What Is the Question?

What is the Question?

The tasks in this feature encourage learners to become more fluent with times tables, but with a difference... All too often, we offer children a question and ask them to work out the answer. By turning this around and starting from the answer, we stimulate learners' mathematical curiosity and provide much more scope for them to explore and make connections.

Tables Teaser
Age 5 to 7
Challenge Level

How will you work out which numbers have been used to create this multiplication square?

Starfish Spotting
Age 5 to 7
Challenge Level

How many starfish could there be on the beach, and how many children, if I can see 28 arms?

I'm Eight
Age 5 to 11
Challenge Level

Find a great variety of ways of asking questions which make 8.

Multiplication Square Jigsaw
Age 7 to 11
Challenge Level

Can you complete this jigsaw of the multiplication square?

Shape Times Shape
Age 7 to 11
Challenge Level

These eleven shapes each stand for a different number. Can you use the number sentences to work out what they are?

Looking at Lego
Age 7 to 11
Challenge Level

This task offers an opportunity to explore all sorts of number relationships, but particularly multiplication.

Mystery Matrix
Age 7 to 11
Challenge Level

Can you fill in this table square? The numbers 2 -12 were used to generate it with just one number used twice.

Ducking and Dividing
Age 7 to 11
Challenge Level

Your vessel, the Starship Diophantus, has become damaged in deep space. Can you use your knowledge of times tables and some lightning reflexes to survive?

Missing Multipliers
Age 7 to 14
Challenge Level

What is the smallest number of answers you need to reveal in order to work out the missing headers?

Number and algebra

Geometry and measure

Probability and statistics

Working mathematically

Advanced mathematics

For younger learners

What Is the Question?