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 clockmaker's wife cut up his birthday cake to look like a clock face. Can you work out who received each piece?
This multiplication uses each of the digits 0 - 9 once and once only. Using the information given, can you replace the stars in the calculation with figures?
There are over sixty different ways of making 24 by adding, subtracting, multiplying and dividing all four numbers 4, 6, 6 and 8 (using each number only once). How many can you find?
What is the sum of all the three digit whole numbers?
Use 4 four times with simple operations so that you get the answer 12. Can you make 15, 16 and 17 too?
Find out what a Deca Tree is and then work out how many leaves there will be after the woodcutter has cut off a trunk, a branch, a twig and a leaf.
The Scot, John Napier, invented these strips about 400 years ago to help calculate multiplication and division. Can you work out how to use Napier's bones to find the answer to these multiplications?
Put operations signs between the numbers 3 4 5 6 to make the highest possible number and lowest possible number.
Which is quicker, counting up to 30 in ones or counting up to 300 in tens? Why?
Look at what happens when you take a number, square it and subtract your answer. What kind of number do you get? Can you prove it?
Can you work out what a ziffle is on the planet Zargon?
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.
Where can you draw a line on a clock face so that the numbers on both sides have the same total?
All the girls would like a puzzle each for Christmas and all the boys would like a book each. Solve the riddle to find out how many puzzles and books Santa left.
On the table there is a pile of oranges and lemons that weighs exactly one kilogram. Using the information, can you work out how many lemons there are?
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?
Can you score 100 by throwing rings on this board? Is there more than way to do it?
On a calculator, make 15 by using only the 2 key and any of the four operations keys. How many ways can you find to do it?
56 406 is the product of two consecutive numbers. What are these two numbers?
There are three buckets each of which holds a maximum of 5 litres. Use the clues to work out how much liquid there is in each bucket.
Katie had a pack of 20 cards numbered from 1 to 20. She arranged the cards into 6 unequal piles where each pile added to the same total. What was the total and how could this be done?
Rocco ran in a 200 m race for his class. Use the information to find out how many runners there were in the race and what Rocco's finishing position was.
The value of the circle changes in each of the following problems. Can you discover its value in each problem?
Use the information to work out how many gifts there are in each pile.
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?
Mr McGregor has a magic potting shed. Overnight, the number of plants in it doubles. He'd like to put the same number of plants in each of three gardens, planting one garden each day. Can he do it?
What is the lowest number which always leaves a remainder of 1 when divided by each of the numbers from 2 to 10?
Here are the prices for 1st and 2nd class mail within the UK. You have an unlimited number of each of these stamps. Which stamps would you need to post a parcel weighing 825g?
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?
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.
Use your logical reasoning to work out how many cows and how many sheep there are in each field.
If the numbers 5, 7 and 4 go into this function machine, what numbers will come out?
Amy has a box containing domino pieces but she does not think it is a complete set. She has 24 dominoes in her box and there are 125 spots on them altogether. Which of her domino pieces are missing?
Find the next number in this pattern: 3, 7, 19, 55 ...
Work out Tom's number from the answers he gives his friend. He will only answer 'yes' or 'no'.
This group activity will encourage you to share calculation strategies and to think about which strategy might be the most efficient.
What is happening at each box in these machines?
Peter, Melanie, Amil and Jack received a total of 38 chocolate eggs. Use the information to work out how many eggs each person had.
Here is a chance to play a version of the classic Countdown Game.
Can you see how these factor-multiple chains work? Find the chain which contains the smallest possible numbers. How about the largest possible numbers?
This number has 903 digits. What is the sum of all 903 digits?
Find at least one way to put in some operation signs (+ - x ÷) to make these digits come to 100.
Put a number at the top of the machine and collect a number at the bottom. What do you get? Which numbers get back to themselves?
Using the numbers 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 once and only once, and the operations x and ÷ once and only once, what is the smallest whole number you can make?
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?
Can you find what the last two digits of the number $4^{1999}$ are?
In the multiplication sum, some of the digits have been replaced by letters and others by asterisks. Can you reconstruct the original multiplication?
Can you replace the letters with numbers? Is there only one solution in each case?
A game for 2 people. Use your skills of addition, subtraction, multiplication and division to blast the asteroids.
A game for 2 or more players with a pack of cards. Practise your skills of addition, subtraction, multiplication and division to hit the target score.