How to Divide the Face of a Clock with two straight lines so that the sums of the number in each part are equal?
Sound impossible? Scroll below to find the answer…
Divide the face of the clock into three parts with two lines so that the sum of the numbers in the three parts are equal.
The sum of the numbers on the clock would be 78 (1 + 2 + 3 . . + 12). So 78/3 = 26 so you would have to find the number combinations that would give you 26. The only three combinations that work for a clock face are:
11 + 12 + 1 + 2
10 + 9 + 3 + 4
8 + 7 + 6 + 5
that means you will draw one line below the 11 and across to below the 2 and the second line would be above the 8 and across to below the 4.
Seeing is believing . . .Envision a line across the clock face above!
Stolen from NPR Click & Clack’s Car Talk Puzzler of the week… But also available throughout the Internet on various math and schooling forums.