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Multiples Grid

Multiples Grid printable sheet

Here is a 100 grid with some numbers shaded:

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

22

23

24

25

26

27

28

29

30

31

32

33

34

35

36

37

38

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40

41

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43

44

45

46

47

48

49

50

51

52

53

54

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57

58

59

60

61

62

63

64

65

66

67

68

69

70

71

72

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76

77

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80

81

82

83

84

85

86

87

88

89

90

91

92

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99

100


What do all the numbers shaded blue have in common?
What do you notice about all the numbers shaded pink?
Can you work out why two of the numbers are shaded in a purple colour?

Now, here is part of a 100 square shaded in a different way:

24

25

26

34

35

36

44

45

46

Can you explain the shading this time?

Here are some more parts of the 100 square, each one shaded according to different rules. Can you work out what the rules are for each?
Is there only one solution each time?

66

67

68

76

77

78

86

87

88

 

34

35

36

44

45

46

54

55

56

 

5

6

7

15

16

17

25

26

27

 

This problem is featured in Maths Trails: Excel at Problem Solving, one of the books in the Maths Trails series written by members of the NRICH Team and published by Cambridge University Press.

 

 

 

Why do this problem?

This problem is an interesting way of reinforcing understanding of factors and multiples.

Possible approach

To start with, ask children to talk in pairs about why the numbers in the first 100 square are shaded blue, pink and purple. Invite them to share their ideas and encourage correct use of vocabulary.

Learners could continue to work in pairs, perhaps using the second page of the printable sheet, which shows the four parts of differently-shaded 100 squares. As they work on the problem, trying to find out which factors have been chosen in order to produce the shading, encourage them to justify their solutions to their partners, and perhaps then to the whole class. How are they going about the task? It might be useful to discuss ways of working systematically so that no solutions are omitted.

This spreadsheet, which shades the squares according to the chosen factors, can be used to check their hypotheses. In a plenary session, you could use the second sheet of the spreadsheet to pre-prepare some shaded sections of the 100 grid without numbers. If you tell them which multiples have been shaded, can the class work out where the small part of the 100 grid is, i.e. which numbers it contains?

Key questions

What do the numbers shaded blue have in common?
What do the pink numbers have in common?
Can you rule out some factors straight away? How?
How will you know you have found all the possible solutions?

Possible extension

Learners could explore the spreadsheet for themselves at a computer. Challenge them to make up their own questions to ask a friend.

Possible support

A multiplication square may be useful for those children who find instant recall of multiplication facts difficult.