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This article suggests some ways of making sense of calculations involving positive and negative numbers.
This big box adds something to any number that goes into it. If you know the numbers that come out, what addition might be going on in the box?
There are nasty versions of this dice game but we'll start with the nice ones...
Here is a chance to play a version of the classic Countdown Game.
Can you put the numbers 1-5 in the V shape so that both 'arms' have the same total?
Crosses can be drawn on number grids of various sizes. What do you notice when you add opposite ends?
Place the numbers 1 to 6 in the circles so that each number is the difference between the two numbers just below it.
Different combinations of the weights available allow you to make different totals. Which totals can you make?
How can we help students make sense of addition and subtraction of negative numbers?
The picture shows a lighthouse and many underwater creatures. If you know the markings on the lighthouse are 1m apart, can you work out the distances between some of the different creatures?
In this game, you can add, subtract, multiply or divide the numbers on the dice. Which will you do so that you get to the end of the number line first?
Can you use the numbers on the dice to reach your end of the number line before your partner beats you?
Do you notice anything about the solutions when you add and/or subtract consecutive negative numbers?
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?
In this game the winner is the first to complete a row of three. Are some squares easier to land on than others?
These caterpillars have 16 parts. What different shapes do they make if each part lies in the small squares of a 4 by 4 square?
How have the numbers been placed in this Carroll diagram? Which labels would you put on each row and column?
Use the interactivities to fill in these Carroll diagrams. How do you know where to place the numbers?
If you hang two weights on one side of this balance, in how many different ways can you hang three weights on the other side for it to be balanced?
Leah and Tom each have a number line. Can you work out where their counters will land? What are the secret jumps they make with their counters?
Annie and Ben are playing a game with a calculator. What was Annie's secret number?
Delight your friends with this cunning trick! Can you explain how it works?
Try grouping the dominoes in the ways described. Are there any left over each time? Can you explain why?
Use the number weights to find different ways of balancing the equaliser.
Can you hang weights in the right place to make the equaliser balance?
An environment which simulates working with Cuisenaire rods.
Are these domino games fair? Can you explain why or why not?
Have a go at this game which involves throwing two dice and adding their totals. Where should you place your counters to be more likely to win?
Choose four of the numbers from 1 to 9 to put in the squares so that the differences between joined squares are odd.
Try entering different sets of numbers in the number pyramids. How does the total at the top change?
How is it possible to predict the card?
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.
Can you put the numbers 1 to 8 into the circles so that the four calculations are correct?
Use the information about Sally and her brother to find out how many children there are in the Brown family.
There are three baskets, a brown one, a red one and a pink one, holding a total of 10 eggs. Can you use the information given to find out how many eggs are in each basket?
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.
Arrange three 1s, three 2s and three 3s in this square so that every row, column and diagonal adds to the same total.
In Sam and Jill's garden there are two sorts of ladybirds with 7 spots or 4 spots. What numbers of total spots can you make?
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.
Ten cards are put into five envelopes so that there are two cards in each envelope. The sum of the numbers inside it is written on each envelope. What numbers could be inside the envelopes?
Can you make a cycle of pairs that add to make a square number using all the numbers in the box below, once and once only?
Can you make square numbers by adding two prime numbers together?
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.
Mrs Morgan, the class's teacher, pinned numbers onto the backs of three children. Use the information to find out what the three numbers were.
Ram divided 15 pennies among four small bags. He could then pay any sum of money from 1p to 15p without opening any bag. How many pennies did Ram put in each bag?
At the beginning of May Tom put his tomato plant outside. On the same day he sowed a bean in another pot. When will the two be the same height?
The value of the circle changes in each of the following problems. Can you discover its value in each problem?
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?
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 at least one way to put in some operation signs (+ - x ÷) to make these digits come to 100.
