Triangle numbers

  • Clever Carl
    article

    Clever Carl

    What would you do if your teacher asked you add all the numbers from 1 to 100? Find out how Carl Gauss responded when he was asked to do just that.

  • Sam Again
    problem

    Sam again

    Age
    11 to 14
    Challenge level
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    Here is a collection of puzzles about Sam's shop sent in by club members. Perhaps you can make up more puzzles, find formulas or find general methods.
  • Triangles within Triangles
    problem

    Triangles within triangles

    Age
    14 to 16
    Challenge level
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    Can you find a rule which connects consecutive triangular numbers?
  • Take Ten Sticks
    problem

    Take ten sticks

    Age
    11 to 16
    Challenge level
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    Take ten sticks in heaps any way you like. Make a new heap using one from each of the heaps. By repeating that process could the arrangement 7 - 1 - 1 - 1 ever turn up, except by starting with it?
  • Reciprocal Triangles
    problem

    Reciprocal triangles

    Age
    16 to 18
    Challenge level
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    Prove that the sum of the reciprocals of the first n triangular numbers gets closer and closer to 2 as n grows.
  • Forgotten Number
    problem

    Forgotten number

    Age
    11 to 14
    Challenge level
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    I have forgotten the number of the combination of the lock on my briefcase. I did have a method for remembering it...
  • Triangular Triples
    problem

    Triangular triples

    Age
    14 to 16
    Challenge level
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    Show that 8778, 10296 and 13530 are three triangular numbers and that they form a Pythagorean triple.
  • Triangles within Squares
    problem

    Triangles within squares

    Age
    14 to 16
    Challenge level
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    Can you find a rule which relates triangular numbers to square numbers?
  • Series Sums
    problem

    Series sums

    Age
    14 to 16
    Challenge level
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    Let S1 = 1 , S2 = 2 + 3, S3 = 4 + 5 + 6 ,........ Calculate S17.
  • Hot Pursuit
    problem

    Hot pursuit

    Age
    11 to 14
    Challenge level
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    I added together the first 'n' positive integers and found that my answer was a 3 digit number in which all the digits were the same...