So, you’re pretty good at math, are you?  I was playing with math problems online, and ran across a NASA post called “Space Math”.  This is designed for students.  I thought it was fun, so I’m putting a few up here.  Let’s see who can solve them.  I’ll post the answers in the comments before I post the riddle tomorrow.

Problem 1: Capella is three times larger than Regulus, and Regulus is twice as large as Sirius.  How much larger is Capella than Sirius?

Problem 2: Vega is 3/2 the size of Sirius, and Sirius is 1/12 the size of Polaris.  How much larger is Polaris than Vega?

Problem 3: Deneb is 1/8 the size of VY Canis Majoris, and VY Canis Majoris is 504 times the size of Regulus.  How large is Deneb compared to Regulus?

Problem 4: Aldebaran is 3 times the size of Capella, and Capella is twice the size of Polaris.  How large is Aldebaran compared to Polaris?

Problem 5: Antares is half the size of Mu Cephi.  If Mu Cephi is 28 times the size of Rigel, and Rigel is 50 times as large as Alpha Centauri, how large is Antares compared to Alpha Centauri?

One More: The sun’s diameter is 10 times the diameter of Jupiter.  If Jupiter is 11 times larger than Earth, how much larger than the Earth is the sun?

Okay, get those brains in gear and have fun.  You shouldn’t need your calculator, but we won’t laugh at you if you do.  We’ll just work on those self esteem issues ’cause you’re smarter than what you’re giving yourself credit for.  I got a kick out of these, they remind me of the “what color is the bear” problem.  And everybody thank NASA for always coming up with fun ways for our kids to learn about math and the universe.