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Way back in 2006, an unusual anime began airing on Japanese television. Although the series was about aliens, time travel and other supernatural events, no one could have predicted the strange effects that The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumia would have on the world of mathematics.

What’s the next letter in this sequence? F, S, T, F, F, S, S, E …

Tilly started writing down numbers as she counted them out, “1, 2, 3, 4 …” She was interrupted when she was writing down the 33rd 3. What number was she in the middle of writing?

If you’re sitting there twiddling your thumbs, see if you can decode this message. If you need a hint, you can always phone a friend! 3666882255533 443355544499 339987772

I have four different whole numbers written on a piece of paper. The largest number is four bigger than the smallest. The middle two numbers are even. If I add all four numbers together, I get 12. What are my numbers?

At half-past three, what is the angle between the hands of a clock?

Jenny had a short, wide fish tank. She wanted to change the water, so she put the fish tank on a table and put a tall bucket on the floor right underneath. She was about to get a hose and siphon the water into the bucket, but before she started, she did some measuring.

Tom’s just finished sewing a quilt! It’s made of lots of equal-sized squares of fabric sewn together. Currently, it’s 12 squares long and six squares wide. Tom tried putting the quilt on his bed, but it’s the wrong shape.

Australia has six coins that are commonly used – 5 cents, 10 cents, 20 cents, 50 cents, $1 and $2. How many different ways can you make exactly 50 cents in Australian coins?

On Sunday, 1 January, Latda announced her New Year’s resolution. “Throughout this year, on the fifth Sunday of the month, I’ll throw a party!” How many fifth Sunday parties did Latda celebrate that year?