PSLE Letters U, A and G formed a patten as shown below.
U A U G U U A U G U U A U G U . . .
If there are 142 'U', what is the greatest possible number of letters in the pattern?
Number of letters in 1 set of U A U G U = 5
Number of letters 'U' in 1 set of U A U G U = 3
Number of sets of 3 'U' if there are 142 'U'
= 142 ÷ 3
= 47 r 1
If the remainder is 1, there is 1 'U' and the largest possible number of letters is the final incomplete set is 2. (U A)
If the remainder is 2, there are 2 'U' and the largest possible number of letters is the final incomplete set is 4. (U A U G)
Greatest possible number of letters
= 47 x 5 + 2
= 235 + 2
= 237
Answer(s): 237