Mathematics Problem Of the Week

Fall 2007

POW #6

A Matter of Address

My house is on a road where the numbers run 1, 2, 3, 4, ... consecutively. By a curious coincidence, the sum of all house numbers less than mine is the same as the sum of all house numbers greater than mine.

What is my house number, and how many houses are there on my road?

Hint: There is just one solution in each of the cases where the number of digits in the address is one, two or three. You can get partial credit for the relatively easy single digit solution, but for full credit you’ll need to find a two digit solution and describe a method to find it.

Due Friday, October 19^th at Noon.

Solutions should be submitted to Dr. R. Lock's mailbox in the Math/CS/Stat office or sent via e-mail to rlock@stlawu.edu.