Other tags that relate to Ratty
Mathematical reasoning & proof. Circle properties and circle theorems. Similarity and congruence. Factors and multiples. Triangles. Generalising. Pythagoras' theorem. Creating and manipulating expressions and formulae. Visualising. Combinatorics.There are 158 results
Broad Topics > Thinking Mathematically > Mathematical reasoning & proof
Ratty
Age 11 to 14 Challenge Level:
If you know the sizes of the angles marked with coloured dots in this diagram which angles can you find by calculation?
Find the Fake
Age 14 to 16 Challenge Level:
There are 12 identical looking coins, one of which is a fake. The counterfeit coin is of a different weight to the rest. What is the minimum number of weighings needed to locate the fake coin?
Triangular Intersection
Age 14 to 16 Short Challenge Level:
What is the largest number of intersection points that a triangle and a quadrilateral can have?
More Number Sandwiches
Age 11 to 16 Challenge Level:
When is it impossible to make number sandwiches?
Cosines Rule
Age 14 to 16 Challenge Level:
Three points A, B and C lie in this order on a line, and P is any point in the plane. Use the Cosine Rule to prove the following statement.
L-triominoes
Age 14 to 16 Challenge Level:
L triominoes can fit together to make larger versions of themselves. Is every size possible to make in this way?
Pythagorean Triples I
Age 11 to 16
The first of two articles on Pythagorean Triples which asks how many right angled triangles can you find with the lengths of each side exactly a whole number measurement. Try it!
Lens Angle
Age 14 to 16 Challenge Level:
Find the missing angle between the two secants to the circle when the two angles at the centre subtended by the arcs created by the intersections of the secants and the circle are 50 and 120 degrees.
Pythagorean Triples II
Age 11 to 16
This is the second article on right-angled triangles whose edge lengths are whole numbers.
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?
Pareq Exists
Age 14 to 16 Challenge Level:
Prove that, given any three parallel lines, an equilateral triangle always exists with one vertex on each of the three lines.
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?
Con Tricks
Age 11 to 14
Here are some examples of 'cons', and see if you can figure out where the trick is.
Thirty Nine, Seventy Five
Age 11 to 14 Challenge Level:
We have exactly 100 coins. There are five different values of coins. We have decided to buy a piece of computer software for 39.75. We have the correct money, not a penny more, not a penny less! Can. . . .
Parallel Universe
Age 14 to 16 Challenge Level:
An equilateral triangle is constructed on BC. A line QD is drawn, where Q is the midpoint of AC. Prove that AB // QD.
Salinon
Age 14 to 16 Challenge Level:
This shape comprises four semi-circles. What is the relationship between the area of the shaded region and the area of the circle on AB as diameter?
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.
Long Short
Age 14 to 16 Challenge Level:
What can you say about the lengths of the sides of a quadrilateral whose vertices are on a unit circle?
Volume of a Pyramid and a Cone
Age 11 to 14
These formulae are often quoted, but rarely proved. In this article, we derive the formulae for the volumes of a square-based pyramid and a cone, using relatively simple mathematical concepts.
The Pillar of Chios
Age 14 to 16 Challenge Level:
Semicircles are drawn on the sides of a rectangle. Prove that the sum of the areas of the four crescents is equal to the area of the rectangle.
A Chordingly
Age 11 to 14 Challenge Level:
Find the area of the annulus in terms of the length of the chord which is tangent to the inner circle.
Pythagoras Proofs
Age 14 to 16 Challenge Level:
Can you make sense of these three proofs of Pythagoras' Theorem?
Towering Trapeziums
Age 14 to 16 Challenge Level:
Can you find the areas of the trapezia in this sequence?
Children at Large
Age 11 to 14 Challenge Level:
There are four children in a family, two girls, Kate and Sally, and two boys, Tom and Ben. How old are the children?
Gift of Gems
Age 14 to 16 Challenge Level:
Four jewellers share their stock. Can you work out the relative values of their gems?
Mouhefanggai
Age 14 to 16
Imagine two identical cylindrical pipes meeting at right angles and think about the shape of the space which belongs to both pipes. Early Chinese mathematicians call this shape the mouhefanggai.
Fitting In
Age 14 to 16 Challenge Level:
The largest square which fits into a circle is ABCD and EFGH is a square with G and H on the line CD and E and F on the circumference of the circle. Show that AB = 5EF. Similarly the largest. . . .
Folding Fractions
Age 14 to 16 Challenge Level:
What fractions can you divide the diagonal of a square into by simple folding?
Angle Trisection
Age 14 to 16 Challenge Level:
It is impossible to trisect an angle using only ruler and compasses but it can be done using a carpenter's square.
Encircling
Age 14 to 16 Challenge Level:
An equilateral triangle is sitting on top of a square. What is the radius of the circle that circumscribes this shape?
Tri-colour
Age 11 to 14 Challenge Level:
Six points are arranged in space so that no three are collinear. How many line segments can be formed by joining the points in pairs?
Zig Zag
Age 14 to 16 Challenge Level:
Four identical right angled triangles are drawn on the sides of a square. Two face out, two face in. Why do the four vertices marked with dots lie on one line?
Folding Squares
Age 14 to 16 Challenge Level:
The diagonal of a square intersects the line joining one of the unused corners to the midpoint of the opposite side. What do you notice about the line segments produced?
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?
Russian Cubes
Age 14 to 16 Challenge Level:
I want some cubes painted with three blue faces and three red faces. How many different cubes can be painted like that?
No Right Angle Here
Age 14 to 16 Challenge Level:
Prove that the internal angle bisectors of a triangle will never be perpendicular to each other.
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. . . .
Cyclic Quadrilaterals
Age 11 to 16 Challenge Level:
Draw some quadrilaterals on a 9-point circle and work out the angles. Is there a theorem?
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. . . .
Greetings
Age 11 to 14 Challenge Level:
From a group of any 4 students in a class of 30, each has exchanged Christmas cards with the other three. Show that some students have exchanged cards with all the other students in the class. How. . . .
Circle Box
Age 14 to 16 Challenge Level:
It is obvious that we can fit four circles of diameter 1 unit in a square of side 2 without overlapping. What is the smallest square into which we can fit 3 circles of diameter 1 unit?
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. . . .
More Number Pyramids
Age 11 to 14 Challenge Level:
When number pyramids have a sequence on the bottom layer, some interesting patterns emerge...
Coins on a Plate
Age 11 to 14 Challenge Level:
Points A, B and C are the centres of three circles, each one of which touches the other two. Prove that the perimeter of the triangle ABC is equal to the diameter of the largest circle.
Marbles
Age 11 to 14 Challenge Level:
I start with a red, a green and a blue marble. I can trade any of my marbles for two others, one of each colour. Can I end up with five more blue marbles than red after a number of such trades?
Matter of Scale
Age 14 to 16 Challenge Level:
Prove Pythagoras' Theorem using enlargements and scale factors.
Cross-country Race
Age 11 to 14 Challenge Level:
Eight children enter the autumn cross-country race at school. How many possible ways could they come in at first, second and third places?
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.
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. . . .
NRICH is part of the family of activities in the Millennium Mathematics Project.