Filter by: Content type: ALL Problems Articles Games Stage: All Stage 1&2 Stage 2&3 Stage 3&4 Stage 4&5 Challenge level:
The planet of Vuvv has seven moons. Can you work out how long it is between each super-eclipse?
How many different shaped boxes can you design for 36 sweets in one layer? Can you arrange the sweets so that no sweets of the same colour are next to each other in any direction?
In a square in which the houses are evenly spaced, numbers 3 and 10 are opposite each other. What is the smallest and what is the largest possible number of houses in the square?
Can you fill in this table square? The numbers 2 -12 were used to generate it with just one number used twice.
What do the numbers shaded in blue on this hundred square have in common? What do you notice about the pink numbers? How about the shaded numbers in the other squares?
Investigate the smallest number of moves it takes to turn these mats upside-down if you can only turn exactly three at a time.
Can you order the digits from 1-6 to make a number which is divisible by 6 so when the last digit is removed it becomes a 5-figure number divisible by 5, and so on?
Can you work out the arrangement of the digits in the square so that the given products are correct? The numbers 1 - 9 may be used once and once only.
Suppose we allow ourselves to use three numbers less than 10 and multiply them together. How many different products can you find? How do you know you've got them all?
If you have only four weights, where could you place them in order to balance this equaliser?
An investigation that gives you the opportunity to make and justify predictions.
An environment which simulates working with Cuisenaire rods.
On the planet Vuv there are two sorts of creatures. The Zios have 3 legs and the Zepts have 7 legs. The great planetary explorer Nico counted 52 legs. How many Zios and how many Zepts were there?
There is a clock-face where the numbers have become all mixed up. Can you find out where all the numbers have got to from these ten statements?
48 is called an abundant number because it is less than the sum of its factors (without itself). Can you find some more abundant numbers?
How many different sets of numbers with at least four members can you find in the numbers in this box?
Can you make square numbers by adding two prime numbers together?
Complete the magic square using the numbers 1 to 25 once each. Each row, column and diagonal adds up to 65.
Starting with the number 180, take away 9 again and again, joining up the dots as you go. Watch out - don't join all the dots!
"Ip dip sky blue! Who's 'it'? It's you!" Where would you position yourself so that you are 'it' if there are two players? Three players ...?
When Charlie asked his grandmother how old she is, he didn't get a straightforward reply! Can you work out how old she is?
Arrange the four number cards on the grid, according to the rules, to make a diagonal, vertical or horizontal line.
I throw three dice and get 5, 3 and 2. Add the scores on the three dice. What do you get? Now multiply the scores. What do you notice?
What happens if you join every second point on this circle? How about every third point? Try with different steps and see if you can predict what will happen.
The discs for this game are kept in a flat square box with a square hole for each disc. Use the information to find out how many discs of each colour there are in the box.
I am thinking of three sets of numbers less than 101. They are the red set, the green set and the blue set. Can you find all the numbers in the sets from these clues?
Can you predict when you'll be clapping and when you'll be clicking if you start this rhythm? How about when a friend begins a new rhythm at the same time?
A game in which players take it in turns to choose a number. Can you block your opponent?
There are ten children in Becky's group. Can you find a set of numbers for each of them? Are there any other sets?
Follow the clues to find the mystery number.
Imagine a wheel with different markings painted on it at regular intervals. Can you predict the colour of the 18th mark? The 100th mark?
56 406 is the product of two consecutive numbers. What are these two numbers?
I am thinking of three sets of numbers less than 101. Can you find all the numbers in each set from these clues?
What is the lowest number which always leaves a remainder of 1 when divided by each of the numbers from 2 to 10?
Can you complete this jigsaw of the multiplication square?
This article for teachers describes how number arrays can be a useful reprentation for many number concepts.
A mathematician goes into a supermarket and buys four items. Using a calculator she multiplies the cost instead of adding them. How can her answer be the same as the total at the till?
Work out Tom's number from the answers he gives his friend. He will only answer 'yes' or 'no'.
Which is quicker, counting up to 30 in ones or counting up to 300 in tens? Why?
Find the words hidden inside each of the circles by counting around a certain number of spaces to find each letter in turn.
Four of these clues are needed to find the chosen number on this grid and four are true but do nothing to help in finding the number. Can you sort out the clues and find the number?
A game for 2 people using a pack of cards Turn over 2 cards and try to make an odd number or a multiple of 3.
Given the products of adjacent cells, can you complete this Sudoku?
Ben’s class were making cutting up number tracks. First they cut them into twos and added up the numbers on each piece. What patterns could they see?
For this challenge, you'll need to play Got It! Can you explain the strategy for winning this game with any target?
How can you use just one weighing to find out which box contains the lighter ten coins out of the ten boxes?
Nine squares with side lengths 1, 4, 7, 8, 9, 10, 14, 15, and 18 cm can be fitted together to form a rectangle. What are the dimensions of the rectangle?
A game for 2 or more people. Starting with 100, subratct a number from 1 to 9 from the total. You score for making an odd number, a number ending in 0 or a multiple of 6.
This big box multiplies anything that goes inside it by the same number. If you know the numbers that come out, what multiplication might be going on in the box?
A student in a maths class was trying to get some information from her teacher. She was given some clues and then the teacher ended by saying, "Well, how old are they?"