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For younger learners

  • Early Years Foundation Stage

Can You Prove It?

Creating convincing arguments or "proofs" to show that statements are always true is a key mathematical skill. The problems in this feature offer you the chance to explore number patterns and create proofs to show that these are always true.

Many of the problems in this feature include proof sorting activities which challenge you to rearrange statements in order to recreate clear, rigorous proofs.  

The last day for sending in your solutions to the live problems is Monday 31 January.

Plus magazine has a selection of interesting articles about proofs here.
 

Three Neighbours

Age 7 to 14
Challenge Level Yellow starYellow star
Take three consecutive numbers and add them together. What do you notice?

Three Consecutive Odd Numbers

Age 11 to 16
Challenge Level Yellow star
How many sets of three consecutive odd numbers can you find, in which all three numbers are prime?

Adding Odd Numbers

Age 11 to 16
Challenge Level Yellow star
Is there a quick and easy way to calculate the sum of the first 100 odd numbers?

Where Are the Primes?

Age 11 to 16
Challenge Level Yellow star
What can we say about all the primes which are greater than 3?

What Does it All Add up To?

Age 11 to 18
Challenge Level Yellow starYellow star
If you take four consecutive numbers and add them together, the answer will always be even. What else do you notice?

Different Products

Age 14 to 16
Challenge Level Yellow star
Take four consecutive whole numbers. Multiply the first and last numbers together. Multiply the middle pair together. What do you notice?

Impossible Sums

Age 14 to 18
Challenge Level Yellow starYellow star
Which numbers cannot be written as the sum of two or more consecutive numbers?

Difference of Odd Squares

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


We are very grateful to the Heilbronn Institute for Mathematical Research for their generous support for the development of these resources.

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Patterns in Number Sequences

These resources are designed to get you thinking about number sequences and patterns.

Secondary Student Latest

Latest list for the Lower Secondary Student page

Curriculum Topics

Problems organised by curriculum topic for lower secondary students.

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The NRICH Project aims to enrich the mathematical experiences of all learners. To support this aim, members of the NRICH team work in a wide range of capacities, including providing professional development for teachers wishing to embed rich mathematical tasks into everyday classroom practice.

NRICH is part of the family of activities in the Millennium Mathematics Project.

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