Subtraction

Abstract Squaring Puzzles

Give students addition and subtraction practice and link these numerical activities to geometry. A fraction of students, predominantly girls, thrive when the beauty of mathematics is allowed to shine. These puzzles are therefore close-to-essential in any classroom learning subtraction. There is a lot to learn in how this abstract puzzle with no real-world application gets engagement rates of 95%. Download here.

Animal Subtraction

These puzzles are the best way to introduce students to subtraction. The puzzle is a classic from 1967 that deserves to be in every student’s experience of mathematics. The references to $1,000,000 are a long-term dream.

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Magic Subtraction Trick

Students need to reliably add and subtract numbers of several digits in order for this to work in the classroom. It is not a good trick to teach these, but rather to review something that 80% of students already know. Perhaps a fun trick to reproduce for parents.

Recaman Sequence

What a delicious way to play on the number line! In these sequences you jump about by increasing intervals. The patterns that result are chaotic and beautiful.

Fibonacci Killer Bunny Sequence

These sequences are fun to set up mini-competitions in your classroom. After an initial exploration in front of the class, groups can challenge one another to reach a certain number as fast as possible.