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Early number sense
This article explores the basic foundations of number sense and outlines relevant research in this area.
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problem
Tiles on a patio
7 to 11
How many ways can you find of tiling the square patio, using square
tiles of different sizes?
problem
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Plants
5 to 14
Three children are going to buy some plants for their birthdays. They will plant them within circular paths. How could they do this?
problem
Zeller's birthday
14 to 16
What day of the week were you born on? Do you know? Here's a way to
find out.
problem
Favourite
How safe are you?
7 to 11
How much do you have to turn these dials by in order to unlock the safes?
problem
Favourite
Brush loads
7 to 11
How can you arrange the 5 cubes so that you need the smallest number of Brush Loads of paint to cover them? Try with other numbers of cubes as well.
problem
Favourite
Pythagoras proofs
11 to 16
Can you make sense of these three proofs of Pythagoras' Theorem?
problem
Spectrometry detective
16 to 18
From the atomic masses recorded in a mass spectrometry analysis can
you deduce the possible form of these compounds?
problem
Secret transmissions
14 to 16
How can Agent X transmit data on a faulty line and be sure that her message will get through?
problem
Picture the process I
How does the temperature of a cup of tea behave over time? What is the radius of a spherical balloon as it is inflated? What is the distance fallen by a parachutist after jumping out of a plane? After sketching graphs for these and other real-world processes, you are offered a selection of equations to match to these graphs and processes.