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?
