# The Flying Colours Maths Blog: Latest posts

## A Puzzle Full of Nines

A nice puzzle by way of @benjaminleis: This AIME problem is fun: pic.twitter.com/DhbviTqnqr — Benjamin Leis (@benjamin_leis) February 2, 2020 In case you can’t read that, we need to find the sum of the digits in $N = 9 + 99 + 999 + 999\dots999$, where the last number consists

## Ask Uncle Colin: How do I stretch my students?

Dear Uncle Colin, I want to stretch my Year 12 Further Maths class - what extra-curricular topics would you recommend? Something To Really Engage Their Creative Reasoning Hello, STRETCH, and thanks for your message! How excellent to be looking beyond the curriculum for ways to engage and develop your young

## Primes or not?

I’m in the process of clearing out old bookmarks, and stumbled on this puzzle from @jase_jwanner: Prime or not prime? No calculators allowed!a. 23567897614^2 - 1b. 34564344^3 -1c. 76543556556625731d. 345643554^{10} - 169 — Jase (@jase_jwanner) August 27, 2016 I shall give you a moment to ponder these, and put my

## Ask Uncle Colin: Where does the asymptote go?

Dear Uncle Colin, I’ve figured out that $x^{x^{x^{\dots}}} = 2$ when $x = \sqrt{2}$, but I’m struggling to make sense of the function - it seems to have a vertical gradient when $x = e^{\frac{1}{e}}$, but it doesn’t seem to have what I think of as an asymptote there. What

## The Mathematical Ninja and the Power of Ten

“We’ve been through this a hundred times, sensei. I say something like ‘$10^{1.35}$. Hm, let me get my calculator’ and you torture me in some unspeakable way an blurt out the answer…” “22.4” “… thank you, especially for refraining from the torture bit.” “You’re welcome.” “Then, of course, you tell