Question

While reading your morning newspaper, you notice that $$4$$ pages are missing. One of the missing pages is page number$$10$$. The back page of the newspaper is page number $$32$$. What are the numbers of the other three missing pages?

Answer 1

Hint: We are given a newspaper numbered upto $$32$$. We know that one paper contains four numbers, two starting successive numbers and two end successive numbers. Using this, since we are given that one of the missing page numbers is $$10$$, we can also find the other three missing page numbers.

Complete step-by-step solution:
We know that one paper contains four page numbers, two starting successive numbers and two end successive numbers. So we have a total of $$8$$ pages. Thus first page contain page numbers $$1,2,31,32$$. Second page contain page numbers $$3,4,29,30$$. Third page has page numbers $$5,6,27,28$$. Fourth page has page numbers $$7,8,25,26$$, the fifth page has page numbers $$9,10,23,24$$. If we go so on, eighth page will have $$15,16,17,18$$ page numbers. But we are given that page number $$10$$ is missing. Since it is on the fifth page, along with page number $$10$$, page numbers $$9,23,24$$ must be also missing. So the $$4$$ page numbers that are missing are $$9,10,23,24$$.

Note: This is to note that unlike binding copy where only two successive pages numbers can be missing if we tear off a page from it, the newspapers are not bonded and a single piece of paper has four page numbers. Hence missing a page of a newspaper leads to missing four page numbers.