Puzzling Numbers Games

Mathematics play a big role in science and research! But don't let that scare you! Math can be fun, and very illuminating! Sometimes it works just like magic! You don't believe that? Then try the following games and be prepared to be surprised.

Be a Math Wizard (or Mind Reader?)

Phone a Friend

Pick-Pocket Game

Surprising Odds

Trouble in Denmark

Why is that so?

Wisdom of the Ages

Be a Math Wizard (or Mind Reader?) 

Here is a math trick you can play on your friends to show them what a math whiz you are! Tell a friend that the two of you will pick five 5-digit numbers at random, and then will add them together -- but, amazingly, after just hearing the first number and before the others have even been selected, you'll be able to accurately predict what the TOTAL of those five numbers will be!

Steps:

1. Have a friend write down a 5-digit number -- for example, he might write down 67,812.
2. Then on a separate piece of paper, you can immediately write down the final "answer" to this quiz (the total of all five numbers), even though four of the numbers haven't even been selected yet! For the example given, 67,812, the answer will be 267,810.
3. Announce that you have "predicted" the final answer and written it down as proof -- but don't show it yet. Just fold the piece of paper over to keep that answer hidden till the end of the "trick".
4. Then have your friend write down a second 5-digit number right beneath the first one.
   You then quickly write down a third 5-digit number right below it (but you'll have to know what to write -- to find out, visit the instructions below!).
5. Then have your friend write a fourth 5-digit number under your number. Then you immediately write a fifth 5-digit number beneath it (again, you'd select that number according to the instructions below ).
6. Then ask your friend to add up the five 5-digit numbers that have been written down.
7. Compare that answer to the one you wrote down after the first number was selected.

Amazingly, they will be identical! But how could you do that? How could you predict the total after just hearing the first number? Just follow the instructions below!

Instructions/Answer Here is the trick: (1) Take the first number and subtract 2 from it then put the number "2" in front of it. (For example, if the number was 67,812, it would be 267,810). That will be the final answer. (2) Then, when you see the second number your friend writes down you mentally subtract each digit of that number from 9, and write that answer for the third number. (For example, if your friend's second number is 11,111, then the number you would choose and write down would be 88,888. Or, if your friend's number is 56,123, then your next number would be 43,876. The key here is that each of your friend's number's digits, when added to the corresponding digit of your number, must total 9.) Then you ask your friend to write down a fourth number, and again you subtract each digit of that number from 9 (do this silently!), and write that answer down as the fifth number. For example, if the second number is 12,345, then you would write 87,654 as the third number because(12345 + 87654=99999). When the 5 numbers the two of you selected are all added together, the total will be identical to the number you originally wrote down and set aside! It works every time. Try it and see!

Phone A Friend 

It's time to phone a friend for a little math fun ...get your calculator...this works!

(Note: Ignore your area code and use only your seven digit phone number)

1) What are the first 3 digits of your phone number? (do NOT include the area code)

2) Multiply by 80

3) Add 1

4) Multiply by 250

5) Add in the last four digits of phone number

6) Add in the last four digits of phone number again

7) Subtract 250

8) Divide by 2.

Is the result your phone number?

Pick-Pocket Game 

This will take a calculator, but it will be worth it! You can impress your friends and family by correctly guessing the amount of change they have in their pockets!

Ask the person to take his/her age and multiply it by 2.

Add 5.

Multiply this sum by 50.

Subtract 365.

Add the amount of loose pocket change, but do NOT count change totalling $1 or over (i.e., must be less than $1)

Add 115 -- final outcome:

Notice that the first two digits will be the person's age,
and the last two digits are the amount of the person's pocket change.

Surprising Odds! 

Answer as QUICKLY as possible but don't advance until you've done each of them!!!

You do NOT have to fill in the blanks --
it might be better (and faster) to just do this in your head!

WHAT IS:

2 + 2

4 + 4

8 + 8

16 + 16

Pick a number between 12 and 5

Final Outcome:

 

Trouble in Denmark Game 

Follow the instructions carefully, ONE LINE AT A TIME. Be sure to do exactly what it says before moving to the next instruction. You can keep track of your answers by typing them into the white spaces provided beside each instruction. To clear the boxes, backspace over the last answer. Reloading will NOT clear the blocks.

1) Pick a number from 5 to 9

2) Subtract 5

3) Multiply by 3

4) Square the number (multiply it by itself)

5) Add the digits in the number together until you get only one digit; i.e. 64: 6 + 4 = 10; 1 + 0= 1

6) If the number is less than 5, add five. Otherwise subtract 4.

7) Multiply it by 2

8) Subtract 6

9) Give the digit its corresponding letter in the alphabet (for example: 1=A, 2=B, 3=C, 4=D...26=Z, etc)

10) Pick a name of a country (NOT A STATE) that begins with that letter.

11) Take the second letter in the country name and think of a mammal that begins with that letter.

12) Think of the most common color of that mammal.

DO NOT LOOK AT THE ANSWER UNTIL YOU HAVE COMPLETED ALL OF THE ABOVE STEPS IN ORDER!

If you did not get that exact answer,you either thought of a really unique country, a really unique mammal, or you need to re-check your math and try again!

Some of the other creative answers we've received from our readers are: a black and white Echidna from Denmark (the Echidna is native to New Guinea and Australia); a brown elk From Denmark; and a brown joey (baby kangaroo) in Djibouti (Djibouti is a country created from the French Territory of the Afars and Issas, French Somaliland).

Why is that so? 

Here's an odd little puzzle one of our statisticians brought to light from his high school days. For some unknown reason, odds are that if you answer quickly you will come up with the same answer as the majority of other people. But we have no idea why that is so. Are you ready? Let's go! Remember to answer EVERY question as QUICKLY as possible!

You do NOT have to fill in the blanks --
it might be better (and faster) to just do this in your head!

What is 1 plus 1?

What is 2 plus 2?

What is 3 plus 3?

What is 4 plus 4?

What is 5 plus 5?

What is 6 plus 6?

What is 7 plus 7?

What is 8 plus 8?

What is 9 plus 9?

What is the first vegetable to come to your mind?
Quick! Quick! If you take too long it won't work!

We bet that you picked ....

Wisdom of the Ages 

Follow the instructions carefully, ONE LINE AT A TIME. Be sure to do exactly what it says before moving to the next instruction. You can keep track of your answers by typing them into the white spaces provided beside each instruction. Sharpen your pencils -- some of this math cannot be done in your head probably! To clear the boxes, backspace over the last answer. Reloading will NOT clear the blocks.

1) Write down the number of the month you were born

2) Multiply it by 4

3) Add 13

4) Multiply the result by 25

5) Subtract 200

6) Add the day of the month on which you were born

7) Multiply by 2

8) Subtract 40

9) Multiply the result by 50

10) Add the last two digits of the year of your birth

11) Finally, subtract 10,500

Notice anything funny about your answer?