Take a rectangle of paper and fold it in half, and half again, to make four smaller rectangles. How many different ways can you fold it up?
Kate has eight multilink cubes. She has two red ones, two yellow, two green and two blue. She wants to fit them together to make a cube so that each colour shows on each face just once.
Can you make dice stairs using the rules stated? How do you know you have all the possible stairs?
Investigate the smallest number of moves it takes to turn these mats upside-down if you can only turn exactly three at a time.
What is the greatest number of counters you can place on the grid below without four of them lying at the corners of a square?
Take 5 cubes of one colour and 2 of another colour. How many different ways can you join them if the 5 must touch the table and the 2 must not touch the table?
Using different numbers of sticks, how many different triangles are you able to make? Can you make any rules about the numbers of sticks that make the most triangles?
Arrange 9 red cubes, 9 blue cubes and 9 yellow cubes into a large 3 by 3 cube. No row or column of cubes must contain two cubes of the same colour.
How can you arrange the 5 cubes so that you need the smallest number of Brush Loads of paint to cover them? Try with other numbers of cubes as well.
What is the smallest cuboid that you can put in this box so that you cannot fit another that's the same into it?
Can you make the most extraordinary, the most amazing, the most unusual patterns/designs from these triangles which are made in a special way?
Are all the possible combinations of two shapes included in this set of 27 cards? How do you know?
How many models can you find which obey these rules?
Can you order pictures of the development of a frog from frogspawn and of a bean seed growing into a plant?
These practical challenges are all about making a 'tray' and covering it with paper.
The ancient Egyptians were said to make right-angled triangles using a rope with twelve equal sections divided by knots. What other triangles could you make if you had a rope like this?
In how many ways can you fit two of these yellow triangles together? Can you predict the number of ways two blue triangles can be fitted together?
An activity making various patterns with 2 x 1 rectangular tiles.
How can you put five cereal packets together to make different shapes if you must put them face-to-face?
This practical investigation invites you to make tessellating shapes in a similar way to the artist Escher.
Let's say you can only use two different lengths - 2 units and 4 units. Using just these 2 lengths as the edges how many different cuboids can you make?
Our 2008 Advent Calendar has a 'Making Maths' activity for every day in the run-up to Christmas.
What happens to the area of a square if you double the length of the sides? Try the same thing with rectangles, diamonds and other shapes. How do the four smaller ones fit into the larger one?
How many different cuboids can you make when you use four CDs or DVDs? How about using five, then six?
We went to the cinema and decided to buy some bags of popcorn so we asked about the prices. Investigate how much popcorn each bag holds so find out which we might have bought.
Can you each work out the number on your card? What do you notice? How could you sort the cards?
In this challenge, you will work in a group to investigate circular fences enclosing trees that are planted in square or triangular arrangements.
A group of children are discussing the height of a tall tree. How would you go about finding out its height?
If these balls are put on a line with each ball touching the one in front and the one behind, which arrangement makes the shortest line of balls?
What is the largest number of circles we can fit into the frame without them overlapping? How do you know? What will happen if you try the other shapes?
Make your own double-sided magic square. But can you complete both sides once you've made the pieces?
NRICH December 2006 advent calendar - a new tangram for each day in the run-up to Christmas.
This was a problem for our birthday website. Can you use four of these pieces to form a square? How about making a square with all five pieces?
This activity investigates how you might make squares and pentominoes from Polydron.
Can you fit the tangram pieces into the outline of Wai Ping, Wah Ming and Chi Wing?
Take a counter and surround it by a ring of other counters that MUST touch two others. How many are needed?
Can you recreate this Indian screen pattern? Can you make up similar patterns of your own?
This practical problem challenges you to create shapes and patterns with two different types of triangle. You could even try overlapping them.
Follow the diagrams to make this patchwork piece, based on an octagon in a square.
Can you fit the tangram pieces into the outline of Granma T?
Here's a simple way to make a Tangram without any measuring or ruling lines.
Can you make the birds from the egg tangram?
Kaia is sure that her father has worn a particular tie twice a week in at least five of the last ten weeks, but her father disagrees. Who do you think is right?
Can you fit the tangram pieces into the outlines of these people?
Can you fit the tangram pieces into the outlines of these clocks?
Can you fit the tangram pieces into the outline of the child walking home from school?
Can you fit the tangram pieces into the outline of this brazier for roasting chestnuts?