Math Puzzle for January 12, 2024

First pickleball becomes an Olympic sport, then an 88-year-old retired pulmonologist wins a gold medal

Alameda Post - a simple drawing of a pickleball. It's a circle with other small circles drawn onto it

Pickleball, originally invented for baby boomers, is taking our country by storm.
By regulation a pickleball is a sphere with a circumference of 23 centimeters.
A pickleball has a mass of 26 grams and contains 40 equally dispersed holes.
The thickness of the hollow shell of the wiffle ball-like ball is 0.20 centimeters.
Pickleball is played onboard sybaritic cruise ships, therefore the ball floats.
The pickleball is made with high-density polyethylene (HDPE).
HDPE has a density of 0.9946 grams per cubic centimeter.
Find the circumference c of one of the 40 congruent holes on the surface.

c =___________________ centimeters

The first correct answer sent to [email protected] wins a gift card worth a lot of ice cream at Tucker’s Ice Cream of Alameda.

Last week’s winner was Patrick Dolan with a = 2.34 and b = 1.79.

Jeff Smith is a former Math teacher and a retired US Navy Lieutenant Commander. Reach him at [email protected].

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