 Audible Riddles: Listen to these audible mathematical riddles and use your ingenuity to figure out the answers.  Bus Driver: A riddle about a bus driver on quite a busy route.  Calendar Clue: Find the murderer from the clue written on the calendar  Cube Ages: Calculate the mean age of the two fathers and two sons with the given clues. Fried Eggs: How many eggs remain after the events that took place in the kitchen?  Fruit Snacks: Work out the numbers of each type of fruit bought for snacks  Growing Fast: How can it be that Percy will be 16 next year when he was only 13 the day before yesterday? Moses' Roses: How can ten roses be planted in five rows of four?  Rejuvenate: A girl was 16 years old in 2010 but just 8 years old in 2018 Rosie's Cube: How many of the small cubes does Rosie need to complete the big cube? Sharing Apples: Share five apples between five children while leaving one in the basket. Ship's Ladder: How many rungs of a rope ladder remain above the water line after the tide has risen two metres? Sibling Count: How many boys and how many girls are there in the family? Smart Animals: Who is most likely to be able to work out the square root of 121? Sums With Hundreds: When is eighteen hundred minus fifty the same as seventeen hundred plus ten? The Blue Arrows: What is the smallest number of jets that could have been in the formation according to the sighting information? Tricky Takeaway: Take away some of the letters in a word to get a surprising result. Two Coins: What two coins add up to 70p (one of them is not a 50p coin) Wandering Bear: A bear walks south, east then north and finds it is back where it started. What colour is the bear? Maths Jokes: Many mathematical jokes can be thought of as riddles and there is a big collection of jokes here.
|
Riddles as Starters:
Birthday Clues
Work out the date Will was born by answering some number questions.
Missing Pound
A puzzle about a restaurant bill. Exactly where did the missing pound go?
Polygon Riddle 1
Solve the riddle to find the name of the polygon then sum the interior angles.
Polygon Riddle 2
A "My first is in..." type riddle leading to a polygon interior angle calculation.
Polygon Riddle 3
A 'My first is in...' riddle that describes a geometrical shape. Can you construct it?
Secret Symbol
Place a symbol between the four and the five to get a number greater than four and less than five.
St Ives
The traditional "As I was going to St Ives" riddle.
Complete Index of Starters
Fun Maths
In addition to these riddles see also our huge collection of Fun Maths games, puzzles and challenges.
Enjoy
Fun Maths
 The end of the lesson or the lesson at the end of Term should be a little more fun than normal. Here's a collection of fun mathematical activities
The short web address is:
Transum.org/go/?to=fun
The large collection of End of Term activities might also be of interest to you.
|
Mathematical Riddles
Here is the Transum collection of mathematical riddles to make you think outside the box then enjoy the satisfaction finding the answer brings.
A riddle is a statement, possibly with a double or hidden meaning, presented as a puzzle to be solved. Riddles are of two types: enigmas and conundrums, but all of the riddles collected here have a mathematical connection. Posing riddles is an old and respected way of describing mathematical situations, connections and problems.
There is definitely a place for mathematical riddles in the Maths classroom. They can be used as lesson starters or finishers. They could be presented to pupils to think about for homework or included in the school newsletter to promote mathematics.
You will find a number of different types of riddles here which are designed to capture the interest of pupils in a mathematical skill, concept or topic.
Projectable Resources:How old was Diophantus?: An ancient riddle which can be answered by solving an equation containing fractions. Mathematical Catchphrase: Say what you see! Work out the mathematical words from the picture clues. Number Rhyme: A poem about the numbers one to nine. Just for fun can you make up a last line for each verse? Hands-on Riddles
Calculator Words
Turn your calculator upside down to make words out of the answers to these questions.
Maths Crossword
An interactive mathematical crossword for you to do online. Find the missing words from the given clues.
Mystery Numbers
If '7 D in a W' stands for 7 days in a week, what do you think these mystery numbers are?
Vowelless
Vowels have been taken out of mathematical words. Can you recognise them?
Videos about Riddles:Maths Jokes Explained: Some of your favourite maths jokes are dissected in forensic fashion. The 50 Cent Riddle: A 50 cent coin has 12 equal sides. If you place two coins next to each other on a table, what is the angle formed between the two coins? The Infinite Chocolate Bar: A visual riddle! Can you explain?
Search
The activity you are looking for may have been classified in a different way from the way you were expecting. You can search the whole of Transum Maths by using the box below.
|
Comments
Christmas Present Ideas
It is often very difficult choosing Christmas presents for family and friends but so here are some seasonal, mathematics-related gifts chosen and recommended by Transum Mathematics.
Go Genius Maths
Transform maths practice into an exciting adventure with Go Genius Maths! This award-winning board game is designed to make learning maths enjoyable and engaging for children aged 7 and above. Perfect for family game nights or classroom activities, Go Genius Maths helps players develop essential arithmetic skills while having heaps of fun.
Whether you’re looking for a gift to inspire young minds or a tool to supplement maths education, Go Genius Maths is the ultimate choice. Spark curiosity, nurture mathematical talent, and turn learning into an unforgettable journey!
|
|
|
How Not To Be Wrong
The maths we learn in school can seem like an abstract set of rules, laid down by the ancients and not to be questioned. In fact, Jordan Ellenberg shows us, maths touches on everything we do, and a little mathematical knowledge reveals the hidden structures that lie beneath the world's messy and chaotic surface. In How Not to be Wrong, Ellenberg explores the mathematician's method of analyzing life, from the everyday to the cosmic, showing us which numbers to defend, which ones to ignore, and when to change the equation entirely. Along the way, he explains calculus in a single page, describes Gödel's theorem using only one-syllable words, and reveals how early you actually need to get to the airport.
What more could the inquisitive adult want for Christmas? This book makes a cosy, interesting read in front of the fire on those cold winter evenings. more... #ad
|
Graphic Display Calculator
This handheld device and companion software are designed to generate opportunities for classroom exploration and to promote greater understanding of core concepts in the mathematics and science classroom. TI-Nspire technology has been developed through sound classroom research which shows that "linked multiple representation are crucial in development of conceptual understanding and it is feasible only through use of a technology such as TI-Nspire, which provides simultaneous, dynamically linked representations of graphs, equations, data, and verbal explanations, such that a change in one representation is immediately reflected in the others.
For the young people in your life this is a great investment. Bought as a Christmas present but useful for many years to come as the young person turns into an A-level candidate then works their way through university. more... #ad
|
|
|
Apple iPad Pro
The analytics show that more and more people are accessing Transum Mathematics via an iPad as it is so portable and responsive. The iPad has so many other uses in addition to solving Transum's puzzles and challenges and it would make an excellent gift for anyone.
The redesigned Retina display is as stunning to look at as it is to touch. It all comes with iOS, the world's most advanced mobile operating system. iPad Pro. Everything you want modern computing to be. more... #ad
Before giving an iPad as a Christmas gift you could add a link to iPad Maths to the home screen.
|
Craig Barton's Tips for Teachers
Teaching is complex. But there are simple ideas we can enact to help our teaching be more effective. This book contains over 400 such ideas." more... #ad
"The ideas come from two sources. First, from the wonderful guests on his Tips for Teachers podcast - education heavyweights such as Dylan Wiliam, Daisy Christodoulou and Tom Sherrington, as well as talented teachers who are not household names but have so much wisdom to share. Then there's what he has learned from working with amazing teachers and students in hundreds of schools around the world.
|
|
|
The Story Of Maths [DVD]
The films in this ambitious series offer clear, accessible explanations of important mathematical ideas but are also packed with engaging anecdotes, fascinating biographical details, and pivotal episodes in the lives of the great mathematicians. Engaging, enlightening and entertaining, the series gives viewers new and often surprising insights into the central importance of mathematics, establishing this discipline to be one of humanity s greatest cultural achievements. This DVD contains all four programmes from the BBC series.
Marcus du Sautoy's wonderful programmes make a perfect Christmas gift more... #ad
|
Christmas Maths
This book provides a wealth of fun activities with a Christmas theme. Each photocopiable worksheet is matched to the Numeracy Strategy and compatible with the Scottish 5-14 Guidelines. This series is designed for busy teachers in the late Autumn term who are desperate for materials that are relevant and interesting and that can be completed with minimun supervision.
All the activities are suitable for use by class teachers, supply teachers, SEN teachers and classroom assistants and cover topics such as 'How many partridges did the true love give all together?' and 'Filling a sleigh with presents by rolling a dice!'. Children will have lots of fun working through the Christmas Maths themes but also gain valuable skills along the way.
A great source of ideas and another reasonably priced stocking filler. more... #ad
|
|
|
A Compendium Of Mathematical Methods
How many different methods do you know to solve simultaneous equations? To multiply decimals? To find the nth term of a sequence?
A Compendium of Mathematical Methods brings together over one hundred different approaches from classrooms all over the world, giving curious mathematicians the opportunity to explore fascinating methods that they've never before encountered.
If you teach mathematics to any age group in any country, you are guaranteed to learn lots of new things from this delightful book. It will deepen your subject knowledge and enhance your teaching, whatever your existing level of expertise. It will inspire you to explore new approaches with your pupils and provide valuable guidance on explanations and misconceptions. more... #ad
|
Math with Bad Drawings
I had been tutoring the wonderful Betsy for five years. When the day came for our last ever session together before the end of her Year 13, I received this beautiful book as a gift of appreciation.
This a very readable book by Ben Orlin. I'm really enjoying the humour in the writing and the drawings are great.
Ben Orlin answers maths' three big questions: Why do I need to learn this? When am I ever going to use it? Why is it so hard? The answers come in various forms-cartoons, drawings, jokes, and the stories and insights of an empathetic teacher who believes that mathematics should belong to everyone. more... #ad
|
|
Click the images above to see all the details of these gift ideas and to buy them online.
Maths T-Shirts
Maths T-Shirts on Amazon
Your access to the majority of the Transum resources continues to be free but you can help support the continued growth of the website by doing your Amazon shopping using the links on this page. Below is an Amazon link. As an Amazon Associate I earn a small amount from qualifying purchases which helps pay for the upkeep of this website.
Educational Technology on Amazon
|
Bernie Westacott, Twitter
Thursday, June 6, 2019
John Nguyen,
Thursday, October 31, 2019
"I'm impressed by the work you've done on transum.org. Amazing job providing fun educational resources and engaging content for your users! Your math riddles have me scratching my head, but they're really engaging."