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Find out about Magic Squares in this article written for students. Why are they magic?!
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.
A Sudoku with a twist.
Try to solve this very difficult problem and then study our two suggested solutions. How would you use your knowledge to try to solve variants on the original problem?
Advent Calendar 2011 - a mathematical activity for each day during the run-up to Christmas.
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.
You have twelve weights, one of which is different from the rest. Using just 3 weighings, can you identify which weight is the odd one out, and whether it is heavier or lighter than the rest?
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 is a variation of sudoku which contains a set of special clue-numbers. Each set of 4 small digits stands for the numbers in the four cells of the grid adjacent to this set.
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?
This second Sudoku article discusses "Corresponding Sudokus" which are pairs of Sudokus with terms that can be matched using a substitution rule.
A Sudoku with clues as ratios or fractions.
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.
You are given the Lowest Common Multiples of sets of digits. Find the digits and then solve the Sudoku.
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.
Two sudokus in one. Challenge yourself to make the necessary connections.
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?
Given the products of diagonally opposite cells - can you complete this Sudoku?
How many different symmetrical shapes can you make by shading triangles or squares?
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?
This pair of linked Sudokus matches letters with numbers and hides a seasonal greeting. Can you find it?
Do you notice anything about the solutions when you add and/or subtract consecutive negative numbers?
A Sudoku with clues as ratios.
You need to find the values of the stars before you can apply normal Sudoku rules.
A Sudoku based on clues that give the differences between adjacent cells.
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.
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?
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?
A Sudoku that uses transformations as supporting clues.
Label this plum tree graph to make it totally magic!
Solve the equations to identify the clue numbers in this Sudoku problem.
The challenge is to find the values of the variables if you are to solve this Sudoku.
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?
A Sudoku with clues given as sums of entries.
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?
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?
This sudoku requires you to have "double vision" - two Sudoku's for the price of one
Solve this Sudoku puzzle whose clues are in the form of sums of the numbers which should appear in diagonal opposite cells.
in how many ways can you place the numbers 1, 2, 3 … 9 in the nine regions of the Olympic Emblem (5 overlapping circles) so that the amount in each ring is the same?
A particular technique for solving Sudoku puzzles, known as "naked pair", is explained in this easy-to-read article.
Imagine a stack of numbered cards with one on top. Discard the top, put the next card to the bottom and repeat continuously. Can you predict the last card?
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?
We're excited about this new program for drawing beautiful mathematical designs. Can you work out how we made our first few pictures and, even better, share your most elegant solutions with us?
A pair of Sudokus with lots in common. In fact they are the same problem but rearranged. Can you find how they relate to solve them both?
This Sudoku, based on differences. Using the one clue number can you find the solution?
A pair of Sudoku puzzles that together lead to a complete solution.
A Latin square of order n is an array of n symbols in which each symbol occurs exactly once in each row and exactly once in each column.