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Resources tagged with Addition & subtraction similar to Always the Same:

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Always the Same

Stage: 3 Challenge Level:

Arrange the numbers 1 to 16 into a 4 by 4 array. Choose a number. Cross out the numbers on the same row and column. Repeat this process. Add up you four numbers. Why do they always add up to 34?

Aba

Stage: 3 Challenge Level:

In the following sum the letters A, B, C, D, E and F stand for six distinct digits. Find all the ways of replacing the letters with digits so that the arithmetic is correct.

Crossed Ends

Stage: 3 Challenge Level:

Crosses can be drawn on number grids of various sizes. What do you notice when you add opposite ends?

Cunning Card Trick

Stage: 3 Challenge Level:

Delight your friends with this cunning trick! Can you explain how it works?

Magic Squares for Special Occasions

Stage: 3 and 4

This article explains how to make your own magic square to mark a special occasion with the special date of your choice on the top line.

Tis Unique

Stage: 3 Challenge Level:

This addition sum uses all ten digits 0, 1, 2...9 exactly once. Find the sum and show that the one you give is the only possibility.

Make 37

Stage: 2 and 3 Challenge Level:

Four bags contain a large number of 1s, 3s, 5s and 7s. Pick any ten numbers from the bags above so that their total is 37.

Card Trick 2

Stage: 3 Challenge Level:

Can you explain how this card trick works?

GOT IT Now

Stage: 2 and 3 Challenge Level:

For this challenge, you'll need to play Got It! Can you explain the strategy for winning this game with any target?

Consecutive Negative Numbers

Stage: 3 Challenge Level:

Do you notice anything about the solutions when you add and/or subtract consecutive negative numbers?

Top-heavy Pyramids

Stage: 3 Challenge Level:

Use the numbers in the box below to make the base of a top-heavy pyramid whose top number is 200.

Pyramids

Stage: 3 Challenge Level:

What are the missing numbers in the pyramids?

Number Pyramids

Stage: 3 Challenge Level:

Try entering different sets of numbers in the number pyramids. How does the total at the top change?

Weights

Stage: 3 Challenge Level:

Different combinations of the weights available allow you to make different totals. Which totals can you make?

Magic Squares

Stage: 4 and 5

An account of some magic squares and their properties and and how to construct them for yourself.

Clocked

Stage: 3 Challenge Level:

Is it possible to rearrange the numbers 1,2......12 around a clock face in such a way that every two numbers in adjacent positions differ by any of 3, 4 or 5 hours?

Eleven

Stage: 3 Challenge Level:

Replace each letter with a digit to make this addition correct.

Number Daisy

Stage: 3 Challenge Level:

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?

Consecutive Numbers

Stage: 2 and 3 Challenge Level:

An investigation involving adding and subtracting sets of consecutive numbers. Lots to find out, lots to explore.

Calendar Capers

Stage: 3 Challenge Level:

Choose any three by three square of dates on a calendar page. Circle any number on the top row, put a line through the other numbers that are in the same row and column as your circled number. Repeat. . . .

Postage

Stage: 4 Challenge Level:

The country Sixtania prints postage stamps with only three values 6 lucres, 10 lucres and 15 lucres (where the currency is in lucres).Which values cannot be made up with combinations of these postage. . . .

Cubes Within Cubes

Stage: 2 and 3 Challenge Level:

We start with one yellow cube and build around it to make a 3x3x3 cube with red cubes. Then we build around that red cube with blue cubes and so on. How many cubes of each colour have we used?

I'm Eight

Stage: 1, 2, 3 and 4 Challenge Level:

Find a great variety of ways of asking questions which make 8.

Adding and Subtracting Positive and Negative Numbers

Stage: 2, 3 and 4

How can we help students make sense of addition and subtraction of negative numbers?

Two and Two

Stage: 2 and 3 Challenge Level:

How many solutions can you find to this sum? Each of the different letters stands for a different number.

Chameleons

Stage: 3 Challenge Level:

Whenever two chameleons of different colours meet they change colour to the third colour. Describe the shortest sequence of meetings in which all the chameleons change to green if you start with 12. . . .

First Connect Three for Two

Stage: 2 and 3 Challenge Level:

First Connect Three game for an adult and child. Use the dice numbers and either addition or subtraction to get three numbers in a straight line.

Score

Stage: 3 Challenge Level:

There are exactly 3 ways to add 4 odd numbers to get 10. Find all the ways of adding 8 odd numbers to get 20. To be sure of getting all the solutions you will need to be systematic. What about. . . .

Got It

Stage: 2 and 3 Challenge Level:

A game for two people, or play online. Given a target number, say 23, and a range of numbers to choose from, say 1-4, players take it in turns to add to the running total to hit their target.

Pair Sums

Stage: 3 Challenge Level:

Five numbers added together in pairs produce: 0, 2, 4, 4, 6, 8, 9, 11, 13, 15 What are the five numbers?

More Children and Plants

Stage: 2 and 3 Challenge Level:

This challenge extends the Plants investigation so now four or more children are involved.

Stage: 2, 3 and 4 Challenge Level:

Three dice are placed in a row. Find a way to turn each one so that the three numbers on top of the dice total the same as the three numbers on the front of the dice. Can you find all the ways to do. . . .

Got it Article

Stage: 2 and 3

This article gives you a few ideas for understanding the Got It! game and how you might find a winning strategy.

Reach 100

Stage: 2 and 3 Challenge Level:

Choose four different digits from 1-9 and put one in each box so that the resulting four two-digit numbers add to a total of 100.

First Connect Three

Stage: 2 and 3 Challenge Level:

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?

More Plant Spaces

Stage: 2 and 3 Challenge Level:

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.

Constellation Sudoku

Stage: 4 and 5 Challenge Level:

Special clue numbers related to the difference between numbers in two adjacent cells and values of the stars in the "constellation" make this a doubly interesting problem.

Pole Star Sudoku 2

Stage: 3 and 4 Challenge Level:

This Sudoku, based on differences. Using the one clue number can you find the solution?

Countdown

Stage: 2 and 3 Challenge Level:

Here is a chance to play a version of the classic Countdown Game.

Stage: 3 Challenge Level:

If you take a three by three square on a 1-10 addition square and multiply the diagonally opposite numbers together, what is the difference between these products. Why?

Cayley

Stage: 3 Challenge Level:

The letters in the following addition sum represent the digits 1 ... 9. If A=3 and D=2, what number is represented by "CAYLEY"?

Making Maths: Double-sided Magic Square

Stage: 2 and 3 Challenge Level:

Make your own double-sided magic square. But can you complete both sides once you've made the pieces?

Making Sense of Positives and Negatives

Stage: 3

This article suggests some ways of making sense of calculations involving positive and negative numbers.

Football Sum

Stage: 3 Challenge Level:

Find the values of the nine letters in the sum: FOOT + BALL = GAME

Like Powers

Stage: 3 Challenge Level:

Investigate $1^n + 19^n + 20^n + 51^n + 57^n + 80^n + 82^n$ and $2^n + 12^n + 31^n + 40^n + 69^n + 71^n + 85^n$ for different values of n.

Connect Three

Stage: 3 and 4 Challenge Level:

Can you be the first to complete a row of three?

Nice or Nasty

Stage: 2 and 3 Challenge Level:

There are nasty versions of this dice game but we'll start with the nice ones...

Jugs of Wine

Stage: 3 Challenge Level:

You have four jugs of 9, 7, 4 and 2 litres capacity. The 9 litre jug is full of wine, the others are empty. Can you divide the wine into three equal quantities?

The Patent Solution

Stage: 3 Challenge Level:

A combination mechanism for a safe comprises thirty-two tumblers numbered from one to thirty-two in such a way that the numbers in each wheel total 132... Could you open the safe?