Find the sum of all three-digit numbers each of whose digits is
Try adding together the dates of all the days in one week. Now
multiply the first date by 7 and add 21. Can you explain what
Delight your friends with this cunning trick! Can you explain how
For this challenge, you'll need to play Got It! Can you explain the strategy for winning this game with any target?
Can you work out how to win this game of Nim? Does it matter if you go first or second?
This activity involves rounding four-digit numbers to the nearest thousand.
Put the numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 into the squares so that the
numbers on each circle add up to the same amount. Can you find the
rule for giving another set of six numbers?
In this game for two players, the idea is to take it in turns to choose 1, 3, 5 or 7. The winner is the first to make the total 37.
Can you explain how this card trick works?
How many ways can you find to do up all four buttons on my coat? How about if I had five buttons? Six ...?
If you can copy a network without lifting your pen off the paper and without drawing any line twice, then it is traversable.
Decide which of these diagrams are traversable.
Place the numbers from 1 to 9 in the squares below so that the difference between joined squares is odd. How many different ways can you do this?
Here are some arrangements of circles. How many circles would I need to make the next size up for each? Can you create your own arrangement and investigate the number of circles it needs?
Only one side of a two-slice toaster is working. What is the
quickest way to toast both sides of three slices of bread?
Four bags contain a large number of 1s, 3s, 5s and 7s. Pick any ten numbers from the bags above so that their total is 37.
Use your addition and subtraction skills, combined with some strategic thinking, to beat your partner at this game.
Can you see why 2 by 2 could be 5? Can you predict what 2 by 10
Sweets are given out to party-goers in a particular way. Investigate the total number of sweets received by people sitting in different positions.
This task follows on from Build it Up and takes the ideas into three dimensions!
Nim-7 game for an adult and child. Who will be the one to take the last counter?
Can you find all the ways to get 15 at the top of this triangle of numbers?
Strike it Out game for an adult and child. Can you stop your partner from being able to go?
Got It game for an adult and child. How can you play so that you know you will always win?
Find the sum and difference between a pair of two-digit numbers. Now find the sum and difference between the sum and difference! What happens?
Find a route from the outside to the inside of this square, stepping on as many tiles as possible.
This challenge focuses on finding the sum and difference of pairs of two-digit numbers.
Use the animation to help you work out how many lines are needed to draw mystic roses of different sizes.
One block is needed to make an up-and-down staircase, with one step up and one step down. How many blocks would be needed to build an up-and-down staircase with 5 steps up and 5 steps down?
Can you dissect an equilateral triangle into 6 smaller ones? What
number of smaller equilateral triangles is it NOT possible to
dissect a larger equilateral triangle into?
In how many different ways can you break up a stick of 7 interlocking cubes? Now try with a stick of 8 cubes and a stick of 6 cubes.
In a Magic Square all the rows, columns and diagonals add to the 'Magic Constant'. How would you change the magic constant of this square?
Triangle numbers can be represented by a triangular array of squares. What do you notice about the sum of identical triangle numbers?
Consider all two digit numbers (10, 11, . . . ,99). In writing down
all these numbers, which digits occur least often, and which occur
most often ? What about three digit numbers, four digit numbers. . . .
The aim of the game is to slide the green square from the top right
hand corner to the bottom left hand corner in the least number of
How many centimetres of rope will I need to make another mat just
like the one I have here?
This article for teachers describes several games, found on the
site, all of which have a related structure that can be used to
develop the skills of strategic planning.
Find out what a "fault-free" rectangle is and try to make some of
A collection of games on the NIM theme
Start with any number of counters in any number of piles. 2 players
take it in turns to remove any number of counters from a single
pile. The winner is the player to take the last counter.
Imagine starting with one yellow cube and covering it all over with
a single layer of red cubes, and then covering that cube with a
layer of blue cubes. How many red and blue cubes would you need?
We can arrange dots in a similar way to the 5 on a dice and they
usually sit quite well into a rectangular shape. How many
altogether in this 3 by 5? What happens for other sizes?
In this problem we are looking at sets of parallel sticks that
cross each other. What is the least number of crossings you can
make? And the greatest?
Euler discussed whether or not it was possible to stroll around Koenigsberg crossing each of its seven bridges exactly once. Experiment with different numbers of islands and bridges.
Try entering different sets of numbers in the number pyramids. How does the total at the top change?
Here are two kinds of spirals for you to explore. What do you notice?
How could Penny, Tom and Matthew work out how many chocolates there
are in different sized boxes?
This challenge, written for the Young Mathematicians' Award, invites you to explore 'centred squares'.
Are these statements always true, sometimes true or never true?
These squares have been made from Cuisenaire rods. Can you describe
the pattern? What would the next square look like?
Ben’s class were cutting up number tracks. First they cut them into twos and added up the numbers on each piece. What patterns could they see?