Maths Week 2026: Sunday puzzle answers

AS IS OUR annual tradition for MATHS WEEK, we set our readers daily puzzles. Yesterday’s was the final one, and thousands of you have been taking part. Thank you! 

Here are the solutions to Sunday’s puzzles. 

1) 2 coffees (2 x €4 = €8), 1 Tea (€3)

2) A coffee costs €4 and a brownie costs €2.50

3) 13 items costing €30:

10 × scones (€2) = €20
2 × muffins (€3) = €6
1 × brownie (€4) = €4

4) Answer €14.

We know:

• 10 doughnuts altogether.
• 3 jam doughnuts cost the same as 2 chocolate doughnuts.
• Yvonne takes half the chocolate doughnuts and a third of the jam doughnuts, paying €10.

The missing information is how many chocolate and how many jam doughnuts.

We do know that the number of chocolate doughnuts must be divisible by 2 (even) and the number of jam doughnuts must be divisible by 3.

So, it must be 6 jam doughnuts and 4 chocolate doughnuts.

Calculating Yvonne’s share:

One-third of 6 jam doughnuts = 2 jam doughnuts.

Half of 4 chocolate doughnuts = 2 chocolate doughnuts.

Since 3 jam doughnuts cost the same as 2 chocolate doughnuts, Yvonne’s share is equivalent to 5 jam doughnuts, costing €10.

So, one jam doughnut costs €2.

Calculating total cost:

6 jam doughnuts cost 6 × €2 = €12.

4 chocolate doughnuts cost the same as 6 jam doughnuts, so they cost €12.

Total cost = €24.

Xavier’s share: €24−€10= €14