Term 4 - October 21 (mild)

Maths Share has changed. Each fortnight you will receive a page of problems. There are 3 levels: mild, hot or spicy. Choose which level you’d like to have a go at and place your entry in the NEW entry box at the office! Two winners will be drawn out each week. Happy Maths Sharing!

THE MILD PROBLEM: Numbers as Shapes

Here are the numbers 1 to 6 drawn using coloured squares:

We can call these numbers squares, rectangles or sticks.

1 is a square but just a single one.
We can’t make 2 into a square so 2 is a stick.
We can’t make 3 into a square or a rectangle so 3 can only be a stick.
We can make 4 into a square.
We can’t make 5 into a square or a rectangle, so 5 can only be a stick.
We can’t make 6 into a square, but we can make 6 into a rectangle.

If you had 7 yellow squares, what could you make them into? A square, a rectangle or a stick? How about 8 squares? Try this with the numbers up to and including 20.

Which ones can only be sticks? Which ones can make rectangles? Which ones are squares?

What do you notice?


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