Resources tagged with Mathematical reasoning & proof similar to Nim:
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Games. Number bases. Mathematical reasoning & proof. Visualising. PrimaryGames-Strategy. Place value. Making and proving conjectures. Creating and manipulating expressions and formulae. Mathematical modelling. Generalising.There are 162 results
Broad Topics > Using, Applying and Reasoning about Mathematics > Mathematical reasoning & proof
Chocolate Maths
Age 11 to 14 Challenge Level:
Pick the number of times a week that you eat chocolate. This number must be more than one but less than ten. Multiply this number by 2. Add 5 (for Sunday). Multiply by 50... Can you explain why it. . . .
Problem Solving, Using and Applying and Functional Mathematics
Age 5 to 18 Challenge Level:
Problem solving is at the heart of the NRICH site. All the problems give learners opportunities to learn, develop or use mathematical concepts and skills. Read here for more information.
Yih or Luk Tsut K'i or Three Men's Morris
Age 11 to 18 Challenge Level:
Some puzzles requiring no knowledge of knot theory, just a careful inspection of the patterns. A glimpse of the classification of knots and a little about prime knots, crossing numbers and. . . .
More Number Pyramids
Age 11 to 14 Challenge Level:
When number pyramids have a sequence on the bottom layer, some interesting patterns emerge...
Mindreader
Age 11 to 14 Challenge Level:
A little bit of algebra explains this 'magic'. Ask a friend to pick 3 consecutive numbers and to tell you a multiple of 3. Then ask them to add the four numbers and multiply by 67, and to tell you. . . .
To Prove or Not to Prove
Age 14 to 18
A serious but easily readable discussion of proof in mathematics with some amusing stories and some interesting examples.
Go Forth and Generalise
Age 11 to 14
Spotting patterns can be an important first step - explaining why it is appropriate to generalise is the next step, and often the most interesting and important.
Tis Unique
Age 11 to 14 Challenge Level:
This addition sum uses all ten digits 0, 1, 2...9 exactly once. Find the sum and show that the one you give is the only possibility.
One O Five
Age 11 to 14 Challenge Level:
You can work out the number someone else is thinking of as follows. Ask a friend to think of any natural number less than 100. Then ask them to tell you the remainders when this number is divided by. . . .
Even So
Age 11 to 14 Challenge Level:
Find some triples of whole numbers a, b and c such that a^2 + b^2 + c^2 is a multiple of 4. Is it necessarily the case that a, b and c must all be even? If so, can you explain why?
Dicing with Numbers
Age 11 to 14 Challenge Level:
In how many ways can you arrange three dice side by side on a surface so that the sum of the numbers on each of the four faces (top, bottom, front and back) is equal?
Flight of the Flibbins
Age 11 to 14 Challenge Level:
Blue Flibbins are so jealous of their red partners that they will not leave them on their own with any other bue Flibbin. What is the quickest way of getting the five pairs of Flibbins safely to. . . .
Is it Magic or Is it Maths?
Age 11 to 14 Challenge Level:
Here are three 'tricks' to amaze your friends. But the really clever trick is explaining to them why these 'tricks' are maths not magic. Like all good magicians, you should practice by trying. . . .
More Mathematical Mysteries
Age 11 to 14 Challenge Level:
Write down a three-digit number Change the order of the digits to get a different number Find the difference between the two three digit numbers Follow the rest of the instructions then try. . . .
Neighbourly Addition
Age 7 to 14 Challenge Level:
I added together some of my neighbours' house numbers. Can you explain the patterns I noticed?
Composite Notions
Age 14 to 16 Challenge Level:
A composite number is one that is neither prime nor 1. Show that 10201 is composite in any base.
Königsberg
Age 11 to 14 Challenge Level:
Can you cross each of the seven bridges that join the north and south of the river to the two islands, once and once only, without retracing your steps?
Konigsberg Plus
Age 11 to 14 Challenge Level:
Euler discussed whether or not it was possible to stroll around Koenigsberg crossing each of its seven bridges exactly once. Experiment with different numbers of islands and bridges.
Disappearing Square
Age 11 to 14 Challenge Level:
Do you know how to find the area of a triangle? You can count the squares. What happens if we turn the triangle on end? Press the button and see. Try counting the number of units in the triangle now. . . .
Dalmatians
Age 14 to 18 Challenge Level:
Investigate the sequences obtained by starting with any positive 2 digit number (10a+b) and repeatedly using the rule 10a+b maps to 10b-a to get the next number in the sequence.
Proofs with Pictures
Age 14 to 18
Some diagrammatic 'proofs' of algebraic identities and inequalities.
Janine's Conjecture
Age 14 to 16 Challenge Level:
Janine noticed, while studying some cube numbers, that if you take three consecutive whole numbers and multiply them together and then add the middle number of the three, you get the middle number. . . .
Cycle It
Age 11 to 14 Challenge Level:
Carry out cyclic permutations of nine digit numbers containing the digits from 1 to 9 (until you get back to the first number). Prove that whatever number you choose, they will add to the same total.
Picture Story
Age 14 to 16 Challenge Level:
Can you see how this picture illustrates the formula for the sum of the first six cube numbers?
Natural Sum
Age 14 to 16 Challenge Level:
The picture illustrates the sum 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 = (4 x 5)/2. Prove the general formula for the sum of the first n natural numbers and the formula for the sum of the cubes of the first n natural. . . .
Square Mean
Age 14 to 16 Challenge Level:
Is the mean of the squares of two numbers greater than, or less than, the square of their means?
Pattern of Islands
Age 11 to 14 Challenge Level:
In how many distinct ways can six islands be joined by bridges so that each island can be reached from every other island...
Unit Interval
Age 14 to 18 Challenge Level:
Take any two numbers between 0 and 1. Prove that the sum of the numbers is always less than one plus their product?
9 Weights
Age 11 to 14 Challenge Level:
You have been given nine weights, one of which is slightly heavier than the rest. Can you work out which weight is heavier in just two weighings of the balance?
Never Prime
Age 14 to 16 Challenge Level:
If a two digit number has its digits reversed and the smaller of the two numbers is subtracted from the larger, prove the difference can never be prime.
Converse
Age 14 to 16 Challenge Level:
Clearly if a, b and c are the lengths of the sides of an equilateral triangle then a^2 + b^2 + c^2 = ab + bc + ca. Is the converse true?
Always the Same
Age 11 to 14 Challenge Level:
Arrange the numbers 1 to 16 into a 4 by 4 array. Choose a number. Cross out the numbers on the same row and column. Repeat this process. Add up you four numbers. Why do they always add up to 34?
Sticky Numbers
Age 11 to 14 Challenge Level:
Can you arrange the numbers 1 to 17 in a row so that each adjacent pair adds up to a square number?
Power Mad!
Age 11 to 14 Challenge Level:
Powers of numbers behave in surprising ways. Take a look at some of these and try to explain why they are true.
Multiplication Square
Age 14 to 16 Challenge Level:
Pick a square within a multiplication square and add the numbers on each diagonal. What do you notice?
DOTS Division
Age 14 to 16 Challenge Level:
Take any pair of two digit numbers x=ab and y=cd where, without loss of generality, ab > cd . Form two 4 digit numbers r=abcd and s=cdab and calculate: {r^2 - s^2} /{x^2 - y^2}.
Sprouts Explained
Age 7 to 18
This article invites you to get familiar with a strategic game called "sprouts". The game is simple enough for younger children to understand, and has also provided experienced mathematicians with. . . .
Some Circuits in Graph or Network Theory
Age 14 to 18
Eulerian and Hamiltonian circuits are defined with some simple examples and a couple of puzzles to illustrate Hamiltonian circuits.
Logic
Age 7 to 14
What does logic mean to us and is that different to mathematical logic? We will explore these questions in this article.
Calculating with Cosines
Age 14 to 18 Challenge Level:
If I tell you two sides of a right-angled triangle, you can easily work out the third. But what if the angle between the two sides is not a right angle?
A Long Time at the Till
Age 14 to 18 Challenge Level:
Try to solve this very difficult problem and then study our two suggested solutions. How would you use your knowledge to try to solve variants on the original problem?
Advent Calendar 2011 - Secondary
Age 11 to 18 Challenge Level:
Advent Calendar 2011 - a mathematical activity for each day during the run-up to Christmas.
Impossible Sandwiches
Age 11 to 18
In this 7-sandwich: 7 1 3 1 6 4 3 5 7 2 4 6 2 5 there are 7 numbers between the 7s, 6 between the 6s etc. The article shows which values of n can make n-sandwiches and which cannot.
Same Length
Age 11 to 16 Challenge Level:
Construct two equilateral triangles on a straight line. There are two lengths that look the same - can you prove it?
Picturing Pythagorean Triples
Age 14 to 18
This article discusses how every Pythagorean triple (a, b, c) can be illustrated by a square and an L shape within another square. You are invited to find some triples for yourself.
Pythagorean Triples II
Age 11 to 16
This is the second article on right-angled triangles whose edge lengths are whole numbers.
NRICH is part of the family of activities in the Millennium Mathematics Project.