Filter by: Content type: ALL Problems Articles Games Stage: All Stage 1&2 Stage 2&3 Stage 3&4 Stage 4&5 Challenge level:
Make a conjecture about the sum of the squares of the odd positive integers. Can you prove it?
If a number N is expressed in binary by using only 'ones,' what can you say about its square (in binary)?
Yatir from Israel describes his method for summing a series of triangle numbers.
Can you find some Pythagorean Triples where the two smaller numbers differ by 1?
Evaluate these powers of 67. What do you notice? Can you convince someone what the answer would be to (a million sixes followed by a 7) squared?
Yatir from Israel wrote this article on numbers that can be written as $ 2^n-n $ where n is a positive integer.
Find the sum, f(n), of the first n terms of the sequence: 0, 1, 1, 2, 2, 3, 3........p, p, p +1, p + 1,..... Prove that f(a + b) - f(a - b) = ab.
Four rods of equal length are hinged at their endpoints to form a rhombus. The diagonals meet at X. One edge is fixed, the opposite edge is allowed to move in the plane. Describe the locus of. . . .
Many numbers can be expressed as the difference of two perfect squares. What do you notice about the numbers you CANNOT make?
Investigate sequences given by $a_n = \frac{1+a_{n-1}}{a_{n-2}}$ for different choices of the first two terms. Make a conjecture about the behaviour of these sequences. Can you prove your conjecture?
Take any parallelogram and draw squares on the sides of the parallelogram. What can you prove about the quadrilateral formed by joining the centres of these squares?
A point P is selected anywhere inside an equilateral triangle. What can you say about the sum of the perpendicular distances from P to the sides of the triangle? Can you prove your conjecture?
A point moves on a line segment. A function depends on the position of the point. Where do you expect the point to be for a minimum of this function to occur.
Make and prove a conjecture about the cyclic quadrilateral inscribed in a circle of radius r that has the maximum perimeter and the maximum area.
Change the squares in this diagram and spot the property that stays the same for the triangles. Explain...
Join in this ongoing research. Build squares on the sides of a triangle, join the outer vertices forming hexagons, build further rings of squares and quadrilaterals, investigate.
Use the computer to model an epidemic. Try out public health policies to control the spread of the epidemic, to minimise the number of sick days and deaths.
Make a conjecture about the curved track taken by the complex roots of a quadratic equation and use complex conjugates to prove your conjecture.
Alison has created two mappings. Can you figure out what they do? What questions do they prompt you to ask?
This group tasks allows you to search for arithmetic progressions in the prime numbers. How many of the challenges will you discover for yourself?
How many different colours of paint would be needed to paint these pictures by numbers?
The points P, Q, R and S are the midpoints of the edges of a non-convex quadrilateral.What do you notice about the quadrilateral PQRS and its area?
Can you find the values at the vertices when you know the values on the edges of these multiplication arithmagons?
A and B are two fixed points on a circle and RS is a variable diamater. What is the locus of the intersection P of AR and BS?
Two semicircle sit on the diameter of a semicircle centre O of twice their radius. Lines through O divide the perimeter into two parts. What can you say about the lengths of these two parts?
Points D, E and F are on the the sides of triangle ABC. Circumcircles are drawn to the triangles ADE, BEF and CFD respectively. What do you notice about these three circumcircles?
Show that for any triangle it is always possible to construct 3 touching circles with centres at the vertices. Is it possible to construct touching circles centred at the vertices of any polygon?
Drawing a triangle is not always as easy as you might think!
A introduction to how patterns can be deceiving, and what is and is not a proof.
What have Fibonacci numbers got to do with Pythagorean triples?
What have Fibonacci numbers to do with solutions of the quadratic equation x^2 - x - 1 = 0 ?
Make and prove a conjecture about the value of the product of the Fibonacci numbers $F_{n+1}F_{n-1}$.
Have a go at creating these images based on circles. What do you notice about the areas of the different sections?
Steve has created two mappings. Can you figure out what they do? What questions do they prompt you to ask?
Explore the relationship between quadratic functions and their graphs.
Here is a machine with four coloured lights. Can you make two lights switch on at once? Three lights? All four lights?
This problem is a sequence of linked mini-challenges leading up to the proof of a difficult final challenge, encouraging you to think mathematically. Starting with one of the mini-challenges, how. . . .
Find out about Magic Squares in this article written for students. Why are they magic?!
What happens to the perimeter of triangle ABC as the two smaller circles change size and roll around inside the bigger circle?
Find the vertices of a pentagon given the midpoints of its sides.
Take any pair of two digit numbers x=ab and y=cd where, without loss of generality, ab > cd . Form two 4 digit numbers r=abcd and s=cdab and calculate: {r^2 - s^2} /{x^2 - y^2}.
A polite number can be written as the sum of two or more consecutive positive integers. Find the consecutive sums giving the polite numbers 544 and 424. What characterizes impolite numbers?
Janine noticed, while studying some cube numbers, that if you take three consecutive whole numbers and multiply them together and then add the middle number of the three, you get the middle number. . . .
The points P, Q, R and S are the midpoints of the edges of a convex quadrilateral. What do you notice about the quadrilateral PQRS as the convex quadrilateral changes?
In 15 years' time my age will be the square of my age 15 years ago. Can you work out my age, and when I had other special birthdays?
Generalise this inequality involving integrals.
A serious but easily readable discussion of proof in mathematics with some amusing stories and some interesting examples.
With red and blue beads on a circular wire; 'put a red bead between any two of the same colour and a blue between different colours then remove the original beads'. Keep repeating this. What happens?
A sequence of polynomials starts 0, 1 and each poly is given by combining the two polys in the sequence just before it. Investigate and prove results about the roots of the polys.
Can you find a rule which connects consecutive triangular numbers?