Packet 3: Tossup 5
Summing the first n natural numbers raised to this power gives the square of the nth triangular number, per Nicomachus’s theorem. The nth taxicab number is the smallest that can be written as the sum of two numbers raised to this power in n different ways. Multiplying by i this number of times is equivalent to a rotation through 270 degrees. This is the lowest number n for which the equation “a to the n plus b to the n equals c to the n” has (*) no integer solution, per Fermat’s last theorem. The derivative of x to this power is proportional to “x squared.” For 10 points, the volume of a cube is found by raising the side length to what power? ■END■
ANSWER: three [or third power; accept cubed before “cubes”]
<Math — Sarah Benner> | SHOW-ME Four Packet 3
= Average correct buzzpoint
Buzzes
Summary
| Tournament | Edition | Match | Heard | Conv. % | Power % | Neg % | Avg. Buzz |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rube Goldberg XIX | 11/20/2025 | ✓ | 16 | 100% | 44% | 25% | 83.38 |
| SHOW-ME Four Nationwide HS | 11/20/2025 | ✓ | 5 | 100% | 80% | 20% | 55.60 |
| SPOOKY IX | 11/20/2025 | ✓ | 5 | 100% | 40% | 0% | 88.20 |