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For younger learners

  • Early Years Foundation Stage

Convince Me! - Upper Primary

Here are some challenges that you can work on and then see if you can convince someone that your solutions are right! Have a go!


Beads and Bags

Age 5 to 11
Challenge Level Yellow star

How could you put these three beads into bags? How many different ways can you do it? How could you record what you've done?

Four-digit Targets

Age 7 to 11
Challenge Level Yellow star

You have two sets of the digits 0-9. Can you arrange these in the five boxes to make four-digit numbers as close to the target numbers as possible?

Fifteen Cards

Age 7 to 11
Challenge Level Yellow star

Can you use the information to find out which cards I have used?

Cuisenaire Spirals

Age 7 to 11
Challenge Level Yellow star

Can you make arrange Cuisenaire rods so that they make a 'spiral' with right angles at the corners?

Money Bags

Age 5 to 11
Challenge Level Yellow starYellow star

Ram divided 15 pennies among four small bags. He could then pay any sum of money from 1p to 15p without opening any bag. How many pennies did Ram put in each bag?

Sealed Solution

Age 7 to 11
Challenge Level Yellow starYellow star

Ten cards are put into five envelopes so that there are two cards in each envelope. The sum of the numbers inside it is written on each envelope. What numbers could be inside the envelopes?

Stringy Quads

Age 7 to 11
Challenge Level Yellow starYellow star

This practical problem challenges you to make quadrilaterals with a loop of string. You'll need some friends to help!

Factor-multiple Chains

Age 7 to 11
Challenge Level Yellow starYellow star

Can you see how these factor-multiple chains work? Find the chain which contains the smallest possible numbers. How about the largest possible numbers?

Magic Vs

Age 7 to 11
Challenge Level Yellow star

Can you put the numbers 1-5 in the V shape so that both 'arms' have the same total?

A Bit of a Dicey Problem

Age 7 to 11
Challenge Level Yellow starYellow starYellow star

When you throw two regular, six-faced dice you have more chance of getting one particular result than any other. What result would that be? Why is this?

Chocolate

Age 7 to 14
Challenge Level Yellow starYellow star

There are three tables in a room with blocks of chocolate on each. Where would be the best place for each child in the class to sit if they came in one at a time?

More of Convince Me

Age 7 to 11
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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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