Algorithms

There are 32 NRICH Mathematical resources connected to Algorithms
Tis Unique
problem

Tis Unique

Age
11 to 14
Challenge level
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This addition sum uses all ten digits 0, 1, 2...9 exactly once. Find the sum and show that the one you give is the only possibility.
Kids
problem

Kids

Age
11 to 14
Challenge level
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Find the numbers in this sum
Slippy Numbers
problem

Slippy Numbers

Age
11 to 14
Challenge level
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The number 10112359550561797752808988764044943820224719 is called a 'slippy number' because, when the last digit 9 is moved to the front, the new number produced is the slippy number multiplied by 9.
Vedic Sutra - All from 9 and last from 10
problem

Vedic Sutra - All from 9 and last from 10

Age
14 to 16
Challenge level
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Vedic Sutra is one of many ancient Indian sutras which involves a cross subtraction method. Can you give a good explanation of WHY it works?
Medal Muddle
problem

Medal Muddle

Age
11 to 14
Challenge level
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Countries from across the world competed in a sports tournament. Can you devise an efficient strategy to work out the order in which they finished?
Alphabet Soup
problem

Alphabet Soup

Age
11 to 14
Challenge level
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This challenge is to make up YOUR OWN alphanumeric. Each letter represents a digit and where the same letter appears more than once it must represent the same digit each time.
Triangle Incircle Iteration
problem

Triangle Incircle Iteration

Age
14 to 16
Challenge level
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Keep constructing triangles in the incircle of the previous triangle. What happens?
Route to Root
problem

Route to Root

Age
16 to 18
Challenge level
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A sequence of numbers x1, x2, x3, ... starts with x1 = 2, and, if you know any term xn, you can find the next term xn+1 using the formula: xn+1 = (xn + 3/xn)/2 . Calculate the first six terms of this sequence. What do you notice? Calculate a few more terms and find the squares of the terms. Can you prove that the special property you notice about this sequence will apply to all the later terms of the sequence? Write down a formula to give an approximation to the cube root of a number and test it for the cube root of 3 and the cube root of 8. How many terms of the sequence do you have to take before you get the cube root of 8 correct to as many decimal places as your calculator will give? What happens when you try this method for fourth roots or fifth roots etc.?
On what day did it happen?
article

On what day did it happen?

Read this article to find out the mathematical method for working out what day of the week each particular date fell on back as far as 1700.