Skip to main content
Home
plus.maths.org

Secondary menu

  • My list
  • About Plus
  • Sponsors
  • Subscribe
  • Contact Us
  • Log in
  • Main navigation

  • Home
  • Articles
  • Collections
  • Podcasts
  • Maths in a minute
  • Puzzles
  • Videos
  • Topics and tags
  • For

    • cat icon
      Curiosity
    • newspaper icon
      Media
    • graduation icon
      Education
    • briefcase icon
      Policy

    Popular topics and tags

    Shapes

    • Geometry
    • Vectors and matrices
    • Topology
    • Networks and graph theory
    • Fractals

    Numbers

    • Number theory
    • Arithmetic
    • Prime numbers
    • Fermat's last theorem
    • Cryptography

    Computing and information

    • Quantum computing
    • Complexity
    • Information theory
    • Artificial intelligence and machine learning
    • Algorithm

    Data and probability

    • Statistics
    • Probability and uncertainty
    • Randomness

    Abstract structures

    • Symmetry
    • Algebra and group theory
    • Vectors and matrices

    Physics

    • Fluid dynamics
    • Quantum physics
    • General relativity, gravity and black holes
    • Entropy and thermodynamics
    • String theory and quantum gravity

    Arts, humanities and sport

    • History and philosophy of mathematics
    • Art and Music
    • Language
    • Sport

    Logic, proof and strategy

    • Logic
    • Proof
    • Game theory

    Calculus and analysis

    • Differential equations
    • Calculus

    Towards applications

    • Mathematical modelling
    • Dynamical systems and Chaos

    Applications

    • Medicine and health
    • Epidemiology
    • Biology
    • Economics and finance
    • Engineering and architecture
    • Weather forecasting
    • Climate change

    Understanding of mathematics

    • Public understanding of mathematics
    • Education

    Get your maths quickly

    • Maths in a minute

    Main menu

  • Home
  • Articles
  • Collections
  • Podcasts
  • Maths in a minute
  • Puzzles
  • Videos
  • Topics and tags
  • Audiences

    • cat icon
      Curiosity
    • newspaper icon
      Media
    • graduation icon
      Education
    • briefcase icon
      Policy

    Secondary menu

  • My list
  • About Plus
  • Sponsors
  • Subscribe
  • Contact Us
  • Log in
  • Get ready for the Games: Olympic logic II

    26 July, 2012

    Yesterday we brought you two Olympic brainteasers. Here are another two. Enjoy!

    Fencing

    Fencing Tournament

    Alice, Becky, Charlotte, Daphne, Elsie and Fran decide to compete in a fencing tournament. Each competitor has to fence against every other competitor. A match results in either a win or a loss.

    • No competitor lost all their matches, but one person won all their matches.
    • Daphne won her match against Becky.
    • Alice and Elsie won the same, odd, number of matches, but Alice lost to Elsie.
    • Becky and Fran won a total of seven matches
    • Charlotte won only one match, against the only other person who also won only one match.

    Can you deduce what all of the results were?

    Hockey

    In a hockey competition, four teams were to play each other once. 2 points were awarded for a win, and 1 point for a draw.

    After some of the matches were played, most of the information in the results table was accidentally deleted.

    Team Played Won Drawn Lost For Against Points
    A 4 4
    B 5 5
    C 0 4 2
    D 0 3 0


    Can you work out the score in each match played?

    These brain teasers come from our sister site NRICH, which also has detailed teachers notes for them.

    Read more about...
    mathematics in sport
    olympics
    • Log in or register to post comments

    Read more about...

    mathematics in sport
    olympics
    University of Cambridge logo

    Plus is part of the family of activities in the Millennium Mathematics Project.
    Copyright © 1997 - 2025. University of Cambridge. All rights reserved.

    Terms