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Resources tagged with Working systematically similar to Zooming in on the Squares:

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Broad Topics > Using, Applying and Reasoning about Mathematics > Working systematically

You Owe Me Five Farthings, Say the Bells of St Martin's

Stage: 3 Challenge Level:

Use the interactivity to listen to the bells ringing a pattern. Now it's your turn! Play one of the bells yourself. How do you know when it is your turn to ring?

When Will You Pay Me? Say the Bells of Old Bailey

Stage: 3 Challenge Level:

Use the interactivity to play two of the bells in a pattern. How do you know when it is your turn to ring, and how do you know which bell to ring?

Tetrahedra Tester

Stage: 3 Challenge Level:

An irregular tetrahedron is composed of four different triangles. Can such a tetrahedron be constructed where the side lengths are 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9 units of length?

Fence It

Stage: 3 Challenge Level:

If you have only 40 metres of fencing available, what is the maximum area of land you can fence off?

Geoboards

Stage: 2 Challenge Level:

This practical challenge invites you to investigate the different squares you can make on a square geoboard or pegboard.

Isosceles Triangles

Stage: 3 Challenge Level:

Draw some isosceles triangles with an area of $9$cm$^2$ and a vertex at (20,20). If all the vertices must have whole number coordinates, how many is it possible to draw?

Making Squares

Stage: 2 Challenge Level:

Investigate all the different squares you can make on this 5 by 5 grid by making your starting side go from the bottom left hand point. Can you find out the areas of all these squares?

9 Weights

Stage: 3 Challenge Level:

You have been given nine weights, one of which is slightly heavier than the rest. Can you work out which weight is heavier in just two weighings of the balance?

Triangles to Tetrahedra

Stage: 3 Challenge Level:

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.

More Magic Potting Sheds

Stage: 3 Challenge Level:

The number of plants in Mr McGregor's magic potting shed increases overnight. He'd like to put the same number of plants in each of his gardens, planting one garden each day. How can he do it?

Tiles on a Patio

Stage: 2 Challenge Level:

How many ways can you find of tiling the square patio, using square tiles of different sizes?

Squares in Rectangles

Stage: 3 Challenge Level:

A 2 by 3 rectangle contains 8 squares and a 3 by 4 rectangle contains 20 squares. What size rectangle(s) contain(s) exactly 100 squares? Can you find them all?

My New Patio

Stage: 2 Challenge Level:

What is the smallest number of tiles needed to tile this patio? Can you investigate patios of different sizes?

Games Related to Nim

Stage: 1, 2, 3 and 4

This article for teachers describes several games, found on the site, all of which have a related structure that can be used to develop the skills of strategic planning.

Stage: 2 Challenge Level:

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?

Product Sudoku 2

Stage: 3 and 4 Challenge Level:

Given the products of diagonally opposite cells - can you complete this Sudoku?

Calcunos

Stage: 2 Challenge Level:

If we had 16 light bars which digital numbers could we make? How will you know you've found them all?

Ratio Sudoku 3

Stage: 3 and 4 Challenge Level:

A Sudoku with clues as ratios or fractions.

Teddy Town

Stage: 1, 2 and 3 Challenge Level:

There are nine teddies in Teddy Town - three red, three blue and three yellow. There are also nine houses, three of each colour. Can you put them on the map of Teddy Town according to the rules?

Wallpaper Sudoku

Stage: 3 and 4 Challenge Level:

A Sudoku that uses transformations as supporting clues.

Calendar Cubes

Stage: 2 Challenge Level:

Make a pair of cubes that can be moved to show all the days of the month from the 1st to the 31st.

Ratio Sudoku 1

Stage: 3 and 4 Challenge Level:

A Sudoku with clues as ratios.

Summing Consecutive Numbers

Stage: 3 Challenge Level:

Many numbers can be expressed as the sum of two or more consecutive integers. For example, 15=7+8 and 10=1+2+3+4. Can you say which numbers can be expressed in this way?

A-magical Number Maze

Stage: 2 Challenge Level:

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!

The Moons of Vuvv

Stage: 2 Challenge Level:

The planet of Vuvv has seven moons. Can you work out how long it is between each super-eclipse?

Square Corners

Stage: 2 Challenge Level:

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?

Problem Solving, Using and Applying and Functional Mathematics

Stage: 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 Challenge Level:

Problem solving is at the heart of the NRICH site. All the problems give learners opportunities to learn, develop or use mathematical concepts and skills. Read here for more information.

Magic Potting Sheds

Stage: 3 Challenge Level:

Mr McGregor has a magic potting shed. Overnight, the number of plants in it doubles. He'd like to put the same number of plants in each of three gardens, planting one garden each day. Can he do it?

Maths Trails

Stage: 2 and 3

The NRICH team are always looking for new ways to engage teachers and pupils in problem solving. Here we explain the thinking behind maths trails.

Broken Toaster

Stage: 2 Short Challenge Level:

Only one side of a two-slice toaster is working. What is the quickest way to toast both sides of three slices of bread?

Team Scream

Stage: 2 Challenge Level:

Seven friends went to a fun fair with lots of scary rides. They decided to pair up for rides until each friend had ridden once with each of the others. What was the total number rides?

Corresponding Sudokus

Stage: 3, 4 and 5

This second Sudoku article discusses "Corresponding Sudokus" which are pairs of Sudokus with terms that can be matched using a substitution rule.

The Pied Piper of Hamelin

Stage: 2 Challenge Level:

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!

Numerically Equal

Stage: 2 Challenge Level:

Can you draw a square in which the perimeter is numerically equal to the area?

Making Boxes

Stage: 2 Challenge Level:

Cut differently-sized square corners from a square piece of paper to make boxes without lids. Do they all have the same volume?

Uncanny Triangles

Stage: 2 Challenge Level:

Can you help the children find the two triangles which have the lengths of two sides numerically equal to their areas?

Ice Cream

Stage: 2 Challenge Level:

You cannot choose a selection of ice cream flavours that includes totally what someone has already chosen. Have a go and find all the different ways in which seven children can have ice cream.

Oranges and Lemons, Say the Bells of St Clement's

Stage: 3 Challenge Level:

Bellringers have a special way to write down the patterns they ring. Learn about these patterns and draw some of your own.

Pouring the Punch Drink

Stage: 2 Challenge Level:

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 jugs.

Rabbits in the Pen

Stage: 2 Challenge Level:

Using the statements, can you work out how many of each type of rabbit there are in these pens?

LOGO Challenge - the Logic of LOGO

Stage: 3 and 4 Challenge Level:

Just four procedures were used to produce a design. How was it done? Can you be systematic and elegant so that someone can follow your logic?

Sitting Round the Party Tables

Stage: 1 and 2 Challenge Level:

Sweets are given out to party-goers in a particular way. Investigate the total number of sweets received by people sitting in different positions.

Dicey Perimeter, Dicey Area

Stage: 2 Challenge Level:

In this game for two players, you throw two dice and find the product. How many shapes can you draw on the grid which have that area or perimeter?

Three Sets of Cubes, Two Surfaces

Stage: 2 Challenge Level:

How many models can you find which obey these rules?

Button-up Some More

Stage: 2 Challenge Level:

How many ways can you find to do up all four buttons on my coat? How about if I had five buttons? Six ...?

Stage: 3 Challenge Level:

How many different symmetrical shapes can you make by shading triangles or squares?

Area and Perimeter

Stage: 2 Challenge Level:

What can you say about these shapes? This problem challenges you to create shapes with different areas and perimeters.

Through the Window

Stage: 2 Challenge Level:

My local DIY shop calculates the price of its windows according to the area of glass and the length of frame used. Can you work out how they arrived at these prices?

Sums and Differences 1

Stage: 2 Challenge Level:

This challenge focuses on finding the sum and difference of pairs of two-digit numbers.