Musical Maths Trivia Quiz

Answer: Triangular number

The White Stripes released "Seven Nation Army" as the lead single from their 2003 album "Elephant". It quickly became their biggest hit to date, reaching the top ten in the UK singles chart as well as achieving the same in Italy, Germany and Switzerland.

Bob Marley and the Wailers first released "Three Little Birds" as a track on the 1977 album "Exodus". It would be released as a single in 1980 reaching the UK top 20.

Seven + three = ten. Ten is the fourth triangular number. Triangular numbers are the sum of the natural numbers from one to n so the fourth triangular number is the sum one + two + three + four, which is equal to ten.

Answer: Square number

"Twenty-four Hours from Tulsa" was released as a single by Gene Pitney in 1963 and reached number five in the UK charts. Carter USM spoofed the title for their 1990 song "24 Hours from Tulse Hill".

"One More Night" was a number one hit on the US Billboard charts in 1985, giving Phil Collins his second US chart topper.

Twenty-four + one = Twenty-five. 25 is the fifth square number. A square number is the product when a natural number is multiplied by itself. 25 is the product of five times five.

Answer: Prime number

"One Bad Apple" was a 1971 US Billboard chart-topper for The Osmonds. It would later be used as a theme tune for "The Osmonds" animated TV show.

The Jackson Five apparently were planning to record "One Bad Apple" before choosing to record "A B C" instead. It also topped the US Billboard charts in 1970. The lyrics of the chorus begin "ABC easy as one-two-three".

One + one + two + three = seven. Seven is a prime number, being a natural number that is only divisible by one and itself (that is it cannot be the product of two natural numbers greater than one).

Answer: Square number

Dolly Parton's "Nine to Five" was the title track for the soundtrack of the movie of the same name released in 1980. The movie starred Parton, Lily Tomlin and Jane Fonda and was the second biggest grossing movie of the year at the US box office.

The Beatles' "Eight Days a Week" first appeared on the UK album "Beatles for Sale" in 1964. It was released as a single in the US and reached the top of the Billboard Hot 100 in 1965.

Nine to five is eight hours. Eight plus eight = sixteen. Sixteen is the fourth square number.

Answer: Triangular number

"When I'm Sixty-Four" was a track on the 1967 album "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" by The Beatles. Written by Paul McCartney when he was just 14, it aped the music hall style and was a huge contrast to much of the psychedelic content of the classic album.

"Goody Two Shoes" was Adam Ant's most successful solo single, reaching the top of the UK charts in 1982 and peaking just outside the top ten on the US Billboard Hot 100.

Sixty-four + two = 66. 66 is the 11th triangular number.

Answer: Square number

"96 Tears" took ? and the Mysterians to the summit of the Billboard Hot 100 in 1966. Only a minor hit in the UK, it was covered by The Stranglers in 1990, with their version reaching the top 20 of the UK singles chart.

Four Tops released "I Can't Help Myself" in 1965, reaching the top of the US Billboard Hot 100 and hitting the UK top ten, both firsts for the band.

Ninety-six + four = one hundred. 100 is the tenth square number.

Answer: Triangular number

German Lou Bega took "Mambo no. 5" to the top of charts in multiple European countries including the UK and also reached the top ten on the Billboard Hot 100. The song is based around a sample from the 1949 song of the same name by King of the Mambo, the Cuban bandleader Perez Prado.

"Ten" was the 1991 debut of Pearl Jam. It featured the hit singles, "Jeremy" and "Alive" and was certified multi-platinum in several countries, including Australia, Canada, the UK and the US.

Five + ten = Fifteen. 15 is the fifth triangular number.

Answer: Square number

"50 Ways to Leave Your Lover" was a huge worldwide hit for Paul Simon in 1975, reaching the top of the Canadian charts and the US Billboard Hot 100 as well as reaching number two in France. It was the first number one in the US for Simon and the album it came from, "Still Crazy After All These Years" also reached the top of the US album charts.

Three Dog Night released "One" as their second single in 1969. It reached the top five of US Billboard Hot 100. A cover version of the Harry Nilsson original from the year before, it opens with the line, "One is the loneliest number that you'll ever do".

Fifty minus one = Forty-nine. 49 is the seventh square number.

Answer: Prime number

"I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)" became a hit for Scottish brothers The Proclaimers in the US in 1993, five years after it was released in the UK and became a number one in both Australia and New Zealand.

The German band Nena hit the top of the UK, Irish and Canadian singles charts with the English language version of their German hit "99 Luftballons" (99 Red Balloons). The original German version conquered the charts in both Europe and Japan.

500 minus 99 = 401. 401 is the 79th prime number and is also a sum of seven consecutive prime numbers from 43 to 71.

Answer: Prime number

"The Twelve Days of Christmas" is a traditional Christmas carol with unknown origins. It dates back to at least the 18th century. The carol tells of the twelve days, each of which sees a different gift given by the narrator to their "true love".

On the twelfth day, the true love received seven swans a-swimming, six geese a-laying, four calling birds, three french hens, two turtle doves and a partridge (in a pear tree), giving a total of 23 birds. 23 is the ninth prime number.