Skip over navigation
I have some strange dice: the faces show the numbers 1 to 6 as usual, except that the odd numbers are negative (i.e. -1, -3, -5 in place of 1, 3, 5).
If I throw two such dice, which of the following totals cannot be achieved?
a) 3
b) 7
c) 8
Click here for a poster of this problem
Negative Dice
Age 11 to 14
ShortChallenge Level 
I have some strange dice: the faces show the numbers 1 to 6 as usual, except that the odd numbers are negative (i.e. -1, -3, -5 in place of 1, 3, 5).
If I throw two such dice, which of the following totals cannot be achieved?
a) 3
b) 7
c) 8
Click here for a poster of this problem
This problem is taken from the UKMT Mathematical Challenges.
You can find more short problems, arranged by curriculum topic, in our short problems collection.
You may also like
Consecutive Numbers
An investigation involving adding and subtracting sets of consecutive numbers. Lots to find out, lots to explore.
Pair Sums
Five numbers added together in pairs produce: 0, 2, 4, 4, 6, 8, 9, 11, 13, 15 What are the five numbers?
