Ordering Ant Eggs

Congratulations, you helped the first mate get his GED! But now you've got another problem--your pet marsupial moles are almost out of food! Their favorite meal is ant larvae so you'd like to order more for them. However, you don't know how much they cost. The first mate ordered the previous two shipments but he doesn't remember how much they cost per pound.

However, he does have his credit card statements which show the first batch was $12.25 and the second batch was $21.75. He also remembers that the first batch was $2 a pound more expensive because of extra shipping costs. And the second batch was $2 per pound cheaper because he picked it up at the warehouse himself. And he knows that he received five pounds total for the last two shipments. From this information, figure out the regular price (in dollars per pound) for ant larvae.

Good luck!

What is the price per pound for ant larvae?
Enter number as dollars & cents, e.g. $2.37

Solve this problem to get the password!
 

New Angler Fish

Congratulations, you got a friend for Jerry and now they share a new habitat. But the first mate still has more problems for you to help him with. If you help him with the problems below, he'll show you a picture of a new species of Angler Fish discovered in June of this year!

Good luck!

Use symbols *, / & ^ for multiplication, division & power.
Put numbers first, then variables.
Use parentheses only when necessary.
For example: 23*x^2/(7*y)

Problem 14 (expression for ?):

Problem 15 (expression for ?):

Solve these problems to see the new angler fish!
 

Jerry Gets a Friend!

The first mate is so happy with you for helping him with his math problems that he has offered to give you his pet marsupial mole so Jerry will have a friend! The only problem is that the habitat you built for Jerry is not big enough. The current habitat is six feet by nine feet and you need to double the area so it can hold two marsupial moles. You decided to increase both the length and width by the same amount. How many feet should you increase each dimension to double the area?

Terrific Turtles

Congratulations, you solved the problems and played with the cutest frog ever! Since it's Friday and almost the weekend, the first mate only has three problems for you to help him with today. And he is getting out his turtles to show you. The first is his Mata Mata turtle which is a female he name Greta Greta.

Solve the problems below to see his other turtle which uses a clever camouflage technique.

Good luck!

Use symbols *, / & ^ for multiplication, division & power.
Put numbers first, then variables.
Use parentheses only when necessary.
For example: 23*x^2/(7*y)

Problem 11:

Problem 12:

Problem 13:

Solve these problems to see the amazing turtle!
 

Mary River Turtle with algae growing on its head.

Fantastic Frogs

Congratulations, you solved the problems and were able to feed a snake to a centipede! Today, the first mate has six easy problems for you to help him with. And to show his appreciation, he's going to let you play with his pet frogs.

The first is a Purple Harlequin Frog, discovered in 2006 during a follow-up survey of the Nassau plateau in Suriname, a country on the northeastern Atlantic coast of South America.

The second is even cooler--and you won't believe the sound it makes--but you'll have to do the problems first before you can see it.

Good luck!

Use symbols *, / & ^ for multiplication, division & power.
Put numbers first, then variables.
Use parentheses only when necessary.
For example: 23*x^2/(7*y)

Problem 5:

Problem 6:

Problem 7:

Problem 8

Problem 9:

Problem 10:

Solve these problems to see the amazing frog!
 

Panda Ant

Congratulations, you helped the first mate with his math problem and played with his eastern quoll. Today he has three more problems but he also has some insects for you to play with!

At right is one of his pet panda ants. And later, if you solve all the problems and get the password, he'll let you feed a snake to his centipede!

Either enter the answers into the comments to get the password or wait for another A.A.K.V.O. agent to check your answers later this afternoon.

Good luck!

What is the password? Type the word in ALL CAPS

When correct password is entered, video of you feeding a snake to a centipede will appear below.

Eastern Quoll

Congratulations, you've discovered a planet with viable animal life on it! A.A.K.V.O. agents are investigating this planet further and preparing for a mission to explore it. In the meantime, the first-mate has asked you for some help. He is practicing to take his G.E.D. (a test he has to take as an adult to get his high school degree because he dropped out) and needs help on the problem below. Please show him how to do the problem. If you do, he'll let you play with his pet eastern quoll!

Check List For Simplifying Polynomials

1. Separate out largest common factor.
2. Is the polynomial a perfect square?
3. Is the polynomial a difference of squares?
4. If the polynomial is a quadratic, reverse-FOIL it.

Find Alien Life

Congratulations, you figured out which TV was bigger and enjoyed some nature documentaries on the Captain's HDTV. The first mate was so happy you showed him how to do the math that he wasn't mad at all and joined you in watching TV.

But now you have work to do. A.A.K.V.O. has started a program to protect animals in outer space, but first they need to know which other planets have life. Fortunately, they have developed a computer program that can look for life on other planets, all 281 trillion 474 billion 976 million 710 thousand 656 of them! And you only need to find one with life. Just find a planet and put the planet number in the comments. An A.A.K.V.O. agent will double-check that the planet does indeed have life and will respond with the password in the comments.

Good Luck!

P.S. One way to find planets with life is to click Random Planet until you find one that goes down to some simple oscillating patterns and then click the < or > buttons at the bottom to flip boxes. Or you can randomly click boxes. Or you can randomly enter planet numbers. No one really knows the best way to find life on other planets!

Fourier Life Demonstration (click Run or scroll down for blog posts)

       Generation: 0  Rules: 1. Original Self Replicator (sp) checker-board mask

Cellular Automata System: A. 2-State: Alternating Rules B. 2-State: Edge & Corner Combinations C. 3-State: Sum of All Edge States D. 2-State: From Pattern (Conway-Like)

   Planet # 

Even generation rule: B3/S23  Odd generation rule: B2/S56

        

        

        

Flip boxes for planet #
xxx

Television Controversy

Congratulations, you rented the boat and made it to the A.A.K.V.O. freighter! You're finally free!

Once on the freighter, you decided to catch up on all the TV you missed. Unfortunately, you walked into a controversy between the captain of the ship and the first mate. The captain just got a new HDTV with a 42-inch diagonal and a 16:9 aspect ratio, and he wants you to watch TV with him. However, the first mate has an older 37-inch diagonal TV with a 4:3 aspect ratio and claims that his TV actually has a bigger area for the picture. He said because his TV is more square, it's bigger even though the diagonal is less. As evidence, he has pointed out that his TV is taller than the new one.

You want to watch the TV with the largest area. Which one should you watch?

P.S. The first mate is so confident he will win that he has offered to let you use his calculator.