Creative Use of Odd Moments contains seven activities which are ideal for use as starter activities, extension questions or to develop mathematical thinking and problem solving. Each activity is accompanied by teacher notes, supplying the answers and explanations of the mathematics involved....

This activity from the Nuffield Foundation shows students how to use a recurrence relation to work out how long it takes to pay off a credit card loan and how much it costs. They can use a graphic calculator or spreadsheet to do the working. After working through the given example, where a customer spends £1250 and...

This resource explains the check digit algorithm invented by Hans Luhn. This algorithm is widely used for both credit and debit cards to check small errors in the input of card numbers, using the final digit on the card as a check. 

The instructions clearly show how to apply the algorithm, and invites...

In this resource students are given four coordinate points and asked to find the equation of the lines that connect them. The four lines intersect to form a rectangle- can students find the area of the rectangle?

Each student worksheet contains different coordinate points, but the solutions all have...

This problem is an interesting variation on ‘Goldilocks and the Three Bears’. All three bears start eating their porridge at the same time but at different rates. The time is given for Daddy...

Students often seem uncomfortable when confronted with a science teacher talking about mathematics in a science lesson or a design and technology teacher talking about science in a design and technology lesson.

Karen...

This mapping from CIMT gives the Key Objectives from the Secondary Framework (2001) for each year group and the respective units in the MEP scheme.

This task is designed to assess how well students understand addition, working methodically, and giving a proof.

A cross is given that uses two squares on each arm around a central square to give nine squares in total. The numbers from 1 to 9 must be placed in the squares so that the vertical and horizontal...

The equations of two intersecting lines are given. The challenge is to use Pythagoras’ theorem to show that the triangle formed by the lines and the y-axis is a right-angle. The point of intersection is determined by solving simultaneous equations.

Each example is derived from a pair of perpendicular lines....

A series of symbols is presented in four additions. The challenge is to work out the number that each symbol represents. Solving the problem involves the use of logical thinking using base 10. The resource is suitable for Key Stage 3.

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This activity from Cre8ate maths explores the rotational symmetry of carefully chosen crystals. Initially students work with plain and coloured nets of cubes may use trial and improvement methods to find different possible rotations of symmetry, before exploring ways to be systematic in their investigation. For...

This activity from Cre8ate maths explores Platonic solids, which are formed from regular polygons where all their faces are identical and all their vertices are identical too. Students are told that there are only five platonic solids, which they can build using triangles, squares and pentagons. Completing the...

This resource features a short task on cubic functions.

Students are given a graph of a cubic function. They then have a series of tasks to complete relating to the function. These tasks involve; substitution, interpreting the graph, explaining how the cubic only has one solution, determining the y-axis...