Week 23 CAPT Problem - 9th Grade


The License Plate


Police Detective Pamela Watson was called to the scene of a hit-and-run accident. Although no one was injured, the accident smashed the door panel and broke the door window of a van parked along the curb. An eyewitness to the accident, standing on the sidewalk across the street from the accident scene, reported that a blue convertible with its top down skidded and sideswiped the van.

The witness remembered three things about the license plate on the convertible:



Detective Watson wrote: 3 ____ ____ G E L.

She knew that the missing digits could be any digit from 0 to 9 and that she would have to check all the possible license registrations in the hope of finding the blue convertible.

  1. What is the greatest number of license registrations that Detective Watson will have to check? Explain how you arrived at your answer.

  2. If the witness only knew that the license plate was

    3 ____ ____ ____ E L.

    with 2 digits and then a letter missing, how many would they have to check? Explain how you got you answer.