Other tags that relate to Tricky Track
Working systematically. Games. Addition & subtraction. Probability. Interactivities. Visualising. Dice. Theoretical probability. Generalising. Experimental probability.There are 148 results
Broad Topics > Thinking Mathematically > Generalising
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
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?
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?
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.
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?
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.
Have You Got It?
Age 11 to 14 Challenge Level:
Can you explain the strategy for winning this game with any target?
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?
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?
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.
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.
Cunning Card Trick
Age 11 to 14 Challenge Level:
Delight your friends with this cunning trick! Can you explain how it works?
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?
Winning Lines
Age 7 to 16
An article for teachers and pupils that encourages you to look at the mathematical properties of similar games.
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?
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.
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.
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?
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 ...?
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?
Hidden Rectangles
Age 11 to 14 Challenge Level:
Rectangles are considered different if they vary in size or have different locations. How many different rectangles can be drawn on a chessboard?
Finding 3D Stacks
Age 7 to 11 Challenge Level:
Can you find a way of counting the spheres in these arrangements?
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.
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.
Taking Steps
Age 7 to 11 Challenge Level:
In each of the pictures the invitation is for you to: Count what you see. Identify how you think the pattern would continue.
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?
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?
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?
Egyptian Fractions
Age 11 to 14 Challenge Level:
The Egyptians expressed all fractions as the sum of different unit fractions. Here is a chance to explore how they could have written different fractions.
Keep it Simple
Age 11 to 14 Challenge Level:
Can all unit fractions be written as the sum of two unit fractions?
Sliding Puzzle
Age 11 to 16 Challenge Level:
The aim of the game is to slide the green square from the top right hand corner to the bottom left hand corner in the least number of moves.
Shear Magic
Age 11 to 14 Challenge Level:
Explore the area of families of parallelograms and triangles. Can you find rules to work out the areas?
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.
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.
Centred Squares
Age 7 to 11 Challenge Level:
This challenge, written for the Young Mathematicians' Award, invites you to explore 'centred squares'.
Consecutive Negative Numbers
Age 11 to 14 Challenge Level:
Do you notice anything about the solutions when you add and/or subtract consecutive negative numbers?
Arithmagons
Age 11 to 16 Challenge Level:
Can you find the values at the vertices when you know the values on the edges?
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
Picturing Triangular Numbers
Age 11 to 14 Challenge Level:
Triangular numbers can be represented by a triangular array of squares. What do you notice about the sum of identical triangle numbers?
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.
Snake Coils
Age 7 to 11 Challenge Level:
This challenge asks you to imagine a snake coiling on itself.
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?
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?
Charitable Pennies
Age 7 to 14 Challenge Level:
Investigate the different ways that fifteen schools could have given money in a charity fundraiser.
Squares in Rectangles
Age 11 to 14 Challenge Level:
A 2 by 3 rectangle contains 8 squares and a 3 by 4 rectangle contains 20 squares. What size rectangle(s) contain(s) exactly 100 squares? Can you find them all?
Is There a Theorem?
Age 11 to 14 Challenge Level:
Draw a square. A second square of the same size slides around the first always maintaining contact and keeping the same orientation. How far does the dot travel?
NRICH is part of the family of activities in the Millennium Mathematics Project.