much may a Teacher help? 6

Middle Primary Problems � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 7

Upper Primary Problems� � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 7

Junior Problems� � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 8

Intermediate Problems� � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 9

Some Statistics from 2021 10

Solutions for Students 11

Middle Primary Challenge � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 12

Upper Primary Challenge� � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 18

Junior Challenge � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 24

Intermediate Challenge� � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 39
From the Director

Welcome to the 2022 Maths Challenge and congratulations on deciding to take the
time and tantalising risk in being part of it. Whether this is your first time or 32nd
time in the Challenge, we hope that you and your students find the experience fresh,
enjoyable, and rewarding. It is worth noting the Challenge aims, which we all share
and contribute to:
• encouraging and fostering
– a greater interest in and awareness of the power of mathematics
– a desire to succeed in solving interesting mathematical problems
– the discovery of the joy of solving problems in mathematics
• identifying talented young Australians, recognising their achievements
nationally and providing support that will enable them to reach their own
levels of excellence
• providing teachers with
– interesting and accessible problems and solutions as well as detailed and
motivating teaching discussion and extension materials
– comprehensive Australia-wide statistics of students' achievements in the
Challenge.
Timing events such as the Challenge is important for it to be effective, but not always
easy. We trust that amongst the constraints of busy school schedules, directors can
find four suitable weeks (an increase from three weeks in previous years to allow
more flexibility) in the Challenge allocated period from the date of delivery to 24
June 2022. Here are some time-saving suggestions which could help.
• Using the electronic sample letter to parents which is available by email from
[email protected].
• Recruiting colleagues to help with marking by allocating one problem to
each person.
• Encouraging each student to use a separate bound exercise book for all their
Challenge work, showing their preliminary investigations, progressive drafts,
and final complete solutions.
• Recruiting parents, trainee teachers, or retirees with relevant experience to
coordinate one or more levels of the Challenge for your school.
• Ensuring students know the difference between a simple answer or
calculation and a full solution with reasoned argument.
• Encouraging feeder primary and other schools to participate in the
Challenge so there is a wider pool of experience and support amongst local
colleagues.
• Setting early deadlines for some problems so they can be marked while
students work on others.
• Explaining to students any unfamiliar terms in a problem and clarifying a
question where necessary.
Marking is always a quandary. The Problems Committee endeavours to present
problems, marking schemes, and model solutions so they indicate as precisely as
possible how marks should be allocated. Nevertheless, discretion is often required
particularly for reasoning and explanation. Where there is only one mark available,
the desire to award a half mark is strong; the stipulation not to do so is seen as
unfair. However, students have four weeks to prepare and revise their solutions so
2 2022 Maths Challenge Director's Handbook

they are correct and complete. Past Challenge problems and solutions can help
them see what is expected. Encourage students to criticise their own writing, to
look at their solution as building a bridge of understanding. Half a bridge will never
do but where there is doubt, award the mark.
I would like to record my thanks and appreciation to the members of the Challenge
Committee for the time, expertise and enthusiasm they contribute to the Maths
Challenge. Their names are recorded in the Teacher Guide. Collectively they have
given over 370 years of invaluable service. My thanks go also to the many moderators
for their insightful and meticulous review of Challenge drafts and to the dedicated
and ever reliable Australian Maths Trust staff for the efficient administration of the
Challenge program. We have in the Challenge a wonderful legacy of mathematics
enrichment for young Australians, a program I believe that is unique in the world.
I wish you and your students well for Challenge 2022.

Kevin McAvaney
MYA Director
Administrative Procedures and Guidelines

A. On receipt of the Challenge package

1. You should have:
• Maths Challenge Director's Handbook
• Sealed package (to be opened at commencement of the Challenge) containing:
– Student Problems books (Middle Primary, Upper Primary, Junior and/or
Intermediate) as ordered
• Sealed complimentary Teacher set(s) containing:
– Teacher Guide with solutions and marking schemes for the Challenge problems,
as well as extension material
– One each of the Middle Primary, Upper Primary, Junior and Intermediate
Problems books.
IMPORTANT: You will receive the results spreadsheet via email. If you do not, please
contact us at [email protected] to request it.
2. Explanation of the coding on the label attached to the front of this handbook:

Your AMT school code (See below for explanation)

School name MP:1 UP:0 J:2 I:0 T:1
The Maths Challenge Director

............................................................................

............................................................................

where MP# reflects the number of Middle Primary Problems books

(i.e. the number of registered Middle Primary students)
where UP# reflects the number of Upper Primary Problems books
(i.e. the number of registered Upper Primary students)
where J# reflects the number of Junior Problems books
(i.e. the number of registered Junior students)
where I# reflects the number of Intermediate Problems books
(i.e. the number of registered Intermediate students)
where T# reflects the number of complimentary Teacher sets (one for up to 30
student entries and multiples thereof; if you have 31 students entered at any level, 2
complimentary Teacher sets will be included)
3. The Challenge Committee strongly recommends to schools that they formally
allocate, if possible, special class periods on the school's timetable. This
recommendation is based on the comments and suggestions of many teachers who
reported most positively of the benefits to their students of similar arrangements
made in previous Challenge and Enrichment Stages.
4. Included at the back of this handbook are brief solutions to each problem. These
may be photocopied and given to students after 24 June. Do not give them to
students earlier, even if they finish the Challenge earlier — friends in other schools
may still be working on it. Do not use these solutions for marking the students'
efforts, use the solutions and marking scheme in your Teacher Guide.
5. To help teachers with marking deadlines, it is suggested that students hand in their
completed problems progressively.
4 2022 Maths Challenge Director's Handbook

B. The day when students are given their Challenge Problems

1. Arrange a meeting of all students participating in the Challenge.
a. Collect the information below for each student and record it on your spreadsheet,
along with the name and mailing address of your school:
– their last name and first name
– school year, sex, date of birth
– answers to the diversity information questions on the sheet.
b. Give the Student Problems books and any photocopied worksheets to each
participant, making sure that they understand the ‘Instructions to Students’ at the
front of their book and the ‘Mark Allocation’ at the back of their book.
c. Outline arrangements made for monitoring progress and handing in solutions.
C. The day when students hand in their attempts to the Challenge Problems
1. Collect the Teacher Guide.
2. Collect the students' Challenge scripts ensuring that they have clearly recorded their
names on their scripts. For all students check and record whether the students have
attempted the problems individually or have discussed them with a partner, and if
so, have recorded their partner's name.
3. Marking Papers
a. Award marks as shown in the mark allocation (see Teacher Guide). Marks are to be
awarded in whole numbers only.
Be lenient — if you are unsure whether a mark should be awarded or not, award
it (i.e. always give the student the benefit of the doubt). Be particularly lenient
with reasoning marks, as students at this level are usually inexperienced at writing
reasons. Students' solutions need not be as detailed as those given. Sometimes a
brief interview with the student can clarify whether the student deserves the mark or
not. No half marks are to be awarded.
b. If an incomplete attempt is presented, which is different from the solution supplied,
award marks for comparable work. If you are not sure, again give the student the
benefit of the doubt. We have identified several alternative solutions for each
problem.
4. Recording Results and Name Details
Submit results electronically on the spreadsheet that will be sent to your email, or
contact [email protected] to request it.
To help us improve, please complete the electronic survey which we will send out
in June.
D. Submit results to the Australian Maths Trust by 24 June
Return the results spreadsheet by email to:
[email protected]
Note: It is intended that the overall results, statistics and award certificates will be
posted to participating schools in late July.
E. Follow-up Support for Students
1. It is suggested that teachers discuss the solutions of the Challenge problems with
their students. A set of short solutions is provided at the back of this handbook,
which may be photocopied, distributed to students and used as a basis for
discussion.
2. To help further motivate and challenge the students, a number of extension
problems are provided in the Teacher Guide. We recommend that students should be
given these further problems to help reinforce the concepts and ideas already met in
the Challenge problems and to provide further practice in problem solving.
Administrative Procedures and Guidelines5

3. Students in Years 5–10 who have done well or who have shown commitment in the
Challenge should be encouraged to participate in the Maths Enrichment. It is not too
late to enter as it is designed to be scheduled, by the school, in a convenient set of
12–16 weeks between April and September. For further information contact:
Australian Maths Trust
Tel: 02 6201 5136
Fax: 02 6201 5052
Email: [email protected]
4. Australian Intermediate Mathematics Olympiad
Students who do well or show commitment in the Maths Challenge and/or
Enrichment and other talented students should be encouraged to enter the
Australian Intermediate Mathematics Olympiad (AIMO) to be held on 8 September
2022. Registration is online and materials will be sent to the registered email
address. It is a four-hour closed book contest, consisting of ten questions based on
broad mathematical ideas. Students sit the AIMO at their own schools, and papers
are sent to AMOC State Directors for marking.

The AIMO is the major identifier of students who will be invited to participate in the
AMOC's other activities such as the maths extension programs and training schools.
How much may a Teacher help?

It is stated in the instructions to students that solutions to the problems must be

completely the work of the student and that students may seek the use of resources
such as textbooks or library books, computers and calculators, but may not seek help
from other people. Where a problem is worked on with a partner (or partners), the final
solutions must be written out by each entrant individually and in the student's own words.
However, where there are circumstances in which students cannot proceed, perhaps
because of language or terminology, teachers may give some guidance. Further, general
problem-solving techniques may be discussed.
It is suggested that the teacher negotiate arrangements whereby students report on their
progress at regular intervals during the course of the Challenge. This will encourage the
student to discuss any difficulties in getting started and to spread his or her efforts over
the four weeks, rather than leaving it until the last minute.
The following guidelines are designed to assist teachers in deciding what they may tell
students.
• Help if asked, but only give as much as will get the student thinking in the right
direction.
• Give hints very sparingly, and never in such a way that a solution is directly revealed.
• Direct the student to consider a similar problem on a smaller scale.
• Suggest, where appropriate, that the student make a table, list, diagram, etc.
• Remind the student: ‘There are more options than you think. Can you look at it
another way?’ Don't show the other way(s), but rather force the student to take a
broader view and consider alternatives.
• Ask the student to give a wrong answer and explain why it is wrong. This may
provide an entry point to a solution.
• Help clarify the student's thinking by asking questions such as:
– Do you understand the question?
– What are you told in the question?
– What are you required to find?
– Are you using all the information?
– Do you understand the terminology?
– What have you found so far?
• Make sure that the student has noted the need to show uniqueness of a solution
to some problems. This means that full marks will not be awarded for a solution
established by ‘guess-and-check’ or a spreadsheet, unless the student demonstrates
that all possible values have been tried.
Teachers may assist with the terminology. For example, words such as ‘adjacent’ may
need to be explained, as may the means by which scientific notation is displayed on the
calculator. A general discussion of exponents and scientific notation may be necessary.
Encourage students to look things up and lead them to suitable references and resources,
if necessary. Don't ignore the potential of a mathematical dictionary.
The Instructions to Students in the Student Problem booklets advise that, except for
specified student collaboration, students may not seek help from other people, including
people whom they could contact via the internet. This has become a significant issue in
recent years. Some students have submitted problems to one or more problem-solving
websites and simply waited for a solution to be provided by another user. This form of
plagiarism can usually be detected by the deviation in style, accuracy, and sophistication
from the student's usual work.
The following suggestions are made regarding each question in the Challenge. The teacher
should help only when help is requested.
How much may a teacher help?7

MIDDLE PRIMARY PROBLEMS

MP1 Outer Sums
• Suggest students experiment with triangles cut from cardboard.
• Advise students to read the introduction carefully to understand what arrangements
are allowed.
MP2 Palindromes
• Ensure students know the meaning of ‘sum’, ‘digit’, and ‘reverse’.
• Advise students that, in Part b, the order of the palindromes in a sum does not
matter.
MP3 Quad Cuts
• Remind students of the number of sides and angles in the following: triangle (3),
quadrilateral (4), pentagon (5), hexagon (6), heptagon (7).
• Reinforce the idea that the shapes named above do not need to be regular, that is,
they do not need to have equal side lengths or equal angles.
• Clarify for students that a single straight dividing line goes all the way across the
entire shape, even if it leaves the shape and then re-crosses it somewhere else.
• Explain the terms concave, convex, and reflex angle for students who may not have
encountered them.
• Encourage students to draw with rulers their own convex and concave quadrilaterals
for experimentation.
MP4 Near-square Rectangles
• Encourage students to make a set of NSRs from centimetre grid paper.
• Suggest students write down how many grid squares are in the NSRs up to NSR10.

UPPER PRIMARY PROBLEMS

UP1 Zipline Numbers
• Remind students that ‘descending order’ is the same as ‘decreasing order’ and ‘from
highest to lowest’, and is from left to right.
• Remind students that 0 is an even digit.
• Remind students that the smallest 5-digit number is 10000 and the largest is 99999.
• Notice that the customary space between the hundreds and thousands digits has
been omitted in this problem.
UP2 Near-square Rectangles
• Encourage students to make a set of NSRs from centimetre grid paper.
• Remind students that the area of a rectangle (number of unit squares inside) is
‘length × width’.
UP3 Poly Cuts
• Remind students of the number of sides and angles in the following: triangle (3),
quadrilateral (4), pentagon (5), hexagon (6), heptagon (7), octagon (8), nonagon (9).
• Reinforce the idea that the shapes named above do not need to be regular, that is,
they do not need to have equal side lengths or equal angles.
• Clarify for students that a single straight line goes all the way across the entire shape,
even if it leaves the shape and then re-enters it somewhere else as in the example in
the introduction.
• Explain the terms concave, convex, and reflex angle for students who may not have
encountered them.
• Encourage students to make their own convex and concave shapes for
experimentation.
8 2022 Maths Challenge Director's Handbook

UP4 Mixed-up Birthdays

• Use a calendar and encourage students to cut out cards that they can physically
move around.
• Calendars are available on the internet.

JUNIOR PROBLEMS
J1 Dropdown Numbers
• Encourage students to use systematic counting.
• Observe that any arrangement of digits of a dropdown number gives another
dropdown number unless it starts with 0.
• Remind students of the definitions of terms such as consecutive, average, and digit.
J2 Phancy Photos
• Ensure students understand the difference between portrait and landscape
orientation.
• Suggest students place 12 mm × 16 mm pieces on a sheet of millimetre graph paper
to help visualise the posters.
J3 Unit Triangles
• Encourage students to find a formula for the area, in unit triangles, of a
parallelogram whose sides are along grid lines.
• Remind students that grid points are the intersections of grid lines.
• Provide students with isometric (triangular) grid paper. Note that most printed
isometric grid paper will need to be rotated so that grid lines align with the given
diagrams.
J4 GoGo
• Encourage students to be systematic in their approach to this problem.
• Suggest students use copies of grids found online and photocopies of the patterns
in this problem to explore ideas.
J5 Towers and Cities
• Suggest students list the values of some single towers.
• Advise students to work systematically to avoid missing cases.
J6 Mixed-up Birthdays
• Encourage students to use a calendar and cut out cards that they can physically
move around.
• Calendars are available on the internet.
• Discuss what a leap year is and what that means.
How much may a teacher help?9

INTERMEDIATE PROBLEMS
I1 DPS Chains
• Encourage students to experiment with making their own DPS chains so they
become familiar with the process and how it terminates.
• Encourage students to work systematically when constructing DPS chains
backwards.
I2 Triangle Folding
• Suggest students make a large paper right-angled isosceles triangle that they can
fold and use to explore the problem.
• Encourage students to keep their answers exact as simplified surds.
I3 GoGo
• Encourage students to be systematic in their approach to this problem.
• Suggest students use copies of grids found online and photocopies of the patterns
in this problem to explore ideas.
I4 Slot Cars
• Remind students that a formula for the circumference of a circle is C = 2πr.
• Encourage students to use grid paper or experiment with square cut-outs
representing the two types of plate.
• Remind students that not every square in the 4 × 4 grid has to be used.
I5 Stick or Roll
• Encourage students to think about probabilities as the proportion of ways in which
events may occur.
• Tables or tree diagrams can be used to keep track of the proportions of ways
(probability) that multistage events occur.
I6 Tandem Cycling
• Suggest students draw diagrams to support their reasoning. These could show the
changeover points along the way home, and who is on the tandem and its direction
between these points.
• Encourage students to work with fractions to avoid rounding errors.
• Decimal answers are acceptable.
Some Statistics from 2021

MIDDLE PRIMARY
The cut-offs for certificates in Middle Primary were as follows:
(Each question is marked out of 4, so there were 16 marks available.)

Award Score Distribution of Awards

Distinction 16–14 10%
Credit 13–10 34%
Proficiency 9–6 39%
The remaining students were awarded a Certificate of Participation.

UPPER PRIMARY
The cut-offs for certificates in Upper Primary were as follows:
(Each question is marked out of 4, so there were 16 marks available.)

Award Score Distribution of Awards

Distinction 16–14 19%
Credit 13–10 34%
Proficiency 9–6 30%
The remaining students were awarded a Certificate of Participation.

JUNIOR
The cut-offs for certificates in the Junior Level were as follows:
(Each question is marked out of 4, so there were 24 marks available.)

Award Score Distribution of Awards

High Distinction 24–22 11%
Distinction 21–19 18%
Credit 18–14 21%
The remaining students were awarded a Certificate of Participation.

INTERMEDIATE
The cut-offs for certificates in the Intermediate Level were as follows:
(Each question is marked out of 4, so there were 24 marks available.)

Award Score Distribution of Awards

High Distinction 24–21 14%
Distinction 20–18 18%
Credit 17–13 24%
The remaining students were awarded a Certificate of Participation.
 2022 DIRECTOR’S HANDBOOK

Copyright © 2022 Australian Mathematics Trust