The Spindletop Sabotage
At the Spindletop Basin exhibition, Joshua Oil and Big Texas Oil proudly unveiled their new super-drill. But overnight, a sneaky saboteur from the rival JohnDoe Oil Company snuck into the control shack, scrambled the drilling coordinates, and vanished into the dust! The Chief Geologist needs your help to crack the clues, solve the math, and identify the saboteur before they ruin the entire oil field.
Possible suspects
Cross off a row as each clue rules it out. On screen, tap a row.
| Name | Primary Skill | Special Tool | Clipboard Preference | Hair Color | Susceptibility |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Slick Henderson | seismic scanning | thermal imaging | uses digital clipboard | jet black hair | scared of bats |
| Colt Cooper | well pressure tuning | laser surveying | uses paper clipboard | jet black hair | scared of bats |
| Ranger Vance | heavy pipe lifting | thermal imaging | uses paper clipboard | jet black hair | allergic to diesel fumes |
| Buster Texas | well pressure tuning | laser surveying | uses digital clipboard | jet black hair | scared of bats |
| Baron Doe | heavy pipe lifting | thermal imaging | uses paper clipboard | jet black hair | scared of bats |
| Dallas Miller | rig piloting | laser surveying | uses paper clipboard | jet black hair | scared of bats |
| Wyatt Rigby | seismic scanning | solar grid charging | uses paper clipboard | dusty brown hair | scared of bats |
| Sunny Houston | heavy pipe lifting | thermal imaging | uses digital clipboard | jet black hair | allergic to diesel fumes |
| Derrick Vance | seismic scanning | drone scouting | uses paper clipboard | jet black hair | scared of bats |
| Rusty Joshua | well pressure tuning | solar grid charging | uses digital clipboard | dusty brown hair | dislikes loud alarms |
| Maverick Stone | well pressure tuning | drone scouting | uses paper clipboard | jet black hair | allergic to diesel fumes |
| Billie Texas | seismic scanning | solar grid charging | uses digital clipboard | dusty brown hair | allergic to diesel fumes |
| Boots Calhoun | heavy pipe lifting | solar grid charging | uses digital clipboard | bright red hair | dislikes loud alarms |
| Texanna Texas | heavy pipe lifting | drone scouting | uses digital clipboard | bright red hair | scared of bats |
| Sly Doe | blueprint mapping | thermal imaging | uses paper clipboard | bright red hair | scared of bats |
| Lasso Lou | well pressure tuning | mud pump rigging | uses paper clipboard | dusty brown hair | allergic to diesel fumes |
| Clara Spindletop | seismic scanning | mud pump rigging | uses paper clipboard | bright red hair | dislikes loud alarms |
| Tex Denton | blueprint mapping | solar grid charging | uses paper clipboard | dusty brown hair | scared of bats |
| Abby Petroleum | blueprint mapping | laser surveying | uses paper clipboard | dusty brown hair | scared of bats |
| Mack JohnDoe | well pressure tuning | mud pump rigging | uses paper clipboard | bright red hair | scared of bats |
| Pearl Joshua | blueprint mapping | laser surveying | uses paper clipboard | jet black hair | scared of bats |
Subtraction
To find the first clue, we need to compare the shipping manifests. Calculate the difference between the barrels shipped by Joshua Oil and the smaller batch sent by Big Texas Oil.
Solve each problem to learn its letter. Then write that letter in every box that shows the same number, and read the secret clue.
Addition
A stack of pipe sections was left near the main valve. Total up the lengths of all three copper pipelines to find where the next clue was dropped.
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)
The JohnDoe security cameras are arranged in a massive grid. Multiply the rows of cameras by the columns to bypass the system and read the hair color 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.
Fractions of a number
A map of the oil basin was torn into equal sections. Find the exact fractional share of the map that belongs to Big Texas Oil to reveal the weakness clue.
Solve each problem to learn its letter. Then write that letter in every box that shows the same number, and read the secret clue.
Fractions of a number — the last clue
Only a small fraction of the fuel canisters are safe to open. Calculate the correct fraction of the twenty total canisters to unlock the final secret.
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 Spindletop Sabotage
- Clue 1 (Subtraction): "THE SABOTEUR DOES NOT USE DRONE SCOUTING"4203 - 990 = 3213 (T) · 1388 - 82 = 1306 (E) · 4631 - 3045 = 1586 (O) · 10553 - 4329 = 6224 (B) · 10671 - 2012 = 8659 (I) · 4936 - 1117 = 3819 (N) · 11580 - 4696 = 6884 (A) · 7583 - 4287 = 3296 (H) · 8262 - 3914 = 4348 (S) · 5801 - 4731 = 1070 (G) · 8692 - 1215 = 7477 (U) · 4118 - 3068 = 1050 (D) · 4060 - 1769 = 2291 (C) · 8665 - 1269 = 7396 (R)
- Clue 2 (Addition): "THE VILLAIN USES A PAPER CLIPBOARD"1196 + 2628 = 3824 (T) · 2426 + 2942 = 5368 (N) · 5360 + 3777 = 9137 (E) · 1338 + 2186 = 3524 (D) · 1762 + 1646 = 3408 (I) · 2391 + 4557 = 6948 (B) · 5503 + 2781 = 8284 (H) · 5768 + 3000 = 8768 (U) · 1904 + 3800 = 5704 (A) · 1638 + 1811 = 3449 (V) · 3648 + 2125 = 5773 (O) · 2298 + 3360 = 5658 (L) · 3484 + 5620 = 9104 (R) · 3888 + 3603 = 7491 (C) · 3417 + 2625 = 6042 (S) · 2488 + 1073 = 3561 (P)
- Clue 3 (Multiplication facts (1-12)): "THE GLOVES SHOW A FEAR OF BATS"7 × 11 = 77 (T) · 3 × 7 = 21 (E) · 4 × 1 = 4 (H) · 8 × 10 = 80 (L) · 7 × 8 = 56 (F) · 10 × 3 = 30 (S) · 6 × 12 = 72 (A) · 9 × 11 = 99 (B) · 11 × 4 = 44 (W) · 1 × 3 = 3 (V) · 2 × 3 = 6 (G) · 4 × 4 = 16 (O) · 5 × 9 = 45 (R)
- Clue 4 (Fractions of a number): "DARK STRANDS CLING TO THE CONTROLS"2/3 of 33 = 22 (D) · 4/8 of 34 = 17 (L) · 2/4 of 50 = 25 (O) · 6/10 of 30 = 18 (R) · 2/4 of 12 = 6 (I) · 1/6 of 78 = 13 (C) · 2/4 of 76 = 38 (G) · 1/3 of 78 = 26 (T) · 3/6 of 16 = 8 (H) · 1/3 of 6 = 2 (K) · 2/4 of 10 = 5 (S) · 1/2 of 56 = 28 (N) · 1/4 of 44 = 11 (E) · 2/8 of 12 = 3 (A)
- Clue 5 (Fractions of a number): surviving statement (box 9) → Baron Doe2/5 of 25 = 10 · 2/10 of 35 = 7 · 3/5 of 5 = 3 · 1/10 of 20 = 2 · 5/10 of 16 = 8 · 1/5 of 55 = 11 · 6/8 of 8 = 6 · 1/10 of 50 = 5 · 4/5 of 15 = 12 · 2/10 of 5 = 1 · 4/10 of 10 = 4
About this mystery
- Grade level
- Grade 5 math
- Math topics
- Subtraction, Addition, Multiplication, Fractions of a number
- Reading level
- grades 5-6
- Theme
- The Spindletop Sabotage — set in the dusty plains of Spindletop Basin, Texas
- Format
- Interactive online & printable worksheet with answer key
- Solution
- One unique, verified culprit among 21 suspects