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Our 2008 Advent Calendar has a 'Making Maths' activity for every day in the run-up to Christmas.
The ancient Egyptians were said to make right-angled triangles using a rope with twelve equal sections divided by knots. What other triangles could you make if you had a rope like this?
How many triangles can you make on the 3 by 3 pegboard?
This was a problem for our birthday website. Can you use four of these pieces to form a square? How about making a square with all five pieces?
Are all the possible combinations of two shapes included in this set of 27 cards? How do you know?
How can you arrange the 5 cubes so that you need the smallest number of Brush Loads of paint to cover them? Try with other numbers of cubes as well.
What is the smallest cuboid that you can put in this box so that you cannot fit another that's the same into it?
This activity investigates how you might make squares and pentominoes from Polydron.
What are the next three numbers in this sequence? Can you explain why are they called pyramid numbers?
Arrange 9 red cubes, 9 blue cubes and 9 yellow cubes into a large 3 by 3 cube. No row or column of cubes must contain two cubes of the same colour.
NRICH December 2006 advent calendar - a new tangram for each day in the run-up to Christmas.
Investigate the smallest number of moves it takes to turn these mats upside-down if you can only turn exactly three at a time.
An activity making various patterns with 2 x 1 rectangular tiles.
What is the greatest number of counters you can place on the grid below without four of them lying at the corners of a square?
Can you make the most extraordinary, the most amazing, the most unusual patterns/designs from these triangles which are made in a special way?
In how many ways can you fit two of these yellow triangles together? Can you predict the number of ways two blue triangles can be fitted together?
How many different cuboids can you make when you use four CDs or DVDs? How about using five, then six?
How can you put five cereal packets together to make different shapes if you must put them face-to-face?
This practical investigation invites you to make tessellating shapes in a similar way to the artist Escher.
Take a rectangle of paper and fold it in half, and half again, to make four smaller rectangles. How many different ways can you fold it up?
What happens to the area of a square if you double the length of the sides? Try the same thing with rectangles, diamonds and other shapes. How do the four smaller ones fit into the larger one?
How many models can you find which obey these rules?
Using different numbers of sticks, how many different triangles are you able to make? Can you make any rules about the numbers of sticks that make the most triangles?
Can you order pictures of the development of a frog from frogspawn and of a bean seed growing into a plant?
Delight your friends with this cunning trick! Can you explain how it works?
Take 5 cubes of one colour and 2 of another colour. How many different ways can you join them if the 5 must touch the table and the 2 must not touch the table?
Let's say you can only use two different lengths - 2 units and 4 units. Using just these 2 lengths as the edges how many different cuboids can you make?
A jigsaw where pieces only go together if the fractions are equivalent.
What is the largest number of circles we can fit into the frame without them overlapping? How do you know? What will happen if you try the other shapes?
Can you fit the tangram pieces into the outline of this goat and giraffe?
Can you fit the tangram pieces into the outline of this plaque design?
Can you fit the tangram pieces into the outline of Wai Ping, Wah Ming and Chi Wing?
Here's a simple way to make a Tangram without any measuring or ruling lines.
Here is a solitaire type environment for you to experiment with. Which targets can you reach?
Starting with four different triangles, imagine you have an unlimited number of each type. How many different tetrahedra can you make? Convince us you have found them all.
These are pictures of the sea defences at New Brighton. Can you work out what a basic shape might be in both images of the sea wall and work out a way they might fit together?
Paint a stripe on a cardboard roll. Can you predict what will happen when it is rolled across a sheet of paper?
Can you fit the tangram pieces into the outline of the telescope and microscope?
Can you fit the tangram pieces into the outline of this junk?
Take a counter and surround it by a ring of other counters that MUST touch two others. How many are needed?
Can you fit the tangram pieces into the outline of this brazier for roasting chestnuts?
Can you fit the tangram pieces into the outline of this shape. How would you describe it?
Can you fit the tangram pieces into the outlines of these people?
Can you fit the tangram pieces into the outlines of the chairs?
Can you fit the tangram pieces into the outlines of the lobster, yacht and cyclist?
Can you fit the tangram pieces into the outlines of these clocks?
Can you fit the tangram pieces into the outlines of Mai Ling and Chi Wing?
Can you fit the tangram pieces into the outlines of the candle and sundial?
Can you fit the tangram pieces into the outline of Little Ming and Little Fung dancing?
Can you fit the tangram pieces into the outline of the child walking home from school?