In this feature, the problems give you an answer or output, and you need to work out the question or input. Mathematicians call this an inverse problem, and inverse problems have applications in fields as diverse as seismology, medical imaging and diagnostics, and financial maths.
problem
Favourite
A little light thinking
Age
14 to 16
Challenge level
Here is a machine with four coloured lights. Can you make two lights switch on at once? Three lights? All four lights?
problem
Favourite
Which spinners?
Age
14 to 18
Challenge level
Can you work out which spinners were used to generate the frequency charts?
problem
Data matching
Age
14 to 18
Challenge level
Use your skill and judgement to match the sets of random data.
list
Making sense of data
What stories do complicated data sets tell us? How can we present the information clearly?
list
Plotting Graphs
Age
16 to 18
Challenge level
You can get a great feel for functions by sketching their graphs or using graph plotting software...