Other tags that relate to Give Me Four Clues
Factors and multiples. Generalising. Prime numbers. Odd and even numbers. Multiplication & division. Interactivities. Place value. Working systematically. Addition & subtraction. Divisibility.There are 148 results
Broad Topics > Thinking Mathematically > Generalising
Number Tracks
Age 7 to 11 Challenge Level:
Ben’s class were cutting up number tracks. First they cut them into twos and added up the numbers on each piece. What patterns could they see?
Surprising Split
Age 7 to 11 Challenge Level:
Does this 'trick' for calculating multiples of 11 always work? Why or why not?
Adding in Rows
Age 11 to 14 Challenge Level:
List any 3 numbers. It is always possible to find a subset of adjacent numbers that add up to a multiple of 3. Can you explain why and prove it?
Three Times Seven
Age 11 to 14 Challenge Level:
A three digit number abc is always divisible by 7 when 2a+3b+c is divisible by 7. Why?
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?
Great Granddad
Age 11 to 14 Challenge Level:
Great Granddad is very proud of his telegram from the Queen congratulating him on his hundredth birthday and he has friends who are even older than he is... When was he born?
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. . . .
Three Dice
Age 7 to 11 Challenge Level:
Investigate the sum of the numbers on the top and bottom faces of a line of three dice. What do you notice?
Counting Factors
Age 11 to 14 Challenge Level:
Is there an efficient way to work out how many factors a large number has?
Repeaters
Age 11 to 14 Challenge Level:
Choose any 3 digits and make a 6 digit number by repeating the 3 digits in the same order (e.g. 594594). Explain why whatever digits you choose the number will always be divisible by 7, 11 and 13.
What Numbers Can We Make Now?
Age 11 to 14 Challenge Level:
Imagine we have four bags containing numbers from a sequence. What numbers can we make now?
Magic Letters
Age 11 to 14 Challenge Level:
Charlie has made a Magic V. Can you use his example to make some more? And how about Magic Ls, Ns and Ws?
Digit Addition
Age 5 to 11 Challenge Level:
Try out this number trick. What happens with different starting numbers? What do you notice?
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 ...?
Journeys in Numberland
Age 7 to 11 Challenge Level:
Tom and Ben visited Numberland. Use the maps to work out the number of points each of their routes scores.
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.
Have You Got It?
Age 11 to 14 Challenge Level:
Can you explain the strategy for winning this game with any target?
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?
Magic Vs
Age 7 to 11 Challenge Level:
Can you put the numbers 1-5 in the V shape so that both 'arms' have the same total?
Centred Squares
Age 7 to 11 Challenge Level:
This challenge, written for the Young Mathematicians' Award, invites you to explore 'centred squares'.
Number Differences
Age 7 to 11 Challenge Level:
Place the numbers from 1 to 9 in the squares below so that the difference between joined squares is odd. How many different ways can you do this?
Mini-max
Age 11 to 14 Challenge Level:
Consider all two digit numbers (10, 11, . . . ,99). In writing down all these numbers, which digits occur least often, and which occur most often ? What about three digit numbers, four digit numbers. . . .
Special Sums and Products
Age 11 to 14 Challenge Level:
Find some examples of pairs of numbers such that their sum is a factor of their product. eg. 4 + 12 = 16 and 4 × 12 = 48 and 16 is a factor of 48.
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?
Calendar Calculations
Age 7 to 11 Challenge Level:
Try adding together the dates of all the days in one week. Now multiply the first date by 7 and add 21. Can you explain what happens?
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.
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?
Division Rules
Age 7 to 11 Challenge Level:
This challenge encourages you to explore dividing a three-digit number by a single-digit number.
Round and Round the Circle
Age 7 to 11 Challenge Level:
What happens if you join every second point on this circle? How about every third point? Try with different steps and see if you can predict what will happen.
Magic Constants
Age 7 to 11 Challenge Level:
In a Magic Square all the rows, columns and diagonals add to the 'Magic Constant'. How would you change the magic constant of this square?
Always, Sometimes or Never? Number
Age 7 to 11 Challenge Level:
Are these statements always true, sometimes true or never true?
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.
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!
Oddly
Age 7 to 11 Challenge Level:
Find the sum of all three-digit numbers each of whose digits is odd.
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. . . .
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?
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?
Sums and Differences 1
Age 7 to 11 Challenge Level:
This challenge focuses on finding the sum and difference of pairs of two-digit numbers.
Sums and Differences 2
Age 7 to 11 Challenge Level:
Find the sum and difference between a pair of two-digit numbers. Now find the sum and difference between the sum and difference! What happens?
Magic Circles
Age 7 to 11 Challenge Level:
Put the numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 into the squares so that the numbers on each circle add up to the same amount. Can you find the rule for giving another set of six numbers?
Charitable Pennies
Age 7 to 14 Challenge Level:
Investigate the different ways that fifteen schools could have given money in a charity fundraiser.
Winning Lines
Age 7 to 16
An article for teachers and pupils that encourages you to look at the mathematical properties of similar games.
Bundles of Cubes
Age 7 to 11 Challenge Level:
Watch this animation. What do you notice? What happens when you try more or fewer cubes in a bundle?
Got It
Age 7 to 14 Challenge Level:
A game for two people, or play online. Given a target number, say 23, and a range of numbers to choose from, say 1-4, players take it in turns to add to the running total to hit their target.
Making Maths: Be a Mathemagician
Age 7 to 11 Challenge Level:
Surprise your friends with this magic square trick.
Doplication
Age 7 to 11 Challenge Level:
We can arrange dots in a similar way to the 5 on a dice and they usually sit quite well into a rectangular shape. How many altogether in this 3 by 5? What happens for other sizes?
Round the Dice Decimals 2
Age 7 to 11 Challenge Level:
What happens when you round these numbers to the nearest whole number?
Sums of Pairs
Age 11 to 16 Challenge Level:
Jo has three numbers which she adds together in pairs. When she does this she has three different totals: 11, 17 and 22 What are the three numbers Jo had to start with?”
Round the Dice Decimals 1
Age 7 to 11 Challenge Level:
Use two dice to generate two numbers with one decimal place. What happens when you round these numbers to the nearest whole number?
Round the Four Dice
Age 7 to 11 Challenge Level:
This activity involves rounding four-digit numbers to the nearest thousand.
NRICH is part of the family of activities in the Millennium Mathematics Project.