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Toothpicks
Act 1
A video shows a jar of toothpicks being emptied. Three of the toothpicks are placed to make the perimeter of an equilateral triangle. Six toothpicks are then placed beneath this to form an equilateral triangle of side two toothpicks. The process is repeated, building successively larger equilateral triangles. How many levels can be made with the complete jar of toothpicks?
Act 2
A photograph is shown of the toothpick jar. It contains 250 toothpicks.
Act 3
A speeded up video reveals that it is possible to create 12 completed layers, with 9 triangles in an additional layer.
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Toothpicks count act 2 3.24 MB
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Toothpicks count act 2 3.24 MB
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