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.