Explaining, convincing and proving

  • A powerful Matrix
    problem

    A Powerful Matrix

    Age
    14 to 18
    Challenge level
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    What happens when you find the powers of this matrix?

  • Calculating with cosines
    problem

    Calculating With Cosines

    Age
    14 to 18
    Challenge level
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    If I tell you two sides of a right-angled triangle, you can easily work out the third. But what if the angle between the two sides is not a right angle?

  • Impossible sums
    problem

    Impossible Sums

    Age
    14 to 18
    Challenge level
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    Which numbers cannot be written as the sum of two or more consecutive numbers?

  • Difference of odd squares
    problem

    Difference of Odd Squares

    Age
    14 to 18
    Challenge level
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    $40$ can be written as $7^2 - 3^2.$ Which other numbers can be written as the difference of squares of odd numbers?

  • The Converse of Pythagoras
    problem

    The Converse of Pythagoras

    Age
    14 to 18
    Challenge level
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    Can you prove that triangles are right-angled when $a^2+b^2=c^2$?

  • Shopping basket of various food items.
    problem

    A Long Time at the Till

    Age
    14 to 18
    Challenge level
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    Try to solve this very difficult problem and then study our two suggested solutions. How would you use your knowledge to try to solve variants on the original problem?

  • Napoleon's Hat
    problem

    Napoleon's Hat

    Age
    16 to 18
    Challenge level
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    Three equilateral triangles ABC, AYX and XZB are drawn with the point X a moveable point on AB. The points P, Q and R are the centres of the three triangles. What can you say about triangle PQR?

  • Pythagorean Golden Means
    problem

    Pythagorean Golden Means

    Age
    16 to 18
    Challenge level
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    Show that the arithmetic mean, geometric mean and harmonic mean of a and b can be the lengths of the sides of a right-angles triangle if and only if a = bx^3, where x is the Golden Ratio.

  • Big, Bigger, Biggest
    problem

    Big, Bigger, Biggest

    Age
    16 to 18
    Challenge level
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    Which is the biggest and which the smallest of $2000^{2002}, 2001^{2001} \text{and } 2002^{2000}$?

  • Tetra Inequalities
    problem

    Tetra Inequalities

    Age
    16 to 18
    Challenge level
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    Can you prove that in every tetrahedron there is a vertex where the three edges meeting at that vertex have lengths which could be the sides of a triangle?