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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?
An investigation that gives you the opportunity to make and justify predictions.
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?
Can you make square numbers by adding two prime numbers together?
Can you fill in this table square? The numbers 2 -12 were used to generate it with just one number used twice.
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?
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?
The planet of Vuvv has seven moons. Can you work out how long it is between each super-eclipse?
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.
How many different sets of numbers with at least four members can you find in the numbers in this box?
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!
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.
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?
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.
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?
If you have only four weights, where could you place them in order to balance this equaliser?
Complete the magic square using the numbers 1 to 25 once each. Each row, column and diagonal adds up to 65.
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?
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?
Investigate the smallest number of moves it takes to turn these mats upside-down if you can only turn exactly three at a time.
"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 ...?
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?
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?
When Charlie asked his grandmother how old she is, he didn't get a straightforward reply! Can you work out how old she is?
What is the lowest number which always leaves a remainder of 1 when divided by each of the numbers from 2 to 10?
There are ten children in Becky's group. Can you find a set of numbers for each of them? Are there any other sets?
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?
56 406 is the product of two consecutive numbers. What are these two numbers?
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?
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...
Investigate the sum of the numbers on the top and bottom faces of a line of three dice. What do you notice?
An environment which simulates working with Cuisenaire rods.
Follow the clues to find the mystery number.
In this problem we are looking at sets of parallel sticks that cross each other. What is the least number of crossings you can make? And the greatest?
Are these domino games fair? Can you explain why or why not?
Arrange the four number cards on the grid, according to the rules, to make a diagonal, vertical or horizontal line.
What is the smallest number with exactly 14 divisors?
Factor track is not a race but a game of skill. The idea is to go round the track in as few moves as possible, keeping to the rules.
Look at three 'next door neighbours' amongst the counting numbers. Add them together. What do you notice?
Using the digits 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8, mulitply a two two digit numbers are multiplied to give a four digit number, so that the expression is correct. How many different solutions can you find?
In this activity, the computer chooses a times table and shifts it. Can you work out the table and the shift each time?
This article for teachers describes how number arrays can be a useful reprentation for many number concepts.
The sum of the first 'n' natural numbers is a 3 digit number in which all the digits are the same. How many numbers have been summed?
Given the products of adjacent cells, can you complete this Sudoku?
Can you complete this jigsaw of the multiplication square?
Which is quicker, counting up to 30 in ones or counting up to 300 in tens? Why?
Imagine a wheel with different markings painted on it at regular intervals. Can you predict the colour of the 18th mark? The 100th mark?
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?
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.
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.