Creating and manipulating expressions and formulae

There are 198 NRICH Mathematical resources connected to Creating and manipulating expressions and formulae
Pinned Squares
problem

Pinned Squares

Age
14 to 16
Challenge level
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What is the total number of squares that can be made on a 5 by 5 geoboard?
Lower Bound
problem

Lower Bound

Age
14 to 16
Challenge level
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What would you get if you continued this sequence of fraction sums? 1/2 + 2/1 = 2/3 + 3/2 = 3/4 + 4/3 =
Pareq Calc
problem

Pareq Calc

Age
14 to 16
Challenge level
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Triangle ABC is an equilateral triangle with three parallel lines going through the vertices. Calculate the length of the sides of the triangle if the perpendicular distances between the parallel lines are 1 unit and 2 units.
How big?
problem

How big?

Age
11 to 14
Challenge level
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If the sides of the triangle in the diagram are 3, 4 and 5, what is the area of the shaded square?
The Pillar of Chios
problem

The Pillar of Chios

Age
14 to 16
Challenge level
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Semicircles are drawn on the sides of a rectangle. Prove that the sum of the areas of the four crescents is equal to the area of the rectangle.
One and three
problem

One and three

Age
14 to 16
Challenge level
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Two motorboats travelling up and down a lake at constant speeds leave opposite ends A and B at the same instant, passing each other, for the first time 600 metres from A, and on their return, 400 metres from B. How long is the lake?
Mindreader
problem

Mindreader

Age
11 to 14
Challenge level
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A little bit of algebra explains this 'magic'. Ask a friend to pick 3 consecutive numbers and to tell you a multiple of 3. Then ask them to add the four numbers and multiply by 67, and to tell you the last two digits of her answer. Now you can really amaze her by giving the whole answer and the three consecutive numbers used at the start.
Hand Swap
problem

Hand Swap

Age
14 to 16
Challenge level
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My train left London between 6 a.m. and 7 a.m. and arrived in Paris between 9 a.m. and 10 a.m. At the start and end of the journey the hands on my watch were in exactly the same positions but the minute hand and hour hand had swopped places. What time did the train leave London and how long did the journey take?
Janine's Conjecture
problem

Janine's Conjecture

Age
14 to 16
Challenge level
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Janine noticed, while studying some cube numbers, that if you take three consecutive whole numbers and multiply them together and then add the middle number of the three, you get the middle number. Does this always work? Can you prove or disprove this conjecture?
Boxed In
problem

Boxed In

Age
11 to 14
Challenge level
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A box has faces with areas 3, 12 and 25 square centimetres. What is the volume of the box?