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Illuminations: Strikes and Spares

Two bowlers play a game against each other. The first player rolls a strike in the first frame, a spare in the second frame, and then alternately throws strikes and spares the rest of the game. The second player doesn’t throw a single strike. The first player wins, of course, but what is the smallest possible margin of victory under these circumstances?

This brainteaser was written by Derrick Niederman.


Math Topics
Probability
Middle School, High School
8th Grade, 9th Grade, 10th Grade, 11th Grade, 12th Grade
Descriptions of PDFs

Problem and solution

What are you looking for?

Organization

National Council of Teachers of Mathematics

Website URL

Type of Resource

Activity Sheet
PDF File

Assigned Categories

Resource k12

Illuminations: Strikes and Spares

Two bowlers play a game against each other. The first player rolls a strike in the first frame, a spare in the second frame, and then alternately throws strikes and spares the rest of the game. The second player doesn’t throw a single strike. The first player wins, of course, but what is the smallest possible margin of victory under these circumstances?

This brainteaser was written by Derrick Niederman.

Math Topics
Probability
Middle School, High School
8th Grade, 9th Grade, 10th Grade, 11th Grade, 12th Grade
Descriptions of PDFs

Problem and solution

What are you looking for?

Organization

National Council of Teachers of Mathematics

Website URL

Type of Resource

Activity Sheet
PDF File

Assigned Categories