A “slam dunk” in basketball is when a player leaps up to the hoop and jams the ball through the rim. Molly the guinea pig just dunked 4 times in 30 seconds to set a world record! She grabs a 2-inch wide ball with her mouth, then dunks on a hoop that’s only a few inches above the ground (check it out here). The record is still a new height for guinea pigs!
Wee ones: Can you jump 4 times? Count out loud as you jump!
Little kids: If each dunk scores 2 points, how many points did Molly score with 4 dunks? Try counting up by 2s! Bonus: If a human-size basketball is 7 inches wider than Molly’s 2-inch wide basketball, how wide is a human basketball?
Big kids: Would dunking 1 time every 10 seconds break this record? Bonus: In basketball you can score 2-point and 3-point baskets. If a team has 12 points, all from 2 or 3-point baskets, how many different ways could they have scored those 12 points? (Don’t worry about the order, just how many types of baskets!)
Answers:
Wee ones: Count your jumps: 1, 2, 3, 4!
Little kids: 8 points: 2 + 2 + 2 + 2. Bonus: 9 inches wide.
Big kids: No, that would only make 3 dunks in 30 seconds! Bonus: There are 3 ways: 3 + 3 + 3 + 3; 3 + 3 + 2 + 2 + 2; 2 + 2 + 2 + 2 + 2 + 2.
