Number problems at primary level that may require determination.
Find out what a Deca Tree is and then work out how many leaves
there will be after the woodcutter has cut off a trunk, a branch, a
twig and a leaf.
There are over sixty different ways of making 24 by adding,
subtracting, multiplying and dividing all four numbers 4, 6, 6 and
8 (using each number only once). How many can you find?
What is the sum of all the three digit whole numbers?
On the planet Vuv there are two sorts of creatures. The Zios have 3 legs and the Zepts have 7 legs. The great planetary explorer Nico counted 52 legs. How many Zios and how many Zepts were there?
Use 4 four times with simple operations so that you get the answer 12. Can you make 15, 16 and 17 too?
The Scot, John Napier, invented these strips about 400 years ago to
help calculate multiplication and division. Can you work out how to
use Napier's bones to find the answer to these multiplications?
There are three buckets each of which holds a maximum of 5 litres.
Use the clues to work out how much liquid there is in each bucket.
What is the lowest number which always leaves a remainder of 1 when
divided by each of the numbers from 2 to 10?
Find the next number in this pattern: 3, 7, 19, 55 ...
The value of the circle changes in each of the following problems. Can you discover its value in each problem?
48 is called an abundant number because it is less than the sum of
its factors (without itself). Can you find some more abundant
If the answer's 2010, what could the question be?
Peter, Melanie, Amil and Jack received a total of 38 chocolate
eggs. Use the information to work out how many eggs each person
This group activity will encourage you to share calculation
strategies and to think about which strategy might be the most
56 406 is the product of two consecutive numbers. What are these
On a calculator, make 15 by using only the 2 key and any of the
four operations keys. How many ways can you find to do it?
If the numbers 5, 7 and 4 go into this function machine, what
numbers will come out?
Rocco ran in a 200 m race for his class. Use the information to
find out how many runners there were in the race and what Rocco's
finishing position was.
Can you score 100 by throwing rings on this board? Is there more
than way to do it?
Use the information to work out how many gifts there are in each
Put operations signs between the numbers 3 4 5 6 to make the highest possible number and lowest possible number.
Use your logical reasoning to work out how many cows and how many
sheep there are in each field.
Look on the back of any modern book and you will find an ISBN code. Take this code and calculate this sum in the way shown. Can you see what the answers always have in common?
Where can you draw a line on a clock face so that the numbers on
both sides have the same total?
This number has 903 digits. What is the sum of all 903 digits?
On the table there is a pile of oranges and lemons that weighs
exactly one kilogram. Using the information, can you work out how
many lemons there are?
Amy has a box containing domino pieces but she does not think it is a complete set. She has 24 dominoes in her box and there are 125 spots on them altogether. Which of her domino pieces are missing?
What happens when you add the digits of a number then multiply the
result by 2 and you keep doing this? You could try for different
numbers and different rules.
Here are the prices for 1st and 2nd class mail within the UK. You have an unlimited number of each of these stamps. Which stamps would you need to post a parcel weighing 825g?
What is happening at each box in these machines?
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
Annie cut this numbered cake into 3 pieces with 3 cuts so that the
numbers on each piece added to the same total. Where were the cuts
and what fraction of the whole cake was each piece?
Well now, what would happen if we lost all the nines in our number
system? Have a go at writing the numbers out in this way and have a
look at the multiplications table.
Put a number at the top of the machine and collect a number at the
bottom. What do you get? Which numbers get back to themselves?
This task combines spatial awareness with addition and multiplication.
The clockmaker's wife cut up his birthday cake to look like a clock
face. Can you work out who received each piece?
There is a clock-face where the numbers have become all mixed up. Can you find out where all the numbers have got to from these ten statements?
Which is quicker, counting up to 30 in ones or counting up to 300 in tens? Why?
There are four equal weights on one side of the scale and an apple
on the other side. What can you say that is true about the apple
and the weights from the picture?
Number problems at primary level that require careful consideration.
Have a go at balancing this equation. Can you find different ways of doing it?
Can you design a new shape for the twenty-eight squares and arrange
the numbers in a logical way? What patterns do you notice?
Tom and Ben visited Numberland. Use the maps to work out the number
of points each of their routes scores.
Can you work out some different ways to balance this equation?
This big box multiplies anything that goes inside it by the same number. If you know the numbers that come out, what multiplication might be going on in the box?
This challenge encourages you to explore dividing a three-digit number by a single-digit number.
Using the numbers 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 once and only once, and the
operations x and ÷ once and only once, what is the smallest
whole number you can make?
Work out Tom's number from the answers he gives his friend. He will
only answer 'yes' or 'no'.
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?