Other tags that relate to Polygonals
Addition & subtraction. Investigations. Combinations. Multiplication & division. Describing Sequences. Visualising. Practical Activity. Working systematically. Factors and multiples. Generalising.There are 151 results
Broad Topics > Mathematical Thinking > Practical Activity
Two on Five
Age 5 to 11 Challenge Level:
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?
Creating Cubes
Age 7 to 11 Challenge Level:
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.
Cover the Tray
Age 7 to 11 Challenge Level:
These practical challenges are all about making a 'tray' and covering it with paper.
Four Colours
Age 5 to 11 Challenge Level:
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.
Three Sets of Cubes, Two Surfaces
Age 7 to 11 Challenge Level:
How many models can you find which obey these rules?
The Numbers Give the Design
Age 7 to 11 Challenge Level:
Make new patterns from simple turning instructions. You can have a go using pencil and paper or with a floor robot.
Egyptian Rope
Age 7 to 11 Challenge Level:
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?
Dice Stairs
Age 7 to 11 Challenge Level:
Can you make dice stairs using the rules stated? How do you know you have all the possible stairs?
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?
Cutting Corners
Age 7 to 11 Challenge Level:
Can you make the most extraordinary, the most amazing, the most unusual patterns/designs from these triangles which are made in a special way?
Making Maths: Happy Families
Age 5 to 11 Challenge Level:
Here is a version of the game 'Happy Families' for you to make and play.
Making Maths: Double-sided Magic Square
Age 7 to 14 Challenge Level:
Make your own double-sided magic square. But can you complete both sides once you've made the pieces?
Square Corners
Age 7 to 11 Challenge Level:
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?
Little Boxes
Age 7 to 11 Challenge Level:
How many different cuboids can you make when you use four CDs or DVDs? How about using five, then six?
Counting Counters
Age 7 to 11 Challenge Level:
Take a counter and surround it by a ring of other counters that MUST touch two others. How many are needed?
Cuisenaire Squares
Age 7 to 11 Challenge Level:
These squares have been made from Cuisenaire rods. Can you describe the pattern? What would the next square look like?
Shaping Up
Age 7 to 11 Challenge Level:
Are all the possible combinations of two shapes included in this set of 27 cards? How do you know?
Cereal Packets
Age 7 to 11 Challenge Level:
How can you put five cereal packets together to make different shapes if you must put them face-to-face?
Putting Two and Two Together
Age 7 to 11 Challenge Level:
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?
Map Folding
Age 7 to 11 Challenge Level:
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?
Fit These Shapes
Age 5 to 11 Challenge Level:
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?
Order the Changes
Age 7 to 11 Challenge Level:
Can you order pictures of the development of a frog from frogspawn and of a bean seed growing into a plant?
Two by One
Age 7 to 11 Challenge Level:
An activity making various patterns with 2 x 1 rectangular tiles.
Seven Flipped
Age 7 to 11 Challenge Level:
Investigate the smallest number of moves it takes to turn these mats upside-down if you can only turn exactly three at a time.
Cuboid-in-a-box
Age 7 to 11 Challenge Level:
What is the smallest cuboid that you can put in this box so that you cannot fit another that's the same into it?
Brush Loads
Age 7 to 11 Challenge Level:
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.
Triangle Relations
Age 7 to 11 Challenge Level:
What do these two triangles have in common? How are they related?
The Best Card Trick?
Age 11 to 16 Challenge Level:
Time for a little mathemagic! Choose any five cards from a pack and show four of them to your partner. How can they work out the fifth?
Escher Tessellations
Age 7 to 11 Challenge Level:
This practical investigation invites you to make tessellating shapes in a similar way to the artist Escher.
Pyramid Numbers
Age 7 to 11 Challenge Level:
What are the next three numbers in this sequence? Can you explain why are they called pyramid numbers?
Music to My Ears
Age 7 to 11 Challenge Level:
Can you predict when you'll be clapping and when you'll be clicking if you start this rhythm? How about when a friend begins a new rhythm at the same time?
Sort Them Out (2)
Age 7 to 11 Challenge Level:
Can you each work out the number on your card? What do you notice? How could you sort the cards?
Tower of Hanoi
Age 11 to 14 Challenge Level:
The Tower of Hanoi is an ancient mathematical challenge. Working on the building blocks may help you to explain the patterns you notice.
Polydron
Age 7 to 11 Challenge Level:
This activity investigates how you might make squares and pentominoes from Polydron.
Triangle Shapes
Age 5 to 11 Challenge Level:
This practical problem challenges you to create shapes and patterns with two different types of triangle. You could even try overlapping them.
Two Squared
Age 7 to 11 Challenge Level:
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?
Double Your Popcorn, Double Your Pleasure
Age 7 to 11 Challenge Level:
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.
Fencing
Age 7 to 11 Challenge Level:
Arrange your fences to make the largest rectangular space you can. Try with four fences, then five, then six etc.
Counter Ideas
Age 7 to 11 Challenge Level:
Here are some ideas to try in the classroom for using counters to investigate number patterns.
How Tall?
Age 5 to 11 Challenge Level:
A group of children are discussing the height of a tall tree. How would you go about finding out its height?
Making Maths: Birds from an Egg
Age 7 to 11 Challenge Level:
Can you make the birds from the egg tangram?
Factors and Multiples Game for Two
Age 7 to 14 Challenge Level:
Factors and Multiples game for an adult and child. How can you make sure you win this game?
It's a Fence!
Age 5 to 11 Challenge Level:
In this challenge, you will work in a group to investigate circular fences enclosing trees that are planted in square or triangular arrangements.
Cunning Card Trick
Age 11 to 14 Challenge Level:
Delight your friends with this cunning trick! Can you explain how it works?
Fractional Triangles
Age 7 to 11 Challenge Level:
Use the lines on this figure to show how the square can be divided into 2 halves, 3 thirds, 6 sixths and 9 ninths.
NRICH is part of the family of activities in the Millennium Mathematics Project.