Other tags that relate to It Was 2010!
Trial and improvement. Generalising. Describing patterns and sequences. Place value. Investigations. Addition & subtraction. Working systematically. Factors and multiples. Combinations. Multiplication & division.There are 148 results
Broad Topics > Thinking Mathematically > Investigations
The Pied Piper of Hamelin
Age 7 to 11 Challenge Level:
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!
Abundant Numbers
Age 7 to 11 Challenge Level:
48 is called an abundant number because it is less than the sum of its factors (without itself). Can you find some more abundant numbers?
Magic Constants
Age 7 to 11 Challenge Level:
In a Magic Square all the rows, columns and diagonals add to the 'Magic Constant'. How would you change the magic constant of this square?
Sending Cards
Age 7 to 11 Challenge Level:
This challenge asks you to investigate the total number of cards that would be sent if four children send one to all three others. How many would be sent if there were five children? Six?
Marvellous Matrix
Age 7 to 11 Challenge Level:
Follow the directions for circling numbers in the matrix. Add all the circled numbers together. Note your answer. Try again with a different starting number. What do you notice?
Sorting the Numbers
Age 5 to 11 Challenge Level:
Complete these two jigsaws then put one on top of the other. What happens when you add the 'touching' numbers? What happens when you change the position of the jigsaws?
Follow the Numbers
Age 7 to 11 Challenge Level:
What happens when you add the digits of a number then multiply the result by 2 and you keep doing this? You could try for different numbers and different rules.
Caterpillars
Age 5 to 7 Challenge Level:
These caterpillars have 16 parts. What different shapes do they make if each part lies in the small squares of a 4 by 4 square?
Exploring Wild & Wonderful Number Patterns
Age 7 to 11 Challenge Level:
EWWNP means Exploring Wild and Wonderful Number Patterns Created by Yourself! Investigate what happens if we create number patterns using some simple rules.
Street Sequences
Age 5 to 11 Challenge Level:
Investigate what happens when you add house numbers along a street in different ways.
Month Mania
Age 5 to 11 Challenge Level:
Can you design a new shape for the twenty-eight squares and arrange the numbers in a logical way? What patterns do you notice?
Sometimes We Lose Things
Age 7 to 11 Challenge Level:
Well now, what would happen if we lost all the nines in our number system? Have a go at writing the numbers out in this way and have a look at the multiplications table.
Calendar Patterns
Age 7 to 11 Challenge Level:
In this section from a calendar, put a square box around the 1st, 2nd, 8th and 9th. Add all the pairs of numbers. What do you notice about the answers?
Number Squares
Age 5 to 11 Challenge Level:
Start with four numbers at the corners of a square and put the total of two corners in the middle of that side. Keep going... Can you estimate what the size of the last four numbers will be?
Doplication
Age 7 to 11 Challenge Level:
We can arrange dots in a similar way to the 5 on a dice and they usually sit quite well into a rectangular shape. How many altogether in this 3 by 5? What happens for other sizes?
Sets of Four Numbers
Age 7 to 11 Challenge Level:
There are ten children in Becky's group. Can you find a set of numbers for each of them? Are there any other sets?
Polo Square
Age 7 to 11 Challenge Level:
Arrange eight of the numbers between 1 and 9 in the Polo Square below so that each side adds to the same total.
Consecutive Numbers
Age 7 to 14 Challenge Level:
An investigation involving adding and subtracting sets of consecutive numbers. Lots to find out, lots to explore.
Sets of Numbers
Age 7 to 11 Challenge Level:
How many different sets of numbers with at least four members can you find in the numbers in this box?
Newspapers
Age 7 to 11 Challenge Level:
When newspaper pages get separated at home we have to try to sort them out and get things in the correct order. How many ways can we arrange these pages so that the numbering may be different?
Alien Counting
Age 7 to 11 Challenge Level:
Investigate the different ways these aliens count in this challenge. You could start by thinking about how each of them would write our number 7.
Pebbles
Age 7 to 11 Challenge Level:
Place four pebbles on the sand in the form of a square. Keep adding as few pebbles as necessary to double the area. How many extra pebbles are added each time?
It Figures
Age 7 to 11 Challenge Level:
Suppose we allow ourselves to use three numbers less than 10 and multiply them together. How many different products can you find? How do you know you've got them all?
It's All about 64
Age 7 to 11 Challenge Level:
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.
Bean Bags for Bernard's Bag
Age 7 to 11 Challenge Level:
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?
Calcunos
Age 7 to 11 Challenge Level:
If we had 16 light bars which digital numbers could we make? How will you know you've found them all?
So It's 28
Age 5 to 7 Challenge Level:
Here is your chance to investigate the number 28 using shapes, cubes ... in fact anything at all.
Magazines
Age 7 to 11 Challenge Level:
Let's suppose that you are going to have a magazine which has 16 pages of A5 size. Can you find some different ways to make these pages? Investigate the pattern for each if you number the pages.
3 Rings
Age 7 to 11 Challenge Level:
If you have three circular objects, you could arrange them so that they are separate, touching, overlapping or inside each other. Can you investigate all the different possibilities?
Five Coins
Age 5 to 11 Challenge Level:
Ben has five coins in his pocket. How much money might he have?
Street Party
Age 7 to 11 Challenge Level:
The challenge here is to find as many routes as you can for a fence to go so that this town is divided up into two halves, each with 8 blocks.
Gran, How Old Are You?
Age 7 to 11 Challenge Level:
When Charlie asked his grandmother how old she is, he didn't get a straightforward reply! Can you work out how old she is?
Worms
Age 7 to 11 Challenge Level:
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?
Polygonals
Age 7 to 11 Challenge Level:
Polygonal numbers are those that are arranged in shapes as they enlarge. Explore the polygonal numbers drawn here.
Ice Cream
Age 7 to 11 Challenge Level:
You cannot choose a selection of ice cream flavours that includes totally what someone has already chosen. Have a go and find all the different ways in which seven children can have ice cream.
Homes
Age 5 to 7 Challenge Level:
There are to be 6 homes built on a new development site. They could be semi-detached, detached or terraced houses. How many different combinations of these can you find?
Halloween Investigation
Age 7 to 11 Challenge Level:
Ana and Ross looked in a trunk in the attic. They found old cloaks and gowns, hats and masks. How many possible costumes could they make?
Lost Books
Age 7 to 11 Challenge Level:
While we were sorting some papers we found 3 strange sheets which seemed to come from small books but there were page numbers at the foot of each page. Did the pages come from the same book?
Round and Round the Circle
Age 7 to 11 Challenge Level:
What happens if you join every second point on this circle? How about every third point? Try with different steps and see if you can predict what will happen.
Crossing the Town Square
Age 7 to 11 Challenge Level:
This tricky challenge asks you to find ways of going across rectangles, going through exactly ten squares.
More Plant Spaces
Age 7 to 14 Challenge Level:
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.
Building with Rods
Age 7 to 11 Challenge Level:
In how many ways can you stack these rods, following the rules?
Room Doubling
Age 7 to 11 Challenge Level:
Investigate the different ways you could split up these rooms so that you have double the number.
Making Cuboids
Age 7 to 11 Challenge Level:
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?
Sticks and Triangles
Age 7 to 11 Challenge Level:
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?
Sweets in a Box
Age 7 to 11 Challenge Level:
How many different shaped boxes can you design for 36 sweets in one layer? Can you arrange the sweets so that no sweets of the same colour are next to each other in any direction?
More Children and Plants
Age 7 to 14 Challenge Level:
This challenge extends the Plants investigation so now four or more children are involved.
Watch Your Feet
Age 7 to 11 Challenge Level:
I like to walk along the cracks of the paving stones, but not the outside edge of the path itself. How many different routes can you find for me to take?
NRICH is part of the family of activities in the Millennium Mathematics Project.