Reasoning
If we convert the question to algebra, we have:
((n^2 + 4) x 2 − 3) x 4 − n = 20
Expanding the brackets and simplifying gives:
(2n^2 + 8 − 3) x 4 − n = 20
(2n^2 + 5) x 4 − n = 20
8n^2 + 20 − n = 20
8n^2 − n = 0 (*)
8n − 1 = 0
8n = 1
n = 1/8
In the equation marked (*) zero is also a potential solution, but as the question tells us that we "Start with a number larger than 0" we know that n can't be 0, and therefore we can safely divide by n.
With 230 ants (1380 legs), 3 puppies (12 legs), and 1 teacher (2 legs).
If we call the number of puppies P, then there were (P + 20) children and 10 x (P + 20) ants, and a single teacher. If we now count the legs, we get:
Puppies:
P x 4 = 4P
Children:
(P + 20) x 2 = 2P + 40
Ants:
10 x (P + 20) x 6 = 60P + 1200
Teacher: 2
A total of 66P + 1242
Giving:
66P + 1242 = 1440
66P = 198
P = 3
So there were 3 puppies, hence 23 children.
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Puzzle 64
Can you find the country hidden in the following paragraph:
At school, most of my friends learnt French. I learnt Chinese, mainly because I planned to visit the area when I grew up.