Filter by: Content type: ALL Problems Articles Games Stage: All Stage 1&2 Stage 2&3 Stage 3&4 Stage 4&5 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?
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.
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?
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?
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?
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?
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.
How many different symmetrical shapes can you make by shading triangles or squares?
Can you arrange the numbers 1 to 17 in a row so that each adjacent pair adds up to a square number?
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?
My two digit number is special because adding the sum of its digits to the product of its digits gives me my original number. What could my number be?
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?
Do you notice anything about the solutions when you add and/or subtract consecutive negative numbers?
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?
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.
Find out about Magic Squares in this article written for students. Why are they magic?!
A package contains a set of resources designed to develop students’ mathematical thinking. This package places a particular emphasis on “being systematic” and is designed to meet. . . .
Rather than using the numbers 1-9, this sudoku uses the nine different letters used to make the words "Advent Calendar".
Can you find six numbers to go in the Daisy from which you can make all the numbers from 1 to a number bigger than 25?
Ben passed a third of his counters to Jack, Jack passed a quarter of his counters to Emma and Emma passed a fifth of her counters to Ben. After this they all had the same number of counters.
Charlie and Lynne put a counter on 42. They wondered if they could visit all the other numbers on their 1-100 board, moving the counter using just these two operations: x2 and -5. What do you think?
A few extra challenges set by some young NRICH members.
Play the divisibility game to create numbers in which the first two digits make a number divisible by 2, the first three digits make a number divisible by 3...
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?
An extra constraint means this Sudoku requires you to think in diagonals as well as horizontal and vertical lines and boxes of nine.
Different combinations of the weights available allow you to make different totals. Which totals can you make?
How many solutions can you find to this sum? Each of the different letters stands for a different number.
Find a cuboid (with edges of integer values) that has a surface area of exactly 100 square units. Is there more than one? Can you find them all?
The idea of this game is to add or subtract the two numbers on the dice and cover the result on the grid, trying to get a line of three. Are there some numbers that are good to aim for?
A Sudoku with clues given as sums of entries.
This tricky challenge asks you to find ways of going across rectangles, going through exactly ten squares.
If you are given the mean, median and mode of five positive whole numbers, can you find the numbers?
A man has 5 coins in his pocket. Given the clues, can you work out what the coins are?
Label this plum tree graph to make it totally magic!
This challenging activity involves finding different ways to distribute fifteen items among four sets, when the sets must include three, four, five and six items.
A Sudoku with clues as ratios.
A Sudoku that uses transformations as supporting clues.
Find all the ways of placing the numbers 1 to 9 on a W shape, with 3 numbers on each leg, so that each set of 3 numbers has the same total.
This pair of linked Sudokus matches letters with numbers and hides a seasonal greeting. Can you find it?
Two sudokus in one. Challenge yourself to make the necessary connections.
Four friends must cross a bridge. How can they all cross it in just 17 minutes?
This sudoku requires you to have "double vision" - two Sudoku's for the price of one
A Sudoku with a twist.
Four numbers on an intersection that need to be placed in the surrounding cells. That is all you need to know to solve this sudoku.
This Sudoku, based on differences. Using the one clue number can you find the solution?
There is a long tradition of creating mazes throughout history and across the world. This article gives details of mazes you can visit and those that you can tackle on paper.
If you have only 40 metres of fencing available, what is the maximum area of land you can fence off?
This challenge extends the Plants investigation so now four or more children are involved.