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Adding All Nine
Make a set of numbers that use all the digits from 1 to 9, once and once only. Add them up. The result is divisible by 9. Add each of the digits in the new number. What is their sum? Now try some other possibilities for yourself!
Double Digit
Choose two digits and arrange them to make two double-digit numbers. Now add your double-digit numbers. Now add your single digit numbers. Divide your double-digit answer by your single-digit answer. Try lots of examples. What happens? Can you explain it?
Repeaters
Choose any 3 digits and make a 6 digit number by repeating the 3 digits in the same order (e.g. 594594). Explain why whatever digits you choose the number will always be divisible by 7, 11 and 13.
Age 11 to 14 Short
Challenge Level
Answer: Two zeros
You could write this problem out as $1\times3\times4\times6\times7\times8\times9\times(2\times5)\times10$. The product of the first seven numbers is not a multiple of ten, but the last part gives us $10\times10$ so the overall product must be a multiple of $100$, but not a multiple of $1000$. So the answer is two zeros.
This problem is taken from the UKMT Mathematical Challenges.
You can find more short problems, arranged by curriculum topic, in our short problems collection.
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NRICH is part of the family of activities in the Millennium Mathematics Project.
NRICH is part of the family of activities in the Millennium Mathematics Project.