Using the cards 2, 4, 6, 8, +, - and =, what number statements can
Use these head, body and leg pieces to make Robot Monsters which
are different heights.
Place six toy ladybirds into the box so that there are two ladybirds in every column and every row.
In Sam and Jill's garden there are two sorts of ladybirds with 7 spots or 4 spots. What numbers of total spots can you make?
Put the numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 into the squares so that the
numbers on each circle add up to the same amount. Can you find the
rule for giving another set of six numbers?
Can you use the information to find out which cards I have used?
Ten cards are put into five envelopes so that there are two cards in each envelope. The sum of the numbers inside it is written on each envelope. What numbers could be inside the envelopes?
Katie had a pack of 20 cards numbered from 1 to 20. She arranged
the cards into 6 unequal piles where each pile added to the same
total. What was the total and how could this be done?
How could you put eight beanbags in the hoops so that there are
four in the blue hoop, five in the red and six in the yellow? Can
you find all the ways of doing this?
Find all the numbers that can be made by adding the dots on two dice.
If each of these three shapes has a value, can you find the totals
of the combinations? Perhaps you can use the shapes to make the
Choose four different digits from 1-9 and put one in each box so that the resulting four two-digit numbers add to a total of 100.
Tim had nine cards each with a different number from 1 to 9 on it.
How could he have put them into three piles so that the total in
each pile was 15?
There are to be 6 homes built on a new development site. They could
be semi-detached, detached or terraced houses. How many different
combinations of these can you find?
This challenge is about finding the difference between numbers which have the same tens digit.
Leah and Tom each have a number line. Can you work out where their counters will land? What are the secret jumps they make with their counters?
This is an adding game for two players.
Look carefully at the numbers. What do you notice? Can you make
another square using the numbers 1 to 16, that displays the same
Use your logical-thinking skills to deduce how much Dan's crisps and ice-cream cost altogether.
This magic square has operations written in it, to make it into a
maze. Start wherever you like, go through every cell and go out a
total of 15!
Find your way through the grid starting at 2 and following these
operations. What number do you end on?
Can you put plus signs in so this is true? 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 = 99
How many ways can you do it?
These two group activities use mathematical reasoning - one is
numerical, one geometric.
Try adding together the dates of all the days in one week. Now
multiply the first date by 7 and add 21. Can you explain what
Fill in the missing numbers so that adding each pair of corner
numbers gives you the number between them (in the box).
If you hang two weights on one side of this balance, in how many different ways can you hang three weights on the other side for it to be balanced?
Place the numbers 1 to 10 in the circles so that each number is the
difference between the two numbers just below it.
Exactly 195 digits have been used to number the pages in a book.
How many pages does the book have?
Arrange eight of the numbers between 1 and 9 in the Polo Square
below so that each side adds to the same total.
Zumf makes spectacles for the residents of the planet Zargon, who
have either 3 eyes or 4 eyes. How many lenses will Zumf need to
make all the different orders for 9 families?
Fill in the numbers to make the sum of each row, column and
diagonal equal to 34. For an extra challenge try the huge American
Flag magic square.
There are 44 people coming to a dinner party. There are 15 square
tables that seat 4 people. Find a way to seat the 44 people using
all 15 tables, with no empty places.
This challenge focuses on finding the sum and difference of pairs of two-digit numbers.
Find the sum and difference between a pair of two-digit numbers. Now find the sum and difference between the sum and difference! What happens?
Ben has five coins in his pocket. How much money might he have?
Place the digits 1 to 9 into the circles so that each side of the
triangle adds to the same total.
Using 3 rods of integer lengths, none longer than 10 units and not
using any rod more than once, you can measure all the lengths in
whole units from 1 to 10 units. How many ways can you do this?
There are 4 jugs which hold 9 litres, 7 litres, 4 litres and 2
litres. Find a way to pour 9 litres of drink from one jug to
another until you are left with exactly 3 litres in three of the
Lolla bought a balloon at the circus. She gave the clown six coins
to pay for it. What could Lolla have paid for the balloon?
Write the numbers up to 64 in an interesting way so that the shape they make at the end is interesting, different, more exciting ... than just a square.
Can you substitute numbers for the letters in these sums?
An investigation involving adding and subtracting sets of consecutive numbers. Lots to find out, lots to explore.
In how many ways could Mrs Beeswax put ten coins into her three
puddings so that each pudding ended up with at least two coins?
You have 5 darts and your target score is 44. How many different
ways could you score 44?
Winifred Wytsh bought a box each of jelly babies, milk jelly bears,
yellow jelly bees and jelly belly beans. In how many different ways
could she make a jolly jelly feast with 32 legs?
This problem is based on the story of the Pied Piper of Hamelin. Investigate the different numbers of people and rats there could have been if you know how many legs there are altogether!
Add the sum of the squares of four numbers between 10 and 20 to the
sum of the squares of three numbers less than 6 to make the square
of another, larger, number.
There are 78 prisoners in a square cell block of twelve cells. The
clever prison warder arranged them so there were 25 along each wall
of the prison block. How did he do it?
This problem is based on a code using two different prime numbers
less than 10. You'll need to multiply them together and shift the
alphabet forwards by the result. Can you decipher the code?
This dice train has been made using specific rules. How many different trains can you make?