Search by Topic

Resources tagged with Addition & subtraction similar to Not a Polite Question:

Filter by: Content type:
Stage:
Challenge level:

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. . . .

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?

Digit Sum

Stage: 3 Challenge Level:

What is the sum of all the digits in all the integers from one to one million?

As Easy as 1,2,3

Stage: 3 Challenge Level:

When I type a sequence of letters my calculator gives the product of all the numbers in the corresponding memories. What numbers should I store so that when I type 'ONE' it returns 1, and when I type. . . .

Arrange the Digits

Stage: 3 Challenge Level:

Can you arrange the digits 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9 into three 3-digit numbers such that their total is close to 1500?

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. . . .

Largest Number

Stage: 3 Challenge Level:

What is the largest number you can make using the three digits 2, 3 and 4 in any way you like, using any operations you like? You can only use each digit once.

Alphabet Soup

Stage: 3 Challenge Level:

This challenge is to make up YOUR OWN alphanumeric. Each letter represents a digit and where the same letter appears more than once it must represent the same digit each time.

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.

Hot Pursuit

Stage: 3 Challenge Level:

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?

Kids

Stage: 3 Challenge Level:

Find the numbers in this sum

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.

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.

Eleven

Stage: 3 Challenge Level:

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

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.

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.

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.

Have You Got It?

Stage: 3 Challenge Level:

Can you explain the strategy for winning this game with any target?

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.

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.

Card Trick 2

Stage: 3 Challenge Level:

Can you explain how this card trick works?

Cunning Card Trick

Stage: 3 Challenge Level:

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

Calendar Capers

Stage: 3 Challenge Level:

Choose any three by three square of dates on a calendar page...

I'm Eight

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

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

Football Sum

Stage: 3 Challenge Level:

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

Pairs

Stage: 3 Challenge Level:

Ann thought of 5 numbers and told Bob all the sums that could be made by adding the numbers in pairs. The list of sums is 6, 7, 8, 8, 9, 9, 10,10, 11, 12. Help Bob to find out which numbers Ann was. . . .

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?

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?

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.

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?

Pyramids

Stage: 3 Challenge Level:

What are the missing numbers in the pyramids?

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?

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.

Magic Squares

Stage: 4 and 5

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

Number Pyramids

Stage: 3 Challenge Level:

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

Countdown

Stage: 2 and 3 Challenge Level:

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

Countdown Fractions

Stage: 3 and 4 Challenge Level:

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

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?

Weights

Stage: 3 Challenge Level:

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

Twenty20

Stage: 2, 3 and 4 Challenge Level:

Fancy a game of cricket? Here is a mathematical version you can play indoors without breaking any windows.

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. . . .

And So on and So On

Stage: 3 Challenge Level:

If you wrote all the possible four digit numbers made by using each of the digits 2, 4, 5, 7 once, what would they add up to?

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?

Playing Connect Three

Stage: 3 Challenge Level:

In this game the winner is the first to complete a row of three. Are some squares easier to land on than others?

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"?

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...

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. . . .

Making Sense of Positives and Negatives

Stage: 3

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