List

Being Curious - Algebra

How old am I?
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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?
What's Possible?
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What's Possible?

Age
14 to 16
Challenge level
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Many numbers can be expressed as the difference of two perfect squares. What do you notice about the numbers you CANNOT make?
Think of Two Numbers
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Think of Two Numbers

Age
11 to 14
Challenge level
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Think of two whole numbers under 10, and follow the steps. I can work out both your numbers very quickly. How?
Pick's Theorem
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Pick's Theorem

Age
14 to 16
Challenge level
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Polygons drawn on square dotty paper have dots on their perimeter (p) and often internal (i) ones as well. Find a relationship between p, i and the area of the polygons.
Elevenses
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Elevenses

Age
11 to 14
Challenge level
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How many pairs of numbers can you find that add up to a multiple of 11? Do you notice anything interesting about your results?
Partly Painted Cube
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Partly Painted Cube

Age
14 to 16
Challenge level
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Jo made a cube from some smaller cubes, painted some of the faces of the large cube, and then took it apart again. 45 small cubes had no paint on them at all. How many small cubes did Jo use?
Your number was...
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Your number was...

Age
11 to 14
Challenge level
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Think of a number and follow my instructions. Tell me your answer, and I'll tell you what you started with! Can you explain how I know?
Reversals
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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?
Your number is...
problem
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Your number is...

Age
7 to 14
Challenge level
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Think of a number and follow the machine's instructions... I know what your number is! Can you explain how I know?
The Number Jumbler
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The Number Jumbler

Age
7 to 14
Challenge level
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The Number Jumbler can always work out your chosen symbol. Can you work out how?
A little light thinking
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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
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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
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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?

More Number Pyramids
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More Number Pyramids

Age
11 to 14
Challenge level
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When number pyramids have a sequence on the bottom layer, some interesting patterns emerge...

What numbers can we make?
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What numbers can we make?

Age
11 to 14
Challenge level
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Imagine we have four bags containing a large number of 1s, 4s, 7s and 10s. What numbers can we make?

Summing Consecutive Numbers
problem
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Summing Consecutive Numbers

Age
11 to 14
Challenge level
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15 = 7 + 8 and 10 = 1 + 2 + 3 + 4. Can you say which numbers can be expressed as the sum of two or more consecutive integers?

Pair Products
problem
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Pair Products

Age
14 to 16
Challenge level
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Choose four consecutive whole numbers. Multiply the first and last numbers together. Multiply the middle pair together. What do you notice?

Charlie's delightful machine
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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?

What numbers can we make now?
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What numbers can we make now?

Age
11 to 14
Challenge level
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Imagine we have four bags containing numbers from a sequence. What numbers can we make now?

Number Pyramids
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Number Pyramids

Age
11 to 14
Challenge level
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Try entering different sets of numbers in the number pyramids. How does the total at the top change?

Special Numbers
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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?

Fruity Totals
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Fruity Totals

Age
7 to 16
Challenge level
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In this interactivity each fruit has a hidden value. Can you deduce what each one is worth?

What's it worth?
problem
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What's it worth?

Age
11 to 16
Challenge level
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There are lots of different methods to find out what the shapes are worth - how many can you find?