Have you ever walked by a really dirty car and run your finger through the grime to write your name? An artist named Ben Long does this to draw huge, beautiful, painting-like pictures on the backs of dirty trucks. Imagine driving down the highway and seeing a giant picture of a dog or horse staring at you from the back of a truck. Ben makes his art with no paints, no brushes…he just needs a lot of soap and water when he’s done.
Wee ones: If Ben draws with his pointy finger, middle finger and thumb, how many fingers does he use? Count those fingers on your own hand!
Little kids: If Ben uses his pointy finger, middle finger and thumb, how many fingers on that hand does he not use? Bonus: If Saturday is the 1st “dirtying” day of no rain and Ben draws on the 5th day, on what day of the week does he draw?
Big kids: If the back of a truck is 8 feet wide and 9 feet tall, how many square feet of art can Ben make? (Reminder: Area is length (in this case height) times width.) Bonus: If the bottom of the back is 4 feet off the ground, and Ben’s hand can reach 7 feet 4 inches above the ground, how tall a ladder does he need to draw at the top?
Answers:
Wee ones: 3 fingers.
Little kids: 2 fingers. Bonus: On Wednesday.
Big kids: 72 square feet. Bonus: 5 feet 8 inches, since the top is 13 feet high.
