What's Algebra All About?

You might have heard your teacher or another adult talk about 'algebra'. If you have tackled problems where there were missing numbers, then chances are you'll have been doing some algebraic thinking. If you have tried challenges which involved noticing a pattern, continuing it and finding out a general rule, then you'll have been doing some algebraic thinking. The activities in this feature will give you chances to use this kind of thinking and get better at it!

Ip Dip 

Stage: 1 and 2 Challenge Level:

"Ip dip sky blue! Who's 'it'? It's you!" Where would you position yourself so that you are 'it' if there are two players? Three players ...?

Balance of Halves 

Stage: 2 Challenge Level:

Investigate this balance which is marked in halves. If you had a weight on the left-hand 7, where could you hang two weights on the right to make it balance?

Shape Times Shape 

Stage: 2 Challenge Level:

These eleven shapes each stand for a different number. Can you use the multiplication sums to work out what they are?

Super Shapes 

Stage: 2 Short Challenge Level:

The value of the circle changes in each of the following problems. Can you discover its value in each problem?

Plenty of Pens 

Stage: 2 Challenge Level:

Amy's mum had given her £2.50 to spend. She bought four times as many pens as pencils and was given 40p change. How many of each did she buy?

Sticky Triangles 

Stage: 2 Challenge Level:

Can you continue this pattern of triangles and begin to predict how many sticks are used for each new "layer"?