If you had any number of ordinary dice, what are the possible ways of making their totals 6? What would the product of the dice be each time?
Here you see the front and back views of a dodecahedron. Each vertex has been numbered so that the numbers around each pentagonal face add up to 65. Can you find all the missing numbers?
This dice train has been made using specific rules. How many different trains can you make?
Three children are going to buy some plants for their birthdays. They will plant them within circular paths. How could they do this?
This problem is based on the story of the Pied Piper of Hamelin. Investigate the different numbers of people and rats there could have been if you know how many legs there are altogether!
Add the sum of the squares of four numbers between 10 and 20 to the sum of the squares of three numbers less than 6 to make the square of another, larger, number.
There were chews for 2p, mini eggs for 3p, Chocko bars for 5p and lollypops for 7p in the sweet shop. What could each of the children buy with their money?
Winifred Wytsh bought a box each of jelly babies, milk jelly bears, yellow jelly bees and jelly belly beans. In how many different ways could she make a jolly jelly feast with 32 legs?
Exactly 195 digits have been used to number the pages in a book. How many pages does the book have?
Place the numbers 1 to 10 in the circles so that each number is the difference between the two numbers just below it.
Use your logical-thinking skills to deduce how much Dan's crisps and ice-cream cost altogether.
Look carefully at the numbers. What do you notice? Can you make another square using the numbers 1 to 16, that displays the same properties?
You have 5 darts and your target score is 44. How many different ways could you score 44?
These two group activities use mathematical reasoning - one is numerical, one geometric.
There are 4 jugs which hold 9 litres, 7 litres, 4 litres and 2 litres. Find a way to pour 9 litres of drink from one jug to another until you are left with exactly 3 litres in three of the jugs.
This task, written for the National Young Mathematicians' Award 2016, focuses on 'open squares'. What would the next five open squares look like?
This problem is based on a code using two different prime numbers less than 10. You'll need to multiply them together and shift the alphabet forwards by the result. Can you decipher the code?
Can you put the numbers 1 to 8 into the circles so that the four calculations are correct?
Place six toy ladybirds into the box so that there are two ladybirds in every column and every row.
Write the numbers up to 64 in an interesting way so that the shape they make at the end is interesting, different, more exciting ... than just a square.
A game for 2 people. Use your skills of addition, subtraction, multiplication and division to blast the asteroids.
There are 78 prisoners in a square cell block of twelve cells. The clever prison warder arranged them so there were 25 along each wall of the prison block. How did he do it?
How could you put eight beanbags in the hoops so that there are four in the blue hoop, five in the red and six in the yellow? Can you find all the ways of doing this?
There is a clock-face where the numbers have become all mixed up. Can you find out where all the numbers have got to from these ten statements?
Zumf makes spectacles for the residents of the planet Zargon, who have either 3 eyes or 4 eyes. How many lenses will Zumf need to make all the different orders for 9 families?
This challenging activity involves finding different ways to distribute fifteen items among four sets, when the sets must include three, four, five and six items.
This magic square has operations written in it, to make it into a maze. Start wherever you like, go through every cell and go out a total of 15!
This challenge extends the Plants investigation so now four or more children are involved.
Tom and Ben visited Numberland. Use the maps to work out the number of points each of their routes scores.
Can you find which shapes you need to put into the grid to make the totals at the end of each row and the bottom of each column?
There are 44 people coming to a dinner party. There are 15 square tables that seat 4 people. Find a way to seat the 44 people using all 15 tables, with no empty places.
Suppose there is a train with 24 carriages which are going to be put together to make up some new trains. Can you find all the ways that this can be done?
This task follows on from Build it Up and takes the ideas into three dimensions!
This task, written for the National Young Mathematicians' Award 2016, involves open-topped boxes made with interlocking cubes. Explore the number of units of paint that are needed to cover the boxes. . . .
Find the sum and difference between a pair of two-digit numbers. Now find the sum and difference between the sum and difference! What happens?
This challenge focuses on finding the sum and difference of pairs of two-digit numbers.
Place this "worm" on the 100 square and find the total of the four squares it covers. Keeping its head in the same place, what other totals can you make?
Can you arrange 5 different digits (from 0 - 9) in the cross in the way described?
Number problems at primary level that require careful consideration.
Can you put plus signs in so this is true? 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 = 99 How many ways can you do it?
Using the statements, can you work out how many of each type of rabbit there are in these pens?
This task, written for the National Young Mathematicians' Award 2016, invites you to explore the different combinations of scores that you might get on these dart boards.
Arrange eight of the numbers between 1 and 9 in the Polo Square below so that each side adds to the same total.
What do you notice about the date 03.06.09? Or 08.01.09? This challenge invites you to investigate some interesting dates yourself.
Cherri, Saxon, Mel and Paul are friends. They are all different ages. Can you find out the age of each friend using the information?
What do the digits in the number fifteen add up to? How many other numbers have digits with the same total but no zeros?