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Resources tagged with Powers & roots similar to Divided Differences:

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Broad Topics > Numbers and the Number System > Powers & roots

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Route to Root

Stage: 5 Challenge Level: Challenge Level:1

A sequence of numbers x1, x2, x3, ... starts with x1 = 2, and, if you know any term xn, you can find the next term xn+1 using the formula: xn+1 = (xn + 3/xn)/2 . Calculate the first six terms of this. . . .

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Unusual Long Division - Square Roots Before Calculators

Stage: 4 Challenge Level: Challenge Level:3 Challenge Level:3 Challenge Level:3

However did we manage before calculators? Is there an efficient way to do a square root if you have to do the work yourself?

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Lost in Space

Stage: 4 Challenge Level: Challenge Level:1

How many ways are there to count 1 - 2 - 3 in the array of triangular numbers? What happens with larger arrays? Can you predict for any size array?

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Deep Roots

Stage: 4 Challenge Level: Challenge Level:3 Challenge Level:3 Challenge Level:3

Find integer solutions to: $\sqrt{a+b\sqrt{x}} + \sqrt{c+d.\sqrt{x}}=1$

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Smith and Jones

Stage: 4 Challenge Level: Challenge Level:1

Mr Smith and Mr Jones are two maths teachers. By asking questions, the answers to which may be right or wrong, Mr Jones is able to find the number of the house Mr Smith lives in... Or not!

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Em'power'ed

Stage: 5 Challenge Level: Challenge Level:2 Challenge Level:2

Find the smallest numbers a, b, and c such that: a^2 = 2b^3 = 3c^5 What can you say about other solutions to this problem?

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Mod 7

Stage: 5 Challenge Level: Challenge Level:1

Find the remainder when 3^{2001} is divided by 7.

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The Root of the Problem

Stage: 4 and 5 Challenge Level: Challenge Level:2 Challenge Level:2

Find the sum of the series.

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Negative Power

Stage: 4 Challenge Level: Challenge Level:3 Challenge Level:3 Challenge Level:3

What does this number mean ? Which order of 1, 2, 3 and 4 makes the highest value ? Which makes the lowest ?

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Equal Temperament

Stage: 4 Challenge Level: Challenge Level:3 Challenge Level:3 Challenge Level:3

The scale on a piano does something clever : the ratio (interval) between any adjacent points on the scale is equal. If you play any note, twelve points higher will be exactly an octave on.

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Ab Surd Ity

Stage: 5 Challenge Level: Challenge Level:1

Find the value of sqrt(2+sqrt3)-sqrt(2-sqrt3)and then of cuberoot(2+sqrt5)+cuberoot(2-sqrt5).

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Function Pyramids

Stage: 5 Challenge Level: Challenge Level:1

A function pyramid is a structure where each entry in the pyramid is determined by the two entries below it. Can you figure out how the pyramid is generated?

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Weekly Challenge 34: Googol

Stage: 5 Short Challenge Level: Challenge Level:2 Challenge Level:2

Find the smallest value for which a particular sequence is greater than a googol.

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Weekly Challenge 16: Archimedes Numerical Roots

Stage: 5 Challenge Level: Challenge Level:1

The problem is how did Archimedes calculate the lengths of the sides of the polygons which needed him to be able to calculate square roots?

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Double Trouble

Stage: 4 Challenge Level: Challenge Level:1

Simple additions can lead to intriguing results...

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Guesswork

Stage: 4 Challenge Level: Challenge Level:3 Challenge Level:3 Challenge Level:3

Ask a friend to choose a number between 1 and 63. By identifying which of the six cards contains the number they are thinking of it is easy to tell them what the number is.

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Fibonacci Fashion

Stage: 5 Challenge Level: Challenge Level:2 Challenge Level:2

What have Fibonacci numbers to do with solutions of the quadratic equation x^2 - x - 1 = 0 ?

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Perfectly Square

Stage: 4 Challenge Level: Challenge Level:2 Challenge Level:2

The sums of the squares of three related numbers is also a perfect square - can you explain why?

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Pythagorean Fibs

Stage: 5 Challenge Level: Challenge Level:2 Challenge Level:2

What have Fibonacci numbers got to do with Pythagorean triples?

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Napier's Location Arithmetic

Stage: 4 Challenge Level: Challenge Level:1

Have you seen this way of doing multiplication ?

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Fit for Photocopying

Stage: 4 Challenge Level: Challenge Level:3 Challenge Level:3 Challenge Level:3

Photocopiers can reduce from A3 to A4 without distorting the image. Explore the relationships between different paper sizes that make this possible.

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Plus or Minus

Stage: 5 Challenge Level: Challenge Level:3 Challenge Level:3 Challenge Level:3

Make and prove a conjecture about the value of the product of the Fibonacci numbers $F_{n+1}F_{n-1}$.

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Power Countdown

Stage: 4 Challenge Level: Challenge Level:1

In this twist on the well-known Countdown numbers game, use your knowledge of Powers and Roots to make a target.

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In Between

Stage: 5 Challenge Level: Challenge Level:2 Challenge Level:2

Can you find the solution to this algebraic inequality?

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Square Pair Circles

Stage: 5 Challenge Level: Challenge Level:2 Challenge Level:2

Investigate the number of points with integer coordinates on circles with centres at the origin for which the square of the radius is a power of 5.

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Number Rules - OK

Stage: 4 Challenge Level: Challenge Level:2 Challenge Level:2

Can you convince me of each of the following: If a square number is multiplied by a square number the product is ALWAYS a square number...

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Archimedes and Numerical Roots

Stage: 4 Challenge Level: Challenge Level:2 Challenge Level:2

The problem is how did Archimedes calculate the lengths of the sides of the polygons which needed him to be able to calculate square roots?

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Rachel's Problem

Stage: 4 Challenge Level: Challenge Level:3 Challenge Level:3 Challenge Level:3

Is it true that $99^n$ has 2n digits and $999^n$ has 3n digits? Investigate!

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How Many Solutions?

Stage: 5 Challenge Level: Challenge Level:1

Find all the solutions to the this equation.

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Staircase

Stage: 5 Challenge Level: Challenge Level:1

Solving the equation x^3 = 3 is easy but what about solving equations with a 'staircase' of powers?

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Rational Roots

Stage: 5 Challenge Level: Challenge Level:3 Challenge Level:3 Challenge Level:3

Given that a, b and c are natural numbers show that if sqrt a+sqrt b is rational then it is a natural number. Extend this to 3 variables.

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The Root Cause

Stage: 5 Challenge Level: Challenge Level:1

Prove that if a is a natural number and the square root of a is rational, then it is a square number (an integer n^2 for some integer n.)

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Consecutive Squares

Stage: 4 Challenge Level: Challenge Level:2 Challenge Level:2

The squares of any 8 consecutive numbers can be arranged into two sets of four numbers with the same sum. True of false?

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Enriching Experience

Stage: 4 Challenge Level: Challenge Level:1

Find the five distinct digits N, R, I, C and H in the following nomogram

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Take a Square

Stage: 4 Challenge Level: Challenge Level:3 Challenge Level:3 Challenge Level:3

Cut off three right angled isosceles triangles to produce a pentagon. With two lines, cut the pentagon into three parts which can be rearranged into another square.

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Root to Poly

Stage: 4 Challenge Level: Challenge Level:1

Find the polynomial p(x) with integer coefficients such that one solution of the equation p(x)=0 is $1+\sqrt 2+\sqrt 3$.

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Rationals Between

Stage: 4 Challenge Level: Challenge Level:3 Challenge Level:3 Challenge Level:3

What fractions can you find between the square roots of 56 and 58?

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Giants

Stage: 5 Challenge Level: Challenge Level:2 Challenge Level:2

Which is the bigger, 9^10 or 10^9 ? Which is the bigger, 99^100 or 100^99 ?


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