Speed Stackers

If you do things really, really fast, maybe you want to try cup-stacking. People race each other to stack regular old plastic cups into pyramids without knocking anything over. In official “speed-stacking,” players use 12 cups to build a 6-cup pyramid with 2 little 3-cup triangles on either side. Then they take down the cups and build two 6s, then a 10-cup pyramid. Watch this awesome video and try it yourself!

Wee ones: If you stack a 6-cup pyramid and your friend stacks a 3-cup one, who stacked more cups?

Little kids: If you’ve stacked your 6-cup pyramid and first 3-cup pyramid, how many cups have you stacked?  Bonus: If the winner stacks in 12 seconds, your friend stacks in 16 seconds, and your time is exactly halfway between, how fast do you stack?

Big kids: If you stack 6 cups, then 3 cups, then 10, then 6 again and 3 again to start over…what size pyramid do you stack on the 19th time? See if you can get it without counting all the way up! Bonus: If you stack a 6-cup and 2 3-cups, then 2 6-cups, and then a 10-cup, and you take 1/2 second to place each cup, how fast do you stack all that?

Answers:
Wee ones: You stacked more cups.

Little kids: 9 cups.  Bonus: 14 seconds.

Big kids: 6 cups, because it’s at the start of a new set of 3 moves.  Bonus: 17 seconds, since you placed 34 cups.

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