List

Exploring and noticing structure - advanced

Last Biscuit
game

Last biscuit

Age
11 to 18
Challenge level
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Can you find a strategy that ensures you get to take the last biscuit in this game?

Vector journeys
problem

Vector journeys

Age
14 to 18
Challenge level
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Charlie likes to go for walks around a square park, while Alison likes to cut across diagonally. Can you find relationships between the vectors they walk along?

Can you traverse it?
problem

Can you traverse it?

Age
14 to 18
Challenge level
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How can you decide if a graph is traversable?

Where are you flying?
problem

Where are you flying?

Age
14 to 18
Challenge level
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Where do people fly to from London? What is good and bad about these representations?

Flipping Twisty Matrices
problem

Flipping twisty matrices

Age
14 to 18
Challenge level
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Investigate the transformations of the plane given by the 2 by 2 matrices with entries taking all combinations of values 0, -1 and +1.

The Matrix
problem

The matrix

Age
14 to 18
Challenge level
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Explore a new way of multiplying with matrices.

Intersections
problem

Intersections

Age
14 to 18
Challenge level
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Change one equation in this pair of simultaneous equations very slightly and there is a big change in the solution. Why?

A powerful Matrix
problem

A powerful matrix

Age
14 to 18
Challenge level
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What happens when you find the powers of this matrix?

Road maker
problem

Road maker

Age
14 to 18
Challenge level
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Which of these roads will satisfy a Munchkin builder?
Which spinners?
problem

Which spinners?

Age
14 to 18
Challenge level
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Can you work out which spinners were used to generate the frequency charts?

Vector walk
problem

Vector walk

Age
14 to 18
Challenge level
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Starting with two basic vector steps, which destinations can you reach on a vector walk?

Curve Hunter
problem

Curve hunter

Age
14 to 18
Challenge level
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This problem challenges you to sketch curves with different properties.

Quad in Quad
problem

Quad in quad

Age
14 to 18
Challenge level
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Join the midpoints of a quadrilateral to get a new quadrilateral. What is special about it?

Exploring cubic functions
problem

Exploring cubic functions

Age
14 to 18
Challenge level
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Quadratic graphs are very familiar, but what patterns can you explore with cubics?

Back fitter
problem

Back fitter

Age
14 to 18
Challenge level
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10 graphs of experimental data are given. Can you use a spreadsheet to find algebraic graphs which match them closely, and thus discover the formulae most likely to govern the underlying processes?

Square Pair
problem

Square pair

Age
14 to 18
Challenge level
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Explore the shape of a square after it is transformed by the action of a matrix.

Simply Graphs
problem

Simply graphs

Age
16 to 18
Challenge level
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Look for the common features in these graphs. Which graphs belong together?
Three by One
problem

Three by one

Age
16 to 18
Challenge level
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There are many different methods to solve this geometrical problem - how many can you find?

Inequalities
problem

Inequalities

Age
16 to 18
Challenge level
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Which of the statements must be true?

The Koch Snowflake
problem

The Koch snowflake

Age
16 to 18
Challenge level
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Explore the strange geometrical properties of the Koch Snowflake.

Equation Attack
problem

Equation attack

Age
16 to 18
Challenge level
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The equation a^x + b^x = 1 can be solved algebraically in special cases but in general it can only be solved by numerical methods.

Root hunter
problem

Root hunter

Age
16 to 18
Challenge level
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In this short problem, try to find the location of the roots of some unusual functions by finding where they change sign.

Curve match
problem

Curve match

Age
16 to 18
Challenge level
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Which curve is which, and how would you plan a route to pass between them?

Gradient match
problem

Gradient match

Age
16 to 18
Challenge level
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What can you deduce about the gradients of curves linking (0,0), (8,8) and (4,6)?

Cubic roots
problem

Cubic roots

Age
16 to 18
Challenge level
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Find the location of the point of inflection of this cubic.

Turning to calculus
problem

Turning to calculus

Age
16 to 18
Challenge level
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Get started with calculus by exploring the connections between the sign of a curve and the sign of its gradient.

Climbing Powers
problem

Climbing powers

Age
16 to 18
Challenge level
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$2\wedge 3\wedge 4$ could be $(2^3)^4$ or $2^{(3^4)}$. Does it make any difference? For both definitions, which is bigger: $r\wedge r\wedge r\wedge r\dots$ where the powers of $r$ go on for ever, or $(r^r)^r$, where $r$ is $\sqrt{2}$?

Polite Numbers
problem

Polite numbers

Age
16 to 18
Challenge level
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A polite number can be written as the sum of two or more consecutive positive integers, for example 8+9+10=27 is a polite number. Can you find some more polite, and impolite, numbers?
Spinners
problem

Spinners

Age
16 to 18
Challenge level
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How do scores on dice and factors of polynomials relate to each other?
What do functions do for tiny x?
problem

What do functions do for tiny x?

Age
16 to 18
Challenge level
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Looking at small values of functions. Motivating the existence of the Maclaurin expansion.

It's only a minus sign
problem

It's only a minus sign

Age
16 to 18
Challenge level
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Solve these differential equations to see how a minus sign can change the answer

Impossible triangles?
problem

Impossible triangles?

Age
16 to 18
Challenge level
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Which of these triangular jigsaws are impossible to finish?
Placeholder: several colourful numbers
problem

Integral arranging

Age
16 to 18
Challenge level
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How would you sort out these integrals?

Farey Neighbours
problem

Farey neighbours

Age
16 to 18
Challenge level
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Farey sequences are lists of fractions in ascending order of magnitude. Can you prove that in every Farey sequence there is a special relationship between Farey neighbours?

Nine Eigen
problem

Nine eigen

Age
16 to 18
Challenge level
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Explore how matrices can fix vectors and vector directions.

Making Waves
problem

Making waves

Age
16 to 18
Challenge level
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Which is larger cos(sin x) or sin(cos x) ? Does this depend on x ?

Folium of Descartes
problem

Folium of Descartes

Age
16 to 18
Challenge level
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Investigate the family of graphs given by the equation x^3+y^3=3axy for different values of the constant a.