Mathematics puzzles are fun, interesting, and nerve-wracking at the same time. Most of the students are afraid of Maths and as teachers, if you include tricky Maths puzzles, this will help in inculcating an interest in the subject. Parents can also try and inculcate a habit of doing math puzzles at home. Having said that, don’t try to enforce anything on your students or children. Try and make the classes engaging and interesting. Each child is different and each of them will have their own talent and interest.
Tricky Maths puzzles for kids will:
- Increase concentration
- Improve focus and attention
- Helps in brain development
- Helps overall development
Without further ado, let’s look at some tricky Maths puzzles with answers for kids.
Math Puzzles with Answers to Boost Your Skills
1. Yesterday, Today & Tomorrow!
I was 10 years old the day before yesterday. By next year, I will be 13 years old. How is that possible?
This is a very interesting tricky Maths puzzle that is sure to get the kids thinking and exploring. The answer is very simple yet needs a lot of attention.
Assume that I am making this statement on January 1st, 2020 and that my Birthday is on 31st December. So, This means that my eleventh birthday was on 31st December 2019. The day before yesterday, I was 10 years old, today I am 11. By the end of the current year, 2020, I will be 12 years old. And so, by the next year (i.e. in 2021), I will be 13 years old.
Quite a tricky one isn’t it? It will be easier for the kids to crack this question if they have a calendar in hand.
2. How old is he?
Mathew had 6 siblings. They were all born 2 years apart. The youngest is Izza who is only 7 years old while Mathew is the oldest. What is Mathew’s age?
This is another trick question that will get your children thinking. This will be helpful to increase their attention and mathematical skills. Quite often children get stressed while preparing for exams. Such puzzles will help to overcome stress.
Izza, the youngest sibling, is 7 years old. It is said that each sibling was born 2 years apart, and in total, there are seven children (Mathew and his 6 siblings). So Mathew’s age is:
7 + 2 + 2 + 2 + 2 + 2 + 2 = 19.
3. Tigers and Rabbits
Six tigers can catch just six rabbits in six minutes. So how many tigers will be needed to catch 60 rabbits in sixty minutes?
The immediate answer would be 60. But however, that is not the right answer. With Mathematics, there’s always something under the carpet. You have to look close.
Here,
1 tiger can catch 1 rabbit in six minutes. In 60 minutes, each tiger can catch 10 rabbits. So, each tiger can catch ten rabbits, and in sixty minutes, 6 tigers can catch 60 rabbits.
Alternative method – Six Tigers. How did we arrive at this? It is said in the question that 6 tigers can catch six rabbits in 6 minutes. If you multiply it by ten, the same tigers can catch sixty rabbits in 60 minutes.
4. Wheels and the Cycles
Last weekend, Amit went to an exhibition near his house. He rode his new bicycle gifted by his Mother for winning the Maths puzzle competition. After reaching the exhibition, Amit saw that there were 14 tricycles and bicycles in total. If there were a total of 38 wheels, how many tricycles were there in the park?
There were 10 Tricycles.
It is said that there were 14 cycles in total. We know that all of them have at least 2 wheels.
So, 14 x 2 = 28.
Now, it is said that there are 38 wheels in total, which means 38 – 28 = 10.
So, this means there are 10 cycles with one extra wheel each, which gives us the answer, 10 tricycles in total.
5.A wizard was on the way to his house and a few drops from his magic potion fell on to a plant. Now, the plant will double its size every day. It is growing in a circular pond with a circumference of 600 meters. The plant-covered half the pond in 28 days, how many days would it take to cover the full pond?
The answer is very simple. It would cover the full pond in 29 days. As mentioned in the beginning, the plant doubles in size every day. If it has covered half the pond in 28 days, it would grow twice that size the next day. Sometimes, the key to the answer is very simple.
6. Magic Number
This is a magic number. If you add this number to the number itself and then multiply by it 4 and again divide the number by 8 and you will get the same number once more. Which is that number?
Any number will give you the same result.
For example, let’s take 2
2+2 = 4
4*4= 16
16 divided by 8= 2!
Let’s try a different number,6
6+6= 12
12 * 4= 48
48 divided by 8 = 6!
Similarly, this works for all the numbers
7. Analyze the pattern and find the missing number:
When you look closely, you will understand that each of the circles adds to form a total of 20. So, in the last circle:
2+9+8+?= 20
19+?= 20
And hence, the missing number is 1
These types of puzzles will help kids to find patterns and increase their observation skills.
8. Find me!
If 1=5
2=25
3=325
4=4325
5=?
The immediate answer might be 54325. However, the answer is 1. The first line is 1=5 and that means 5 is equal to one. This tricky Maths puzzle will help to increase the children’s observation and focus.
9. Where is the car parked?
This is an image that got widely circulated through WhatsApp and other channels. The answer is right in front of you, but you just need a fresh perspective. When you look at the picture upside down, you will see that the numbers are in sequence and the parking lot’s number is 87. In this blog on tricky Maths puzzles with answers, this is an important question that needs to be discussed.
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10. Add up a 1000!
Using only addition, how do you add eight 8’s and get the number 1000?
The answer is 888 + 88 + 8 + 8 + 8 = 1000.
Numbers are really interesting and one good teacher can change the whole outlook.
These kinds of tricky puzzles are intended to increase the interest in numbers and also to take away the fear factor associated with mathematics. The tricky maths puzzles with answers that have been discussed here are just a drop in the ocean. As mentioned, there is a general fear associated with this subject.
If you can make your child familiar with Maths tricky questions and puzzles in Maths, there’s nothing like it. However, what you have to understand is that not everyone will be attracted to it and that is okay. You just need to reaffirm their faith in education and motivate them to study.
As mentioned above, these math brain teasers with answers will help in improving concentration and focus and is great for enhancing brain activity. You can also try other activities for students to keep them engaged. We hope you enjoyed this blog on tricky Maths puzzles with answers. We will be back with yet another interesting blog. Stay tuned.
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