Countdown Game Show - Number Rounds (11 May 2022)

Anne Robinson and Rachel Riley host. The clock is ticking as contestants compete in games of lexical dexterity and numerical agility. Susie Dent in Dictionary Corner.

[@travelwell6049]

I think I’m improving my mental arithmetic just by watching these. ☺️

[@IsaacKing2006]

Good

[@colinekszczecin]

For the last one I saw (100+50)/25=6 6+75=81 81*4=324 +7=331

[@Nullifidian]

In the first round, I thought their solution was going to be this one: 50 x 3 = 150 7 - 4 = 3 150 + 5 + 3 = 158 I also saw this solution even before the above: 50 x 4 = 200 7 x 6 = 42 200 - 42 = 158 And I also tried solving this low target as a "five-small" and got this: 7 x 5 x 4 = 140 6 x 3 = 18 140 + 18 = 158 In the second round, I had Rachel's solution, but I think it's the only one. In the third round, I saw the contestants' solution, but also had this one: 9 + 7 = 16 16 - 1 = 15 25 x 15 = 375 375 - 10 - 7 = 358 I love a good four-large numbers game. This one was solvable in a rather interesting way: 100 + 7 + 4 = 111 111 x 75 = 8325 8325 - 50 = 8275 8275 / 25 = 331

[@cjrm0528]

didn't ask

[@Nullifidian]

​@@cjrm0528 Neither did I, but I got your comment anyway.

[@part6133]

Did you really get to 331 in 30 or 40 seconds. ???

[@Nullifidian]

@@part6133 Yes. In fact, I got two solutions in the time, but the second one ((100 - 4) x 75 / 25 + 50 - 7 = 331) was less interesting. I play four-large games all the time over the computer, so I'm used to seeing solutions like this. What you've got to realize is that it's not necessary to calculate the four- or occasionally five-digit interim numbers. All you have to remember is that the large numbers stand for something else. In this case, because I was going to divide by 25, the 75 stood for 3 and the 50 for 2, so what I was actually calculating was 111 x 3 - 2 = 331. I'll give you another example that just came up immediately before I saw your comment: 100, 75, 50, 25, 10, 4 → 757. I solved it in this way: 50 x 4 = 200 200 - 10 = 190 190 x 100 = 19000 19000 - 75 = 18925 18925 / 25 = 757 or, ((50 x 4 - 10) x 100 - 75) / 25 = 757 Again, because I'm dividing by 25, the 100 becomes 4 and the 75 becomes 3, so effectively it's 190 x 4 - 3 = 757. The only reason it has to go up into five digits is because I'm only allowed to use the 25 once, so it has to be distributed across the whole calculation.

[@part6133]

@@Nullifidian does the computer give you problems that are only solvable or is it similar to countdown that it can be impossible and it is best to get within two or one or 10 ? Thank you for sharing. Which website gives the math games.

[@isaacking6305]

158 50 x 3 = 150 7 - 4 = 3 3 + 5 = 8 150 + 8 = 158

[@IsaacKing2006]

358: 7 + 7 = 14 14 x 25 = 350 9 - 1 = 8 350 + 8 = 358

[@alicejohnson432]

100 - 4 = 96 75 / 25 = 3 96 x 3 = 288 288 + 50 - 7 = 331

[@daviddesreumaux338]

331 25+7=32 100÷50=2×32×4=256 +75=331

[@isaacking6305]

358 7 + 7 = 14 14 x 25 = 350 9 - 1 = 8 350 + 8 = 358

[@medusa_404]

358: 7 + 7 = 14 25 * 14 = 350 350 + 9 - 1 = 358 25 - 7 = 18 18 * 10 = 180 180 - 1 = 179 9 - 7 = 2 179 * 2 = 358 25 + 10 + 9 + 7 = 51 51 * 7 = 357 357 + 1 = 358

[@medusa_404]

472: 6 * 6 = 36 7 * 2 = 14 14 - 1 = 13 36 * 13 = 468 468 + 4 = 472

[@daviddesreumaux338]

358 7+7=14×25=350 +9-1=358

[@daviddesreumaux338]

158 50+5=55×3=165-7=158

[@Adamdow95]

50 x 4 - 7 x 6 = 158

[@IsaacKing2006]

158: 50 x 3 = 150 6 - 5 = 1 7 + 1 = 8 150 + 8 = 158

[@S7evieL001]

Well, I overcomplicated the last one I did: 100 + 7 + 4 = 111 ((111 * 75) - 50)/25 = 331 I didn't work out what 111 * 75 was, all I needed to know is that 75/25 is 3, and that would leave me at 333 so to modify that by 2 I'd need to multiply by 75 then take the 50 off, since 50/25 is 2

[@wilms2328]

It's a very elegant solution though, I much prefer it over the other ones

[@markheisler5118]

50*7 - (100*4 + 75)/25 = 331

[@rodrigomarinho1807]

158 with smalls only 7*5*4 + 6*3 472 = 6*6*(7*2-1)+4

[@daviddesreumaux338]

472 6×6=36 2×7=14-1=13×36=468+4=472

[@easternbrown]

Rachel at her arithmetical best in this one

[@deepdrag8131]

And her anatomical best as well.

[@medusa_404]

Another possible solution for 158: 50 + 5 = 55 55 * 3 = 165 165 - 7 = 158

[@michaelcolbourn6719]

That's how I saw it too :)

[@MrKonquer]

50x4 - 7x6 = 158 I don’t know how this was missed.

[@AkshayDhargave]

[(50 + 7 - 6) × 3] + 5 = 158.

[@sweetypie28]

Oooooooooop