List

Being Resourceful - Algebra

Attractive Tablecloths
problem
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Attractive tablecloths

Age
14 to 16
Challenge level
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Charlie likes tablecloths that use as many colours as possible, but insists that his tablecloths have some symmetry. Can you work out how many colours he needs for different tablecloth designs?
Frogs
problem
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Frogs

Age
11 to 14
Challenge level
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How many moves does it take to swap over some red and blue frogs? Do you have a method?
Finding factors
problem
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Finding factors

Age
14 to 16
Challenge level
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Can you find the hidden factors which multiply together to produce each quadratic expression?
Reversals
problem
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Reversals

Age
11 to 14
Challenge level
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Where should you start, if you want to finish back where you started?
A little light thinking
problem
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A little light thinking

Age
14 to 16
Challenge level
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Here is a machine with four coloured lights. Can you make two lights switch on at once? Three lights? All four lights?

Shifting Times Tables
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Shifting times tables

Age
11 to 14
Challenge level
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Can you find a way to identify times tables after they have been shifted up or down?

Multiplication arithmagons
problem
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Multiplication arithmagons

Age
14 to 16
Challenge level
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Can you find the values at the vertices when you know the values on the edges of these multiplication arithmagons?

Arithmagons
problem
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Arithmagons

Age
11 to 16
Challenge level
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Can you find the values at the vertices when you know the values on the edges?

Special Numbers
problem
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Special numbers

Age
11 to 14
Challenge level
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My two digit number is special because adding the sum of its digits to the product of its digits gives me my original number. What could my number be?

Charlie's delightful machine
problem
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Charlie's delightful machine

Age
11 to 16
Challenge level
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Here is a machine with four coloured lights. Can you develop a strategy to work out the rules controlling each light?

How old am I?
problem
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How old am I?

Age
14 to 16
Challenge level
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In 15 years' time my age will be the square of my age 15 years ago. Can you work out my age, and when I had other special birthdays?

Tower of Hanoi
problem
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Tower of Hanoi

Age
11 to 14
Challenge level
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The Tower of Hanoi is an ancient mathematical challenge. Working on the building blocks may help you to explain the patterns you notice.

Treasure Hunt
problem
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Treasure hunt

Age
7 to 14
Challenge level
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Can you find a reliable strategy for choosing coordinates that will locate the treasure in the minimum number of guesses?