Other tags that relate to Polygonals
Addition & subtraction. Investigations. Generalising. Visualising. Describing patterns and sequences. Working systematically. Practical Activity. Combinations. Factors and multiples. Multiplication & division.There are 152 results
Broad Topics > Thinking Mathematically > Practical Activity
Making Maths: Be a Mathemagician
Age 7 to 11 Challenge Level:
Surprise your friends with this magic square trick.
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.
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?
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?
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?
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.
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?
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?
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?
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.
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.
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?
Counter Ideas
Age 7 to 11 Challenge Level:
Here are some ideas to try in the classroom for using counters to investigate number patterns.
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?
Three Sets of Cubes, Two Surfaces
Age 7 to 11 Challenge Level:
How many models can you find which obey these rules?
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?
Cover the Tray
Age 7 to 11 Challenge Level:
These practical challenges are all about making a 'tray' and covering it with paper.
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?
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?
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?
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.
Two by One
Age 7 to 11 Challenge Level:
An activity making various patterns with 2 x 1 rectangular tiles.
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?
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.
Triangle Relations
Age 7 to 11 Challenge Level:
What do these two triangles have in common? How are they related?
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?
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?
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.
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?
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?
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.
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.
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.
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?
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.
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?
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?
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?
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?
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?
Cunning Card Trick
Age 11 to 14 Challenge Level:
Delight your friends with this cunning trick! Can you explain how it works?
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.
Bryony's Triangle
Age 7 to 11 Challenge Level:
Watch the video to see how to fold a square of paper to create a flower. What fraction of the piece of paper is the small triangle?
Sociable Cards
Age 11 to 14 Challenge Level:
Move your counters through this snake of cards and see how far you can go. Are you surprised by where you end up?
Making Maths: Birds from an Egg
Age 7 to 11 Challenge Level:
Can you make the birds from the egg tangram?
NRICH is part of the family of activities in the Millennium Mathematics Project.