Five Rings: The Olympics Begin - The Problems


September 18, 2000


It only happens once every four years. In Sydney, Australia, a seemingly endless parade of 11,000 athletes and 1000 coaches made their way into Olympic Stadium to begin the 2000 Summer Games. Nearly 110,000 people were on hand to greet them at the opening ceremonies. What percent of the people in attendance were athletes?

 

Lighting The Torch: The final act of the opening ceremony is lighting of the Olympic torch, and this honor is always given to a famous athlete. In 2000, that honor was bestowed on Cathy Freeman, a 27-year-old Aborigine sprinter who has been outspoken in demanding respect for Australia's indigenous people. Freeman is the only Australian woman to break 50 seconds in the 400-meter event. Her personal best in that race is 48.63 seconds. What is her speed in miles per hour?

 

Parvus sed Potens: Two weightlifters from Turkey may look little, but you shouldn't judge a book by its cover. Both Naim Suleymanoglu and Halil Mutlu are under 5 feet tall, but they're both incredibly strong. At 123 pounds, Mutlu lifted an impressive 666.75 pounds to qualify for the Summer Games. At 137 pounds, Suleymanoglu lifted 683.25 pounds. Which feat is more impressive; that is, which man lifted a greater percentage of his own bodyweight?

2000 Problems & Solutions


January 3, 2000
MillenniuMath: Numbers For The Next 2000 Years
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Solution

 

January 10, 2000
The Circle of Life: How America Recycles
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Solution

 

January 17, 2000
Forget Y2K: Trouble Is Still Ahead For Computers
Problem
Solution

 

January 31, 2000
It's Snow Big Deal: Noreaster Buries The Northeast in White Stuff
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Solution

 
February 7, 2000
Friendly Fat: Federal Regulations Distinguish Between Good And Bad Fat
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Solution

 

February 14, 2000
Mini Ka-Boom: Small Particles and the Big Bang
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Solution

February 21, 2000
Turning Ideas Into Reality: National Engineers Week
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Solution

 
February 28, 2000
Leap of Faith: February 29th
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Solution

 
March  6, 2000
Bread and Roses: International Women's Day
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March  13, 2000
Campaign Pain: Election Year 2000
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March  20, 2000
March Madness: NCAA Championship
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March  27, 2000
Hello, Oscar!: The Academy Awards
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April 3, 2000
A Stitch in Time: Daylight Savings Time
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April 10, 2000
Reading the Numbers: National Library Week
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April 17, 2000
Flying's Not What It Used To Be: The Airline Quality Rating (AQR)
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Solution

 
April 24, 2000
Alphabet Soup: Dot-Com Names on the Net
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Solution

 
May 1, 2000
Bidder Sweet: MATHCOUNTS On-Line Auction
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Solution

 
May 8, 2000
Warm Weather Warm-Up: Celsius and Fahrenheit
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Solution 
 
July 3, 2000
Not Just Fireworks: History of the 4th
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July 10, 2000
Teen Wizard: Harry Potter
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Solution

 
July 17, 2000
AIDS: The Current African Epidemic
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July 24, 2000
Rise and Fall: Gas Prices
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Solution

 

July 31, 2000
People, People Everywhere: Anniversary of the U. S. Census
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Solution

 
August 7, 2000
Sum Fun on the Web: Math Problems in Cyberspace
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Solution

 
August 14, 2000
Pencils, Books, Dirty Looks: Back to School
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Solution

 
August 21, 2000
Knee High by the Fourth of July: Harvesting and Agriculture
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Solution

 
August 28, 2000
Show Time: The WNBA Finals
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Solution

 
September 4, 2000
It's Here! The New School Handbook
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Solution

 
September 11, 2000
At the Cross Roads: Where Letters and Numbers Meet
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Solution

 
September 18, 2000
Five Rings: The Olympics Begin
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Solution

 
September 25, 2000
Two Weeks in the Village: The Olympics Continue
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Solution

 
October 1, 2000
One Last Time: The Last Week of the Olympics
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Solution

 
October 9, 2000
Why Math Matters: Alan Greenspan and the Federal Reserve
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Solution

 
October 16, 2000
Triskaidekaphobia: Fear of the Number 13
Problem
Solution

 
October 23, 2000
Shut Up and Drive: Banning Cell Phone Use in Cars
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Solution

 

October 30, 2000
Frightfully Delicious: Halloween
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Solution


November 6, 2000
Sesquipedalian Adventures: The Oxford English Dictionary
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Solution

 
November 13, 2000
Too Close to Call: The Presidential Election
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November 20, 2000
Second Look: Problems That Aren't What They Appear
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November 27, 2000
No Long Lines: Holiday Shopping From Home
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December  4, 2000
Rude and Crude: Mississippi River Oil Spill
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December  11, 2000
Frigid and Frosty: Temperatures Droppin'
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Solution

 
December  18, 2000
Present Probability: Gift Giving and the Holidays
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December  25, 2000
Happy Holidays: Christmas, Hanukkah and Kwanzaa
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Solution

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