The Cosmic Hoop Heist
A sneaky robocat has hacked the electronic scoreboard and run off with the legendary Golden Salmon Trophy! All the stars are aligned for a tough investigation, and Coach Whiskers needs your math skills to identify the suspect before the final buzzer rings.
Possible suspects
Cross off a row as each clue rules it out. On screen, tap a row.
| Name | Special Play | Robot Gear | Shooting Style | Fur Color | System Glitch |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Giannis Claw | Laser Pounce | Fish Rocket | Right-pawed shooter | Cyber Green | Water Buckets |
| Cosmo Tail | Redstone Spark | Thruster Pack | Right-pawed shooter | Neon Orange | Water Buckets |
| Steve Voxel | Laser Pounce | Thruster Pack | Right-pawed shooter | Cyber Green | Water Buckets |
| Clawrdan | Laser Pounce | Net Hacker | Left-pawed shooter | Neon Orange | Squeaky Toys |
| Enderman Ed | Gravity Dunk | Net Hacker | Right-pawed shooter | Cyber Green | Water Buckets |
| Captain Whiskers | Redstone Spark | Pixel Shield | Left-pawed shooter | Voxel Blue | Laser Pointers |
| Yarn Chamberlain | Redstone Spark | Solar Panel | Right-pawed shooter | Cyber Green | Laser Pointers |
| Creeper Cat | Laser Pounce | Solar Panel | Right-pawed shooter | Voxel Blue | Water Buckets |
| Luka Scratch | Laser Pounce | Thruster Pack | Left-pawed shooter | Voxel Blue | Laser Pointers |
| Major Tom | Warp Boost | Net Hacker | Right-pawed shooter | Voxel Blue | Squeaky Toys |
| Bolt Bowser | Warp Boost | Thruster Pack | Left-pawed shooter | Cyber Green | Water Buckets |
| Pixel Kitty | Laser Pounce | Pixel Shield | Right-pawed shooter | Cyber Green | Water Buckets |
| Sir Purr | Block Build | Pixel Shield | Left-pawed shooter | Neon Orange | Laser Pointers |
| Coby Cat | Laser Pounce | Fish Rocket | Left-pawed shooter | Voxel Blue | Squeaky Toys |
| Meowming | Warp Boost | Fish Rocket | Right-pawed shooter | Voxel Blue | Squeaky Toys |
| Robo Bob | Gravity Dunk | Fish Rocket | Right-pawed shooter | Cyber Green | Water Buckets |
| Steph Furry | Warp Boost | Pixel Shield | Left-pawed shooter | Voxel Blue | Laser Pointers |
| Alex Ender | Warp Boost | Pixel Shield | Left-pawed shooter | Voxel Blue | Water Buckets |
| Space Jammer | Gravity Dunk | Net Hacker | Left-pawed shooter | Cyber Green | Water Buckets |
| LeBron Mew | Laser Pounce | Fish Rocket | Left-pawed shooter | Cyber Green | Water Buckets |
| Sputnik | Block Build | Thruster Pack | Right-pawed shooter | Cyber Green | Laser Pointers |
Percentages
Our scanner calculated the percentage of corrupted security files on the stolen laptop. Work out the percentages to decrypt this file.
Solve each problem to learn its letter. Then write that letter in every box that shows the same number, and read the secret clue.
Exponents
The getaway track power surge is multiplying exponentially through the block grid. Compute the exponents to track the signal.
Solve each problem to learn its letter. Then write that letter in every box that shows the same number, and read the secret clue.
Order of operations
A locked blast door stands in our path, requiring a multi-step sequence to bypass. Follow the strict order of operations to crack the door code.
Solve each problem to learn its letter. Then write that letter in every box that shows the same number, and read the secret clue.
Multiplication facts (1-12)
We found several neat stacks of dropped space batteries in the stadium hallway. Multiply the columns of items to count how much energy was lost.
Solve each problem to learn its letter. Then write that letter in every box that shows the same number, and read the secret clue.
Division facts (1-12) — the last clue
The referee needs to split the remaining recovery drones into equal scouting teams. Divide the groups perfectly to unlock the final coordinates.
First solve each problem. Then find each answer in the list below and cross that sentence out. One sentence will be left — that's exactly what the villain did!
Name the culprit
Choose the one suspect left standing.
Answer Key — The Cosmic Hoop Heist
- Clue 1 (Percentages): "THE VILLAIN DOES NOT USE A NET HACKER"50% of 22 = 11 (T) · 40% of 15 = 6 (E) · 20% of 40 = 8 (O) · 20% of 25 = 5 (H) · 5% of 240 = 12 (S) · 10% of 430 = 43 (A) · 25% of 164 = 41 (I) · 10% of 280 = 28 (L) · 50% of 6 = 3 (D) · 5% of 460 = 23 (R) · 50% of 78 = 39 (V) · 40% of 25 = 10 (U) · 25% of 132 = 33 (K) · 5% of 640 = 32 (N) · 5% of 880 = 44 (C)
- Clue 2 (Exponents): "THE SUSPECT SHOOTS WITH THE RIGHT PAW"13^2 = 169 (T) · 15^2 = 225 (U) · 8^2 = 64 (A) · 2^5 = 32 (E) · 5^2 = 25 (O) · 3^4 = 81 (W) · 11^2 = 121 (S) · 5^3 = 125 (C) · 19^2 = 361 (I) · 7^3 = 343 (H) · 2^7 = 128 (R) · 10^2 = 100 (P) · 4^2 = 16 (G)
- Clue 3 (Order of operations): "THE SNEAKY ROBOT FEARS WATER BUCKETS"30 + 2 × 5 = 40 (T) · 20 + 2 × 2 = 24 (C) · 5 × 5 - 4 = 21 (W) · 26 + 8 × 4 = 58 (H) · 17 + 2 × 4 = 25 (O) · 3 × 11 - 26 = 7 (K) · 58 + 4 × 2 = 66 (A) · 2 × 9 - 7 = 11 (B) · 7 × 10 - 21 = 49 (Y) · 9 × 6 - 13 = 41 (U) · 67 + 4 × 3 = 79 (N) · 7 × 10 - 16 = 54 (F) · 62 + 4 × 2 = 70 (R) · 17 + 3 × 4 = 29 (E) · 8 + 2 × 6 = 20 (S)
- Clue 4 (Multiplication facts (1-12)): "WE FOUND CYBER GREEN ROBOT FUR"1 × 7 = 7 (W) · 7 × 6 = 42 (T) · 4 × 2 = 8 (D) · 11 × 8 = 88 (O) · 6 × 5 = 30 (E) · 8 × 5 = 40 (R) · 1 × 6 = 6 (G) · 5 × 9 = 45 (N) · 4 × 11 = 44 (U) · 9 × 7 = 63 (F) · 11 × 1 = 11 (B) · 2 × 1 = 2 (C) · 7 × 2 = 14 (Y)
- Clue 5 (Division facts (1-12)): surviving statement (box 9) → Pixel Kitty21 ÷ 7 = 3 · 35 ÷ 5 = 7 · 60 ÷ 6 = 10 · 36 ÷ 9 = 4 · 72 ÷ 9 = 8 · 9 ÷ 9 = 1 · 22 ÷ 11 = 2 · 110 ÷ 10 = 11 · 42 ÷ 7 = 6 · 15 ÷ 3 = 5 · 120 ÷ 10 = 12
About this mystery
- Grade level
- Grade 6 math
- Math topics
- Percentages, Exponents, Order of operations, Multiplication, Division
- Reading level
- grades 5-6
- Theme
- The Cosmic Hoop Heist — set in Voxel-9 Space Arena during the Galactic Meow-Basketball Finals
- Format
- Interactive online & printable worksheet with answer key
- Solution
- One unique, verified culprit among 21 suspects
