Skip over navigation
Cambridge University Faculty of Mathematics NRich logo
menu search
  • Teachers expand_more
    • Early years
    • Primary
    • Secondary
    • Post-16
    • Events
    • Professional development
  • Students expand_more
    • Primary
    • Secondary
    • Post-16
  • Parents expand_more
    • Early Years
    • Primary
    • Secondary
    • Post-16
  • Problem-Solving Schools
  • About NRICH expand_more
    • About us
    • Impact stories
    • Support us
    • Our funders
    • Contact us
  • search

Or search by topic

Number and algebra

  • The Number System and Place Value
  • Calculations and Numerical Methods
  • Fractions, Decimals, Percentages, Ratio and Proportion
  • Properties of Numbers
  • Patterns, Sequences and Structure
  • Algebraic expressions, equations and formulae
  • Coordinates, Functions and Graphs

Geometry and measure

  • Angles, Polygons, and Geometrical Proof
  • 3D Geometry, Shape and Space
  • Measuring and calculating with units
  • Transformations and constructions
  • Pythagoras and Trigonometry
  • Vectors and Matrices

Probability and statistics

  • Handling, Processing and Representing Data
  • Probability

Working mathematically

  • Thinking mathematically
  • Developing positive attitudes
  • Cross-curricular contexts

Advanced mathematics

  • Decision Mathematics and Combinatorics
  • Advanced Probability and Statistics
  • Mechanics
  • Calculus

For younger learners

  • Early Years Foundation Stage

Screen Shot

Age 14 to 16
Challenge Level Yellow starYellow star
  • Problem
  • Getting Started
  • Teachers' Resources
A moveable screen slides along a mirrored corridor towards a centrally placed light source. A ray of light from that source is directed towards a wall of the corridor, which it strikes at $45^\circ $ before being reflected across to the opposite wall and so on until it hits the screen.

If the screen is $20$ metres down the corridor from the light source and if the corridor is $2$ metres wide, find the position on the screen where the point of light appears.


Screen shot diagram

Part Two: Now remember that the screen is moveable. The distance, $d$, of the screen down the corridor can change, so the position where the point of light appears on the screen will depend on $d$. Can you find a function, expressing the position of the light on the screen in terms of $d$?

Part Three: If the ray leaves the source making an angle $\theta$ with the direction of the corridor, and the distance, $d$, of the screen down the corridor can still change, the position where the point of light appears on the screen will depend on $d$ and on $\theta$ . Can you find this function?

You may also like

Diophantine N-tuples

Can you explain why a sequence of operations always gives you perfect squares?

DOTS Division

Take any pair of two digit numbers x=ab and y=cd where, without loss of generality, ab > cd . Form two 4 digit numbers r=abcd and s=cdab and calculate: {r^2 - s^2} /{x^2 - y^2}.

Sixational

The nth term of a sequence is given by the formula n^3 + 11n. Find the first four terms of the sequence given by this formula and the first term of the sequence which is bigger than one million. Prove that all terms of the sequence are divisible by 6.

  • Tech help
  • Accessibility Statement
  • Sign up to our newsletter
  • Twitter X logo

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.

University of Cambridge logo NRICH logo