Sky High

Soon the Canadian government will stop making 1-cent coins like the one shown here.

Japan's new Tokyo Sky Tree is the tallest tower in the world and the second-tallest structure (behind the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, United Arab Emirates).

Hiro Komae / AP Images

APRIL 27, 2012

Each week we’ll post a math problem based on a current news story. Read the story and solve the problem.

If you like, enter your answer below.
The first person to answer the question correctly has the honor of being our “Winner of the Week.” (We’ll reveal that person, and the correct answer, the following week.)

APRIL 20, 2012

Last Week’s
Problem Solved

Keep the Change
(see MORE IN THE NEWS top right)

The U.S. government loses $81 more than the Canadian government on $100 worth of pennies.

NUMBERS IN THE NEWS

NEWS QUESTION OF THE WEEK

Sky High

The new Tokyo Sky Tree in Japan, set to open to the public on May 22, is now the world's largest freestanding tower, at 634 meters (2,080 feet) tall. It took four years to construct the structure, which was designed to withstand a 7.0-magnitude earthquake, even if it struck directly beneath it.

The tower was built to strengthen radio and television signals in Japan. On the first few floors of Sky Tree is Tokyo Solamachi, a new shopping mall with 321 stores and restaurants. Visitors can also visit observation decks to view the city of Tokyo. Engineers built special high-speed elevators, which take about a minute and 30 seconds to reach the highest deck at 450 meters (1,480 feet) above ground.

QUESTION: About how many meters does the elevator travel in one second?

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