Other tags that relate to Traffic Lights
Counting. Practical Activity. Visualising. Interactivities. Addition & subtraction. Counters. Games. Working systematically. Factors and multiples. Generalising.There are 143 results
Broad Topics > Thinking Mathematically > Generalising
Pentanim
Age 7 to 16 Challenge Level:
A game for 2 players with similarities to NIM. Place one counter on each spot on the games board. Players take it is turns to remove 1 or 2 adjacent counters. The winner picks up the last counter.
Winning Lines
Age 7 to 16
An article for teachers and pupils that encourages you to look at the mathematical properties of similar games.
Nim-7
Age 5 to 14 Challenge Level:
Can you work out how to win this game of Nim? Does it matter if you go first or second?
One, Three, Five, Seven
Age 11 to 16 Challenge Level:
A game for 2 players. Set out 16 counters in rows of 1,3,5 and 7. Players take turns to remove any number of counters from a row. The player left with the last counter looses.
Nim-7 for Two
Age 5 to 14 Challenge Level:
Nim-7 game for an adult and child. Who will be the one to take the last counter?
Cunning Card Trick
Age 11 to 14 Challenge Level:
Delight your friends with this cunning trick! Can you explain how it works?
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?
Have You Got It?
Age 11 to 14 Challenge Level:
Can you explain the strategy for winning this game with any target?
Odd Squares
Age 7 to 11 Challenge Level:
Think of a number, square it and subtract your starting number. Is the number you’re left with odd or even? How do the images help to explain this?
Button-up Some More
Age 7 to 11 Challenge Level:
How many ways can you find to do up all four buttons on my coat? How about if I had five buttons? Six ...?
Sitting Round the Party Tables
Age 5 to 11 Challenge Level:
Sweets are given out to party-goers in a particular way. Investigate the total number of sweets received by people sitting in different positions.
Strike it Out
Age 5 to 11 Challenge Level:
Use your addition and subtraction skills, combined with some strategic thinking, to beat your partner at this game.
Dotty Circle
Age 7 to 11 Challenge Level:
Watch this film carefully. Can you find a general rule for explaining when the dot will be this same distance from the horizontal axis?
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.
Broken Toaster
Age 7 to 11 Short Challenge Level:
Only one side of a two-slice toaster is working. What is the quickest way to toast both sides of three slices of bread?
Circles, Circles
Age 5 to 11 Challenge Level:
Here are some arrangements of circles. How many circles would I need to make the next size up for each? Can you create your own arrangement and investigate the number of circles it needs?
Domino Numbers
Age 7 to 11 Challenge Level:
Can you see why 2 by 2 could be 5? Can you predict what 2 by 10 will be?
Finding 3D Stacks
Age 7 to 11 Challenge Level:
Can you find a way of counting the spheres in these arrangements?
Number Pyramids
Age 11 to 14 Challenge Level:
Try entering different sets of numbers in the number pyramids. How does the total at the top change?
More Magic Potting Sheds
Age 11 to 14 Challenge Level:
The number of plants in Mr McGregor's magic potting shed increases overnight. He'd like to put the same number of plants in each of his gardens, planting one garden each day. How can he do it?
Maths Trails
Age 7 to 14
The NRICH team are always looking for new ways to engage teachers and pupils in problem solving. Here we explain the thinking behind maths trails.
Play to 37
Age 7 to 11 Challenge Level:
In this game for two players, the idea is to take it in turns to choose 1, 3, 5 or 7. The winner is the first to make the total 37.
Got it for Two
Age 7 to 14 Challenge Level:
Got It game for an adult and child. How can you play so that you know you will always win?
Tumbling Down
Age 7 to 11 Challenge Level:
Watch this animation. What do you see? Can you explain why this happens?
Truth or Lie
Age 7 to 11 Challenge Level:
Take a look at the video of this trick. Can you perform it yourself? Why is this maths and not magic?
Build it Up
Age 7 to 11 Challenge Level:
Can you find all the ways to get 15 at the top of this triangle of numbers? Many opportunities to work in different ways.
Walking the Squares
Age 7 to 11 Challenge Level:
Find a route from the outside to the inside of this square, stepping on as many tiles as possible.
Strike it Out for Two
Age 5 to 11 Challenge Level:
Strike it Out game for an adult and child. Can you stop your partner from being able to go?
Cut it Out
Age 7 to 11 Challenge Level:
Can you dissect an equilateral triangle into 6 smaller ones? What number of smaller equilateral triangles is it NOT possible to dissect a larger equilateral triangle into?
Generalising
Age 5 to 11
These tasks give learners chance to generalise, which involves identifying an underlying structure.
Games Related to Nim
Age 5 to 16
This article for teachers describes several games, found on the site, all of which have a related structure that can be used to develop the skills of strategic planning.
Window Frames
Age 5 to 14 Challenge Level:
This task encourages you to investigate the number of edging pieces and panes in different sized windows.
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?
Partitioning Revisited
Age 11 to 14 Challenge Level:
We can show that (x + 1)² = x² + 2x + 1 by considering the area of an (x + 1) by (x + 1) square. Show in a similar way that (x + 2)² = x² + 4x + 4
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.
Round the Four Dice
Age 7 to 11 Challenge Level:
This activity involves rounding four-digit numbers to the nearest thousand.
Arithmagons
Age 11 to 16 Challenge Level:
Can you find the values at the vertices when you know the values on the edges?
Charitable Pennies
Age 7 to 14 Challenge Level:
Investigate the different ways that fifteen schools could have given money in a charity fundraiser.
Crossings
Age 7 to 11 Challenge Level:
In this problem we are looking at sets of parallel sticks that cross each other. What is the least number of crossings you can make? And the greatest?
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.
More Number Pyramids
Age 11 to 14 Challenge Level:
When number pyramids have a sequence on the bottom layer, some interesting patterns emerge...
Triangle Pin-down
Age 7 to 11 Challenge Level:
Use the interactivity to investigate what kinds of triangles can be drawn on peg boards with different numbers of pegs.
Roll over the Dice
Age 7 to 11 Challenge Level:
Watch this video to see how to roll the dice. Now it's your turn! What do you notice about the dice numbers you have recorded?
Build it up More
Age 7 to 11 Challenge Level:
This task follows on from Build it Up and takes the ideas into three dimensions!
Handshakes
Age 11 to 14 Challenge Level:
Can you find an efficient method to work out how many handshakes there would be if hundreds of people met?
Centred Squares
Age 7 to 11 Challenge Level:
This challenge, written for the Young Mathematicians' Award, invites you to explore 'centred squares'.
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?
Steps to the Podium
Age 7 to 14 Challenge Level:
It starts quite simple but great opportunities for number discoveries and patterns!
NRICH is part of the family of activities in the Millennium Mathematics Project.